September 18, 2023

The Middle East has witnessed many Western military interventions since the end of the First World War. Two recent ones are particularly significant in drawing lessons for the future.

The Iraq-Iran War started on September 22, 1980. The war lasted eight years. In 1990 Saddam Hussein made his biggest mistake by ordering the invasion of Kuwait. The US-led military campaign forced Iraq to withdraw. The people of Iraq suffered for decades under sanctions. On March 20, 2003, the US joined by the UK and several coalition allies invaded Iraq. The invasion which was not sanctioned by the UN not only led to the collapse of the Ba’athist government but the Iraqi state as well.