This week marks the 20th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq by U.S forces. 

The war began with what General Tommy Franks dubbed a “shock and awe” air campaign to cripple the regime of Saddam Hussein. The ground invasion started March 20, 2003.

The war began under the false pretense that Iraq was developing weapons of mass destruction. U.S forces took over the country in weeks, only to be bogged down in an insurgency that lasted until the war ended in 2011.

“The willingness to rely on the judgment of national leaders, that was grievously wounded. And then subsequent events did nothing to restore that trust,” said Aaron Karp, a senior lecturer in political science at Old Dominion University.

One casualty was American leadership around the world and at home. The legacy can be seen in the skepticism over aiding Ukraine, which has taken over conservative elements of the Republican Party, he said.

More than 8,000 U.S military and contractors died in the conflict, including 185 Virginians. Roughly 200,000 Iraqi civilians also died.

Parts of Virginia’s congressional delegation are attempting to repeal the two resolutions that authorized force against Iraq.

The measure is moving forward in the Senate. The latest effort does not include repealing the 2001 resolution which allowed the use of force against groups that attacked the U.S on Sept. 11, 2001. That resolution has been central to the War on Terror over the past two decades. 

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