Embed

US INVADERS: Iraq 20 years on

How America's Unsolicited Democracy Failed Iraq

20 years ago, the US Army and its allies invaded Iraq on the pretext that Baghdad had weapons of mass destruction. Operation Iraqi Freedom was launched to disarm Iraq of perceived WMD, and to end Saddam Hussein’s rule. However, Iraq had been found to have no biological, chemical or nuclear weapons. US troops captured Saddam in December 2003, and the war in Iraq dragged on until 2011. An estimated half a million people died in Iraq during that time. More deaths followed after the emergence of the Islamic State in the country – a direct result of the US occupation.

The documentary reflects on the legacy of the US invasion of Iraq through the eyes of medical student Ammar, former refugee Mukhalid, and other ordinary Iraqi citizens. While George Bush proclaimed Iraqis were free, they witnessed a different picture: their country slid into poverty and chronic instability. In the documentary, experts and historians weigh in on why the US intervention didn’t bring democracy, and only intensified internal tensions.

Subscribe to get stories the mainstream media ignores: Subscribe RTD's Youtube

WATCH TRAILER
Please rate this film

3.22(86 users)

Published: 20 March 2023 12:00

Duration

26:51

Tags
Watch this film in Russian

don't miss

26:33
Investigation 25 July 2016 00:00

Game of Drones. A new type of war crime that’s going unpunished

26:33
Military and War 17 September 2014 00:00

Vietnam: My Orange Pain. Devastating consequences of the use of Agent Orange in the Vietnam War

26:33
Crime and Terrorism 15 April 2024 12:00

Crocus: Strength through Pain. Survivors trapped with terrorists in burning building share their rescue story

26:33
Investigation 19 April 2023 12:00

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Rise of the Caliphate. How jihadists exploited the collapse of Yugoslavia

26:33
Politics 02 August 2023 12:00

Mali: Au Revoir, France. Mali fights to shake off the burden of French colonisation

26:33
Politics 10 June 2022 12:00

CSTO Allies: 30 years protecting collective security. Post-Soviet alliance fighting terrorism and protecting common interests

26:33
Military and War 19 October 2022 12:00

Demining Donbass. Sappers risk their lives clearing Donbass from Ukrainian mines

26:33
Military and War 25 March 2024 12:00

Fatal Dust: U-238. Unveiling the human cost of depleted uranium used by US Army

26:33
Society 13 May 2019 00:01

Iraq. The Story of My Family. An Iraqi family under pressure from sectarianism, ISIS and emigration

26:33
History 15 December 2023 12:00

Nuclear Watchdogs. Who is responsible for the world’s nuclear safety?

26:33
Crime and Terrorism 25 August 2021 17:00

US Prison for Afghanistan. Haji Ghalib: from Anti-Taliban combat to Guantanamo

26:33
Personalities 24 February 2020 13:02

The Assange Story. WikiLeaks founder’s journey from whistleblowing hero to exile

26:33
History 25 December 2020 20:00

Death Factories. Japan's secret Unit 731 – where biological warfare was conceived.

26:33
Investigation 15 July 2023 12:00

Ukraine: Drug Testing Ground. Secret narcotic experiments take a toll on Ukrainian soldiers

26:33
Crime and Terrorism 24 July 2023 12:00

Biological Warfare Department. The Alarming Truth About Pentagon's Secret Worldwide Biolab Network

26:33
Politics 20 October 2023 12:00

Okinawa's US Shadow. Okinawans demand closure of American military bases and return of their lands

26:33
Military and War 29 January 2024 12:00

Leningrad Unbreakable. Bombs, hunger, cold: how the city survived the blockade during WWII

26:33
Military and War 08 March 2024 12:00

Rearguard Girls. Russian women reshaping their businesses to provide frontline aid

26:33
Military and War 29 March 2024 12:00

Closer to Victory. Priests and musicians take up arms to defend the people of Donbass

26:33
Military and War 17 May 2024 12:00

Callsign White: Height 114. How did this Russian battalion secure a key landmark without any losses?

VIEWER’S CHOICE: 1,000,000 VIEWS AND MORE

VIEW ALL