Iraq war, 20 years on: how the world failed Iraq and created a less peaceful, democratic and prosperous state

Khalid Mohammed/AP

Two decades ago, Australia joined the US-led “coalition of the willing” that staged a major military intervention in Iraq.

To justify the war, leaders like US President George W. Bush and Australian Prime Minister John Howard argued that Iraq had developed weapons of mass destruction and was harbouring terrorist groups like al-Qaeda. Neither could be tolerated in a post-9/11 world.