SADDAM HUSSEIN

When the U.S. invasion of Iraq began, NPR's Mideast editor Larry Kaplow was a reporter in Baghdad. Looking back now, he writes that the signs and warnings of the chaos to come were all too clear then.

But a just cause doesn’t make for a just war.

Western forces quickly toppled Saddam Hussein's regime, but the invasion sparked a devastating civil war and gave rise to ISIS, so optimism has been hard to come by.

Two decades after the Iraq War, Delta Force operators Chris VanSant and Craig Palmer reflect on their time hunting Saddam Hussein, fighting terrorists and life after combat.

The war, driven by the hubris of the Bush administration and a cheerleading Washington establishment, is now widely seen as a generational American mistake.

The US and three allies invaded Iraq 20 years ago, but most countries were against the war.

The U.S. aerial bombardment of Iraq began on March 19, 2003, a campaign that then-President George W. Bush described as "shock and awe." The takedown of Saddam Hussein's regime triggered a savage insurgency and brutal sectarian conflict, and led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and nearly 4,500 U.S. military personnel.

Two decades ago, then-President George W. Bush announced the start of combat operations in Iraq. The bloody occupation that followed lasted longer and cost more in lives and money than anyone guessed.

Photos show the grand interiors of the dictator's old vessels. Now the wreckage of one yacht clogs up a river in Iraq.

It’s been 20 years since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq began March 20, 2003

Today’s Iraq is a world away from the terror that followed the U.S. invasion to depose Saddam Hussein 20 years ago this week

Iraq 's capital today is throbbing with life and a sense of renewal, its residents enjoying a rare, peaceful interlude in a painful modern history. President George W. Bush called the U.S.-led invasion on March 20, 2003, a mission to free the Iraqi people and root out weapons of mass destruction. Saddam Hussein's government was toppled in 26 days.

The Senate has taken a first step toward repealing two measures that give open-ended approval for military action in Iraq.

The White House said President Biden supports the bill, which would repeal the 1991 and 2002 authorizations for use of military force.

Former Acting CIA Director Michael Morell on CIA Iraq assessment: "We were wrong on the chemical weapons judgment, we were wrong on the biological weapons judgment, and we were wrong on the nuclear weapons judgment."

Frozen in time for 20 years, two superyachts lie at the confluence of Iraq's Tigris and Euphrates rivers, bearing witness to the false glories of former dictator Saddam Hussein.The interior of the vessel is like a time capsule, bearing all the gilded trimmings typical of the late strongman's vast collection of properties.

The U.S.-led invasion was a grave and costly error. But 20 years on, another assessment is possible.

In “Confronting Saddam Hussein,” historian Melvyn Leffler closely examines the factors that led to Bush’s decision to go to war.

Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid says he wants the world to know that his country now is at peace, nearly 20 years after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.

Nearly 20 years after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein by U.S.-led forces, Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid wants the world to know his country now is at peace, democratic and intent on rebuilding economic life while maintaining a government that serves the whole country and the region. Rashid told The Associated Press on Sunday that after overcoming the hardships of the past two decades, Iraq is ready to focus on improving everyday life for its people. “Peace and security is all over the country, and I would be very glad if you will report that and emphasize on that, instead of giving a picture of Iraq ... still (as) a war zone, which a lot of media still do,” Rashid said.

The Senate will vote this month to repeal two decades-old measures that approved American military action in Iraq.

Iraqi authorities have reopened Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone in an attempt to ease traffic jams in the capital

The realities of geography and markets can trump even the most determined policymakers.

The Biden administration is toughening its language toward NATO ally Turkey.

Money, digital or fiat, depends on faith in the institutions that back it.

A custom wristwatch from Cambodian leader Hun Sen at the ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh, a foot-long dagger at the G-20 meetings in Bali, and cricket ice cream and Thai noodles with worm sauce at the APEC talks in Bangkok.

They show up at the first signs of protest in Iran — men in black, riding motorcycles, often wielding guns or batons.

There are moments in history that appear as critical to the world as they are terrifying.

Why would Putin’s regime choose to release such obviously farcical tallies?

The Central Intelligence Agency museum in Virginia will add new spy exhibits such as newly declassified artifacts from the CIA’s most storied operations.

Iraq witnessed bloody street violence for nearly 24 hours spurred by loyalists of a powerful Shiite cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, that was the culmination of a 10-month power struggle.

