United States | Lexington

How the Iraq war became a threat to American democracy

The country has yet to recover from its bitter lessons

Twenty years ago, President George W. Bush stood before the American people and proposed a radical intervention to head off a growing menace in one of the world’s most troubled regions. “Seldom has history offered a greater opportunity to do so much for so many,” he said in his state-of-the-union message in 2003.

This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “Getting over Iraq”

From the March 25th 2023 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition
Donald Trump arrives for his speech to a joint session of Congress as Melanie Stansbury holds a sign reading "This is not normal"

Donald Trump’s Washington reaches a new partisan peak

His address to Congress showed that Republicans will follow their leader anywhere, and that Democrats don’t have one

Election 2025 NYC Mayor Cuomo

Andrew Cuomo plots a comeback in New York City

The disgraced former governor announces a run for mayor of the Big Apple


US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth arrives for a press conference - US flags in the background and Hegseth's pocket square with US flag too.

Trump’s armed forces won’t look like Biden’s

America is set to spend more—and differently 


Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump’s savvy dealmaker

The novice diplomat embodies the president’s transactional worldview

America has never had state media like it does today

Donald Trump and Elon Musk are revolutionising presidential communication

America’s Gen Z has got religion

Because of them, a long decline in the number of Christians has levelled off