20 years on from the Iraq War, we look at Saddam Hussein, President of Iraq from 1979 until 2003. 

The 2003 Invasion, and the lead up to it, represents how poorly figures at the top of government can understand their counterparts and the countries they lead. The US did not understand Iraq well at all; but an important second part to that statement that is often glossed over is that Saddam really didn’t understand the US, either. If he had, he, or his regime, might still be in charge of Iraq today. 

I hope that this episode gives people a better sense of what Iraq is like 20 years on from the War- a part of the story often not considered enough- and a clearer picture of where US foreign policy lies today. The US is still haunted by Iraq, and in this sense, the Iraq War cannot be seen as separate or removed from the World we live in today; on the contrary, the global power dynamics of 2023 were forged there.

My guest for this conversation is Shadi Hamid. Shadi is senior fellow at the Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institute. He has also written various books about the Middle East, including The Problem of Democracy: America, the Middle East, and the Rise and Fall of an Idea, which was released in October. Shadi’s perspective on what happened after 2003 is nuanced in a debate which has been severely lacking that quality, and may challenge those of you with particularly negative feelings towards the War in Iraq.