He concluded that no weapons of mass destruction existed in Iraq and that the CIA and other intelligence agencies had badly misjudged.

President Joe Biden has arrived in South Carolina to begin what's expected to be at least a seven-day vacation with members of his family.

Marcus Eliason, a journalist whose insightful reporting, sparkling prose and skillful editing graced Associated Press news wires for almost a half-century, has died.

Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have held a mass prayer called for by an influential Shiite cleric in Baghdad, a highly symbolic move amid an unprecedented political crisis roiling Iraq.

Residents of the impoverished Baghdad suburb of Sadr City say they support an influential Shiite cleric who called on thousands of his followers to storm Iraq's parliament.

The U.S. drone strike that killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri is intensifying global scrutiny of Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers.

Tens of thousands of Iraqis are attending a mass prayer in Baghdad called for by an influential Shiite cleric.

The contest to succeed British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has begun after he announced he is resigning as Conservative Party leader.

Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has denounced the Iranian regime for its “brutality” and is urging the Biden administration not to renew a nuclear deal with Tehran

Nuclear Russia's pillaging of non-nuclear Ukraine is rattling what's already a destabilizing moment in nuclear nonproliferation efforts.

When Joe Biden was running for president, he wasn't shy about calling out dictators and authoritarian leaders.

Iraq still doesn’t have a government, eight months since national elections took place, and there seems no clear way out of the dangerous deadlock.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson managed to narrowly win a no-confidence vote from his own Conservative Party, but the result dealt a heavy blow to his authority.

A U.S. Embassy tweet of a rainbow-flag-festooned message by President Joe Biden in support of Pride Month has drawn a diplomatic protest from Kuwait.

Former President George W.

Secret intelligence is playing an unusually public role in the war in Ukraine.

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright’s death from cancer this week sparked American women to reflect on the 84-year-old diplomat’s sweeping influence on their lives, 25 years after Bill Clinton made her the United States’ representative to the world.

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is being remembered as a woman of conviction and determination who liked to say she told things like they were and not the way she might like them to be.

Madeleine Albright fled the Nazis as a child and climbed to the summit of diplomacy and foreign policy in the United States.

A U.S. official says Russia has asked China for military equipment to use in its invasion of Ukraine.

President Joe Biden’s national security adviser has warned a top Chinese official about China’s support for Russia in the Ukrainian invasion — even as the Kremlin denies anew that it has requested Chinese military equipment.

As Russia intensifies its assault on Ukraine, it is getting a helping hand from China in spreading inflammatory and unsubstantiated claims that the U.S. is financing biological weapons labs in Ukraine.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has brought up deep divisions in the Middle East, where Moscow has made itself a key player.

The U.N. Security Council has voted unanimously to end Iraq’s requirement to compensate victims of its 1990 invasion of Kuwait, with Baghdad having paid out $52.4 billion to 1.5 million claimants.

While the U.S. warns that Russia could invade Ukraine any day, the drumbeat of war is all but unheard in Moscow, where pundits and ordinary people alike don’t expect President Vladimir Putin to launch an attack on the ex-Soviet neighbor.

President Joe Biden's administration has refused to share evidence for national security claims in recent days, and officials have even accused reporters of buying into foreign propaganda.

The leader of the Islamic State group killed in a U.S. raid overnight in northwest Syria was largely a mystery, with almost no known photos, never appearing in public or in the group’s videos.

War kept him away from his beloved homeland for decades.

Thousands of mourners have poured into the streets of Iranian cities for the mass funeral of 250 victims of the Iran-Iraq war — remains recently recovered in a testament to the brutal conflict’s scale and enduring legacy after 35 years.

Hackers have targeted the website of an Israeli newspaper

Yemen’s Houthi rebels seized a ship in the Red Sea, armed drones targeted Baghdad’s international airport, and hackers hit a major Israeli newspaper.

They both carved out sterling reputations as military and political leaders over years of public service.

Bill Richardson’s success in helping secure the release of journalist Danny Fenster from a Myanmar prison is the latest demonstration of the former New Mexico governor’s knack for flying into some the most closed societies on earth and persuading those in charge to do Washington a favor.

Kuwait has temporarily handed its crown prince some of the ruling emir’s constitutional duties.

A memorial service for Colin L.

A child of working-class Jamaican immigrants in the Bronx, Colin Powell rose from neighborhood store clerk to warehouse floor-mopper to the highest echelons of the U.S. government.

