The U.S. invasion of Iraq twenty years ago is rightly considered to be a major strategic blunder that destabilized the Middle East, consumed significant American resources, and sapped the power of the United States. For Iraq, the overthrow of Saddam Hussein’s repressive regime cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, displaced and wounded millions more, and wrought widespread destruction

https://www.cfr.org/article/twenty-years-after-war-oust-saddam-iraq-shaky-democracy

Last month we reflected on the implications of the one year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine; this month we are remembering a war which started 20 years ago but which still has profound effects on our world today.

Give that it is such a defining point in the 21^st Century it is a war that students should be familiar with and there is certainly a proliferation of articles on the impact of this war to choose from.

This article from Council of Foreign Relations gives an excellent overview of the war from causes to execution to impact:

Also these articles have insightful comments on the impact of this war

For students who enjoy listening to podcasts, we recommend The Rest is Politics. It is co-hosted by Alistair Campbell who was Tony Blair’s key advisor, and Rory Stewart who has had many roles: diplomat, author, broadcaster, former soldier and politician. Each week they discuss different political issues and this week there are two episodes on the Iraq War. The fact that Alistair Campbell was at the heart of the British government when the decision to invade Iraq was made and that Rory Stewart served as Deputy Governor in Maysan and Dhi Qar for the Coalition Provisional Authority following the 2003 invasion, makes for a insightful and thoughtful discussion on the reasons for the war and its effects.

This is another very good podcast series on the war from the BBC:

Site update

We have added a new page to Topic 17: Civil rights and social movements in the Americas post-1945:

On the IGCSE history site, we have now started the new Depth Study on the Second World War:

History in the news

Students studying South Africa will be interested in this article on the ongoing fight for justice in South Africa

In this article in the Financial Times, titled How History caught up with my Russian Friends, historian Orlando Figes reflects on the fate of the intelligentsia in Russia and also  - based on his 40 years experience  - how the work and challenges of a historian writing Soviet/Russian history have changed from the times of the USSR, through glasnost, the 1990s and now to under Putin's rule.

New History documentaries

Finally, by fortuitous timing to link with our new page on feminist movements in Mexico, the BBC is currently broadcasting a wonderful documentary of Frida Kahlo