Santa Cruz Sentinel

20 years after US invasion, young Iraqis see signs of hope

- By John Daniszewsk­i

Along the Tigris River, young Iraqi men and women in jeans and sneakers danced with joyous abandon on a recent evening to a local rapper as the sun set behind them. It's a world away from the terror that followed the U.S. invasion 20 years ago.

Iraq's capital is full of life, its residents enjoying a rare peaceful interlude in a painful modern history. The city's open-air book market is crammed with shoppers. Affluent young men cruise muscle cars. A few glitzy buildings sparkle where bombs once fell.

President George W. Bush called the U.S.-led invasion launched March 20, 2003, a mission to free the Iraqi people. It threw out a dictator whose rule kept 20 million people in fear for a quarter-century. But it also broke a unified state in the heart of the Arab world. About 300,000 Iraqis were killed between 2003 and 2023, along with more than 8,000 U.S. military, contractor­s and civilians.

Half of today's population isn't old enough to remember life under Saddam Hussein. In interviews from Baghdad to Fallujah, young Iraqis deplored the chaos that followed Saddam's ouster, but many were hopeful about nascent freedoms and opportunit­ies.

Editor's note: John Daniszewsk­i and Jerome Delay were in Baghdad 20 years ago when the U.S. bombing began. They returned for this report on how Iraq has changed ——especially for young people.

In a chandelier­ed reception room, President Abdul Latif Rashid, who assumed office in October, spoke glowingly of Iraq's prospects. Perception of Iraq as a war-torn country is frozen in time, he told The Associated Press: Iraq is rich; peace has returned.

If young people are “a little bit patient, I think life will improve drasticall­y in Iraq.”

Most Iraqis aren't nearly as bullish. Conversati­ons start with bitterness about how the U.S. left Iraq in tatters. But speaking to younger Iraqis, one senses a generation ready to turn a page.

Safaa Rashid, 26, is a writer who talks politics with friends at a coffee shop in Baghdad's Karada district. After the invasion, Iraq lay broken, violence reigning, he said. Today is different; he and like-minded peers freely talk about solutions. “I think the young people will try to fix this situation.”

Noor Alhuda Saad, 26, a Ph.D. candidate and political activist, says her generation has been leading protests decrying corruption, demanding services and seeking inclusive elections — and they won't stop until they've built a better Iraq.

Blast walls have given way to billboards, restaurant­s, cafes, shopping centers. With 7 million inhabitant­s, Baghdad is the Middle East's second-largest city; streets teem with commerce.

In northern and western Iraq, there are occasional clashes with remnants of the Islamic State group. It's but one of Iraq's lingering problems. Another is corruption; a 2022 audit found a network of former officials and businessme­n stole $2.5 billion.

In 2019-20, young people protested against corruption and lack of services. After 600 were killed by government forces and militias, parliament agreed to election changes to allow more groups to share power.

 ?? JEROME DELAY — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ?? Women stand on the “martyrs' bridge” spanning the Tigris River in Baghdad, Iraq, on Feb. 24.
JEROME DELAY — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Women stand on the “martyrs' bridge” spanning the Tigris River in Baghdad, Iraq, on Feb. 24.

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