For many Iraqis, the name Colin Powell conjures up one image: the man who as U.S. secretary of State went before the U.N. Security Council in 2003 to make the case for war against their country.

In 2010 the Supreme Court ruled that monetary donations to politicians are covered by the first amendment. In the 2020 election it was a single person donating hundreds of millions of dollars to gain power: Mark Zuckerberg.

Preliminary results in Iraq's elections show an alliance of pro-Iran candidates emerging as the biggest loser in the country's national elections.

Iraqis have voted in parliamentary elections held months ahead of schedule as a concession to a youth-led uprising against corruption and mismanagement.

The family of Raymond T.

Iraq’s elections on Sunday come with enormous challenges: Iraq’s economy has been battered by years of conflict, endemic corruption and more recently, the coronavirus pandemic.

Iraqi security forces are casting ballots, two days before the rest of the nation votes in parliamentary elections.

Not long after 9/11, the Bush administration shifted its attention to Iraq, saying it was part of an “axis of evil” that pursued anti-American policies.

Andy Card, who served as chief of staff to President George W. Bush, recalls a lesser-known phone call made by the president on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001.

Young Sikh Americans still struggle with discrimination a generation after Sept. 11 unleashed bias against them and their older relatives, ranging from school bullying to racial profiling to hate crimes.

Mohammed Saeed al-Hakim, one of Iraq’s most senior and influential Muslim Shiite clerics, has died, members of his family said

Mohammed Saeed al-Hakim, one of Iraq’s most senior and influential Muslim Shiite clerics, has died, members of his family said.

The move, while largely symbolic, could provide a domestic boost to both the US and Iraqi leaders.

In just a few days of fighting, the Green Berets of Task Force Viking earned seven Silver Stars and 52 Bronze Stars for Valor.

The Gantt ReportBy Lucius GanttNot so long ago, rapper T.I. had a song entitled About the Money. If you listen to it youll understand what The Gantt Report opined about years before the rap record was released. But King was assassinated after he began to preach about America giving its Black residents a bad check marked insufficient funds! He was called the King of Kings by many Presidents of African nations for his assistance to African countries in war and peace. Safe or unsafe, Ill continue to write the truth whether the modern day money changers, beast banks and corporate crooks like it or not.

CBS News' Major Garrett reports on Donald Trump's response to the FBI's decision over the Clinton email case - and his decision to change the subject.

Long-awaited report from independent inquiry says Tony Blair "chose to join the invasion of Iraq before the peaceful options had been exhausted" based on a deeply flawed presentation of the evidence available on Saddam Hussein's weapons stockpiles. CBS News correspondent Mark Phillips reports from London.

Republicans are expected to unveil Wednesday the full slate of speakers for the party's national convention, now less than two weeks away. Donald Trump spoke to a rally of nearly 3,000 people Tuesday in Raleigh, North Carolina. He bashed Hillary Clinton's judgment and accused her of an "Enron-style purge" of her email. Major Garrett reports.

CBS News has learned the U.S. may have dealt ISIS' chemical weapons program a serious blow in a raid last month, capturing an Iraqi who once worked for Saddam Hussein's regime. Investigators in London are also looking into a potential trove of intelligence about ISIS. CBS News' partners at Sky News received the names, addresses and phone numbers of more than 20,000 suspected ISIS fighters from at least 51 countries, including the U.S. David Martin reports from the Pentagon.

ISIS digs in as fight for Saddam Hussein's hometown Tikrit escalates ISIS is pushing back against Iraqi forces who are trying to recapture the city of Tikrit. The militants are littering routes into the hometown of Saddam Hussein with mines and bombs. Holly Williams reports from Erbil, Iraq.

Battle for Tikrit: Fierce fight for Saddam Hussein's hometown Iraqi army troops are battling Sunni Muslim forces in Tikrit, the biggest counter-attack since the ISIS army and its allies went on the offensive. Charlie D'Agata reports from Baghdad.

Answers From The Grave Scott Pelley reports on mass graves in Iraq, where forensic experts work to identify the remains of some 300,000 Iraqis who disappeared during the regime of Saddam Hussein.

Another Saddam? In this 1991 60 Minutes report, Morley Safer reports on Syrian President Hafez al-Assad's potential to become another ruthless dictator like Saddam Hussein.