4. The Iraq Invasion (2003)
The 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq aimed to dismantle Saddam Hussein’s regime but lacked a comprehensive post-war strategy. The disbanding of the Iraqi army and the Ba’athist governing party ignited a lethal, long-running insurgency and eventually a multinational terrorist organization that took over most of the country. The absence of an agreed exit strategy and the decision to embark on a massive, open-ended nation-building project further destabilized the region (cfr.org).
