When the U.S.-led coalition invaded Iraq on Mar. 19, 2003, the stated goal was to seek out and destroy Iraq’s alleged weapons of mass destruction and end the regime of Saddam Hussein.
But when those weapons never materialized, the hope was that by toppling Saddam and ending his brutal dictatorship, Iraq would at least emerge as a new democracy where Iraqis would enjoy new freedoms and significantly improved standard of living.
Twenty years later, however, the results, are decidedly mixed, say Iraqi experts, with gains coming at a huge expense. Estimates of war-related deaths vary but the Iraqi Body Count has estimated around 200,000 civilians killed following the invasion.
“Iraq is doing better than it was
