America’s decision to invade Iraq in 2003 vexed key allies, drew condemnation from many corners of the world, and ultimately proved a strategic failure. Twenty years later, it is too easy to forget that many top foreign policy experts, including America’s most senior White House leadership, truly believed the war would succeed. Why did smart, well-intentioned people end up in such a quagmire? What emotions, attitudes, and beliefs played in this historically fated decision? What warnings might it offer for American foreign policy discussions today?
Please join Robert Zoellick, Susan Glasser, and Melvyn Leffler for a discussion of Leffler’s new book, Confronting Saddam Hussein, moderated by Chris Chivvis, director of the Carnegie Endowment American Statecraft Program.