The Bottom Line

Does the United States owe Iraq an apology?

Twenty years ago, in the aftermath of 9/11, the US invaded Iraq, which had nothing to do with the attacks.

It was supposed to be quick, and the invading American forces would be “greeted as liberators”, according to the neoconservative architects of the Iraq war in 2003.

But, in fact, that war would become a turning point for the United States and the world.

Historian Andrew Bacevich and journalist Jonathan Landay tell host Steve Clemons that the war’s consequences continue to unfold today, challenging the credibility of the “rules-based world order”, exposing the limits of what can be achieved through military force, and making people wonder what Washington means when it talks about “democracy promotion”.