By Invitation | Iraq, 20 years on

Kori Schake on how America has moved beyond the debacle of the Iraq war

A former Bush administration official says America will continue to lead the international order

Image: Dan Williams

The invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the mismanagement of what followed significantly diminished American power, making our security and prosperity more difficult and costly to sustain.  They were mistakes of historic proportions.  Yet they were not America’s first significant foreign-policy debacle, nor the first time the United States has been a flawed beacon of its values. In many ways, the failures of the Iraq war mirror some of those of the Vietnam war, and have already had significant repercussions in domestic debates and international attitudes. But, just like Vietnam, they have not meant, and they do not mean, an end to America’s global dominance.

From the March 25th 2023 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from By Invitation

Reihan Salam

Trumpism is becoming more pragmatic, argues Reihan Salam

But not all of the incoming president’s backers buy it

Time is not on Russia’s side, argues Finland’s foreign minister

Elina Valtonen calls for a lower oil-price cap and tougher measures against Russia’s shadow fleet


Oriana Skylar Mastro makes a case for paring America’s nukes

The political scientist explains why beefing up is bad China strategy


A new Iranian approach to regional security and prosperity, by M. Javad Zarif

Iran’s vice-president on how his country can make the region more secure and prosperous

America’s debt cannot keep stacking up, says Jeffrey Gundlach

The “King of Bonds” sees the risk of a debt restructuring with global repercussions

South Korea’s crisis highlights both fragility and resilience, writes Wi Sung-lac

The country is deeply polarised, but its living memory of military rule strengthens its commitment to democracy