Ex-US vice president Cheney’s death sparks Iraq war reflection

The demise of former U.S. vice president Dick Cheney has reignited debate over his tumultuous political legacy, most notably the scars of the Iraq war, The Washington Post reported on November 7th.

Cheney passed away on November 3rd after battling pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease at the age of 84. 

Often regarded as the most powerful and influential vice president in U.S. history, Cheney was a key architect of the “preemptive” US invasion of Iraq in 2003  as part of the broader “war on terror”. Cheney cited alleged “weapons of mass destruction” as well as links between Baghdad and al Qaeda, as factors which necessitated the US invasion of Iraq. He claimed triumphant US forces would be welcomed as “liberators” by the Iraqi public. 

His claims turned out to be false, as no “weapons of mass destruction” were  found and a postwar analysis showed no links between Iraq and Al-Qaeda. Instead the invasion killed nearly 5,000 Americans and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. In a 2014 interview, Cheney defended the use of “enhanced interrogation techniques”, later classified as torture, by the CIA against detainees. When pressed on the issue, he stated “I would do it again in a minute. 

 Standing firm on decisions made during his time in office, Cheney claimed the objective of Iraq’s invasion was regime change which was accomplished, adding the world is a much better place without Saddam Hussein. “I was right about Iraq” he stated. 

As the world reflects on Cheney’s legacy many note the detrimental effects his decisions had on the U.S. and Iraq. Along with the thousands killed, current vice president JD Vance pointed out “it cost over $1 trillion”. Furthermore, it destroyed the political sovereignty of Iraq as seen through external militias backed by Iran filling the ensuing power vacuum. 

The rise of the Islamic state is also noted as a key consequence, as the group killed thousands in the region. This further undermined Iraq’s sovereignty as U.S. forces returned in 2014 and have remained till present day. 

As the US and Iraq move on, Cheney’s death evoked memories of a troubled past. Graham Platner, a veteran of the Iraq war summarised Cheney’s legacy stating, “he wasted thousands of young American lives, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi lives, and trillions of dollars for absolutely nothing.”

The Washington Post, Maghrebi.org