Forum 22-23: Aftermaths I: The Invasion of Iraq in Historical Perspective

This event was part of the 2022-23 Notre Dame Forum, focused on the theme of “War & Peace.”

Twenty years ago the United States invaded the sovereign nation of Iraq, a country of 44 million people that was, at the time, one of the most secular nations in the Middle East. By the time U.S. forces left in 2011, more than 100,000 people had been killed, thousands more had fled, and fundamentalist militias ruled the streets. 

How do we connect what happened then to what’s happening now? On Thursday, March 30, 2023, expert panelists joined members of the Notre Dame community to discuss the aftermaths of war and peace, and offered a historical perspective for the invasion of Iraq.

Moderator: Rosemary A. Kelanic is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame

Speakers:
Spencer Ackerman has been a national-security correspondent for outlets like The New Republic, WIRED, The Guardian, and The Daily Beast for nearly the entire War on Terror.

Jane Arraf has covered Iraq since the 1990s and joined The New York Times as Baghdad bureau chief in 2020.

Andrew J. Bacevich Jr. is an American historian specializing in international relations, security studies, American foreign policy, and American diplomatic and military history.

Omar Dewachi is an Associate Professor of Medical Anthropology at Rutgers University.

For more information visit the event website.