The 2003 US invasion of Iraq was portrayed by the George W. Bush administration as a continuation of its response to the September 11, 2001 attacks. Officials asserted that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction and posed an imminent threat to regional stability, global security, and the Iraqi people.

The Iraq War went on to become one of the most contentious and consequential conflicts of the early 2000s. Its legacy continues to shape how governments, militaries, and societies understand and debate the use of force today.

DW's Nehal Johri spoke with Dr. Roham Alvandi of the London School of Economics about the parallels and differences he sees between that period and the current joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran.