Part 7/9:

The Aftermath of War and International Isolation

The aftermath of the Gulf War left Iraq in ruins, with crippling sanctions imposed that decimated the economy and instigated widespread poverty. Despite the "oil-for-food" program introduced to alleviate some humanitarian crises, despair deepened in the country, paving the way for further unrest.

Iraq's situation worsened with the 2003 invasion led by the U.S., which sought to dismantle Saddam's regime under the pretense of eliminating weapons of mass destruction—a claim later proven false. This invasion not only toppled the existing government but also led to the disbandment of Iraq's military and facilitated the growth of sectarian violence among Sunni, Shia, and Kurdish groups.