Beijing not post-war 'victor' in Iraq
Analysts hailed the role China has played spearheading Iraq's post-war reconstruction and economic recovery on March 20, the 10th anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq, while rejecting allegations China has been a "winner" from the conflict.
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Bombs kill nearly 60 on Iraq anniversary
More than a dozen car bombs and suicide blasts tore through Shiite Muslim districts in the Iraqi capital Baghdad and other areas on March 19, killing nearly 60 people on the 10th anniversary of the US-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein.
US marks 10th anniversary of Iraq War
US President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on March 19 commemorated the 10th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq.
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Chinese Media:
●Global Times
Democracy and freedom are good slogans, but hardly applicable to a country that advocates empire-building and. The US should reflect on the consequences of the Iraq War and discuss whether its turbulence has been worthwhile or not.
It's unknown how much effort Iraqis will make to achieve the country's long-term stability and strengthen the effectiveness of their democracy, but the future may not lie in their hands.
●Xinhua
Many Iraqis welcomed the collapse of Saddam administration, whatever their feeling was toward the foreign occupation forces, because they thought they would restore their normal life after getting rid of UN sanctions and Saddam's wars.
But after ten years they are shocked that none of their dreams comes true, though Iraq now gains over $100 billion a year of oil revenues.
Iraqis are also looking for personal security and the rule of law after ten years of Saddam's fall, but again they feel they don 't have good security environment despite the violence has dramatically plummeted since its peak in 2006 and 2007 when sectarian fighting almost plunged the country into civil war.
●Xinhua
An expert at the University of Baghdad pointed out that the different goals of Shiites, Sunnis, and Kurds in Iraq’s politics are causing frequent sectarian struggles, which have gradually become an impediment to the country’s development.
“Actually, this is also the main reason that leads to tension, which makes the future of Iraq full of variables and uncertainty,” said the expert.
“Currently, Iraq is swinging between two camps led by Iran and the Gulf countries. To regain and rebuild its influence in the Middle East region, Iraq needs to stand in a balanced position between camps rather than take a clear stand, as it will bring colossal damage,” the expert noted.
●CRI Online
Guo Xiangang, deputy director of China Institute of International Studies
Iraq and the world are still under the influence of the Iraq War, even though a decade has already passed.
First, the rift in the relationship between European countries and the US has been widened due to France and Germany’s opposition to the US decision to circumvent the UN and start the Iraq War.
Second, the war impacted the US economy, which is one of the reasons behind the financial crisis.
Third, the balance of power in the Middle East has been destroyed. Shiite forces dominated Iraq’s politics after the war, which has benefited Iran, itself a Shia country. However, the rise of Iran has gradually threatened the strategy and interests of the US in the Middle East.
●CCTV
Foreign Media:
●Aljazeera
After a decade of combat, casualties, massive displacement, persisting violence, enhanced sectarian tension and violence between Shias and Sunnis, periodic suicide bombings and autocratic governance, a negative assessment of the Iraq War as a strategic move by the United States, the United Kingdom and a few of their secondary allies, including Japan, seems unavoidable.
Not only the regionally destabilising outcome - including the blowback effect of perversely adding weight to Iran's overall diplomatic influence - but the reputational costs in the Middle East associated with an imprudent, destructive and failed military intervention make the Iraq War the worst American foreign policy disaster since its defeat in Vietnam in the 1970s.
●The Guardian
Lesson one: interventions require legitimacy
Lesson two: interventions need to have limited, clear and realistic goals - and be well resourced
Lesson three: the collapse of the state leads to communal violence
Lesson four: an inclusive elite agreement is critical to gain widespread support for the new order
Lesson five: elections do not necessarily bestow legitimacy on the new order
Lesson six: interventions inevitably have unintended consequences
●The Washington Post
Beyond the thousands of casualties incurred, the millions of troops and civilians deployed, and the trillions of dollars committed, the most enduring legacy of the Iraq war will be the political movements it triggered in this country: It shattered Republicans’ monopoly on national security and eroded service members’ allegiance to the GOP.
The Republicans’ mismanagement of the war allowed Democrats to reclaim an issue lost to them since the Truman administration. Suddenly, the GOP wasn’t viewed as unquestionably strong on national security. It’s a shift that, since 2006, has profoundly affected elections and arguably contributed more than any other factor - save the economy - to Barack Obama’s 2008 victory.
Main combat operations
Post-war Events
| September 3, 2003 |
The formation of an interim cabinet in Iraq after the constitution of the transitional Iraqi Governing Council (IGC) |
December 14, 2003
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Saddam believed to have been captured
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June, 2004
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US hands sovereignty to interim government headed by Prime Minister Iyad Allawi.
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January 30, 2005
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Some 8 million vote in elections for a Transitional National Assembly.
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April, 2005
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Amid escalating violence, parliament selects Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani as president. Ibrahim Jaafari, a Shia, is named as prime minister.
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December, 2005
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Iraqis vote for the first, full-term government and parliament since the US-led invasion.
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May, 2006
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Iraqi parl't approves new cabinet
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December 30, 2006
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Former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein executed
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Retreat from Iraq
Source: Agencies