Us and Them: Living in a polarized world — War

In March 2003, the Iraqi soldier "Faris" - who does not want to give his real name for fear of Iraqi militias - witnessed US soldiers storm the presidential palace in Baghdad. He wept from exhaustion and grief, feeling that his country was lost. Amber Asbury was stationed in Baghdad from 2005 to 2006 as a combat medic in the US Army. She thought it was a good idea to rid the country of dictator Saddam Hussein. As she saw it, many Iraqis were initially happy about their new freedom. But the US had no long-term plan for Iraq, she says, and they stayed for too long. The US sniper Garett L. Reppenhagen was in Iraq from 2004 to 2005. He killed enemy fighters, but innocent people as well. Today, he deeply regrets his involvement in the war launched by the United States. Like many US veterans, he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. The geopolitical effects of this war can still be felt today, and they extend far beyond Iraq. The entire region was destabilized, creating a power vacuum in which terrorist organizations were able to take hold, including Al-Qaeda and the so-called "Islamic State" group. None of the people responsible for starting this war were ever brought to justice. On 24 February 2022, Russia launched a major offensive against Ukraine. This is also a war of aggression in violation of international law. While the majority of Western states were quick to condemn the Russian aggression, a UN resolution deploring the Russian invasion was more polarized: Large parts of the global South, including China and India, abstained from voting. Taken together, the abstaining states represent the majority of the world's population. For some observers, this global polarization has its origins in the war in Iraq. British Labour MP and peace activist Andrew Murray says: "Most obviously, the Ukraine invasion takes place in the world the Iraq invasion made. If a 'rules-based order' collapsed, it was in 2003."