20 years of a post-Saddam Iraq — Haider Al-Abadi

OPINION:

Tim Constantine sits down with Haider al-Abadi, the former Iraqi Prime Minister (2014-2018) widely credited with defeating ISIS, to speak candidly about life under Saddam Hussein, about America’s role, for better or worse, in the effort to liberate their nation, and about where Iraq is now, 20 years into their Constitution.

20 years of a post-Saddam Iraq. Was it worth it? 

In 2003, an international military force led by the United States entered Iraq with the intent of toppling the Saddam Hussein regime. While that goal was achieved, it came at a steep price. More than 4,400 American troops were killed, and some estimates suggest more than 100,000 Iraqi citizens died during the conflict. Was the result worth the cost?

In 2005, Iraq created the Iraqi Constitution Drafting Committee and tasked it with creating a Constitution to govern the post-Saddam nation of Iraq. In September of that same year, the Constitution they put forth was overwhelmingly approved in a referendum by the people of Iraq.

Only now — looking back over the 20 years since its passage — can we get a clear view of whether the American-led effort to oust Saddam Hussein was worth it.