By Team Zeteo
Photos: Wikimedia Commons
It was 22 years ago today that the US, the UK, and their allies launched an illegal invasion of Iraq, based on multiple lies, that would cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and thousands of US and allies’ troops, as well as trillions of dollars. It was a war that displaced more than 1 million Iraqis from their homes, empowered Iran and China in the process, and led to the rise of ISIS.
But, 22 years later, has anyone ever been held to account for one of the worst crimes of our lifetime? Have the architects of the Iraq invasion, both in the United States and abroad, paid any price for their role in that blood-soaked catastrophe? Or have they, on the contrary, failed upwards?
Here’s where 11 of the key architects of the conflict have ended up:
George W. Bush
President Bush, beside firefighter Bob Beckwith, addressing rescue workers at the World Trade Center site
His role
He was the 43rd US president who ordered the invasion of Iraq, under the name “Operation Iraqi Freedom.” His ridiculous ‘Mission Accomplished’ speech six weeks into the invasion was politely dubbed a “symbol of premature victory”. Bush told multiple egregious lies about Saddam Hussein’s (non-existent) weapons of mass destruction and (invented) ties to al-Qaeda.
Where he is now
The former president resides in an exclusive Dallas neighborhood near Southern Methodist University and, since leaving office, has discovered a love for painting, so much so that he exhibited 66 full-color portraits and a four-panel mural he painted in the Truman Library. He’s had a full-scale rehabilitation in elite liberal circles, where he can be seen swapping candy with new pal Michelle Obama or hanging out at the game with Ellen DeGeneres. The former president is never too far from a podium either, as he continues to make himself available for paid speeches, where he can crack jokes like this one from 2022, when he laughingly confused Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine with his own illegal invasion of Iraq. So funny Mr. Bush, so funny.
Tony Blair
Blair meets with US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice in 2005
His role
The prime minister of the UK in March 2003, Blair was a top ally of Bush and a parroter of his lies. He, too, made multiple false claims about Iraqi WMD capabilities and helped drag his country into an illegal war alongside the US, answering the age-old IQ question: “If your friend jumped off a cliff, would you?” Yes, yes, Tony would!
Where he is now
The “Blair Rich Project” has seen Tony and his kids make tens of millions, maybe hundreds of millions, of pounds since the former prime minister left office in 2007. His organization, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, boasts clients ranging from Saudi Arabia (post Khashoggi murder!), to tech tycoons like Oracle’s Larry Ellison. Blair himself has worked for JP Morgan Chase and Zurich Financial Services, and even given a paid speech in communist China.
He continues to be sought after for UK media interviews and is now back on the political frontlines advising the current British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. In his unofficial advisory role, Blair is reportedly pushing for major AI integration in the UK, a move that incidentally, coincidentally, randomly, aligns with the interests of donors and firms that partner with his organization.
José María Aznar
Aznar addressing the Martens Centre Economic Ideas Forum in 2010
His role
While most European countries opposed the war in Iraq, Spain was not one of them. Under the conservative leadership of its then-prime minister, José María Aznar, the country supported Bush and Blair’s war – despite polls showing that more than 90% of Spaniards opposed it. A true man of the people!
Where he is now
More than a decade after the war, Aznar was still defending his support for it, claiming in 2015 that Spain “emerged a winner.” For the past two decades, Aznar has sat on the board of directors at Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, quite a reward from a media mogul who helped push for the invasion of Iraq in his multiple papers and outlets. You can also book Aznar to come speak at your event, but if you can’t afford to see him bestow his wisdom live on stage, you can read his recent reflections in the (Murdoch-owned) Wall Street Journal.
Joe Biden…
