The Iraq War began in March 2003. That’s when the U.S., joined by the U.K. and several coalition allies, launched what was termed a "shock and awe" bombing campaign. Iraqi forces were quickly overwhelmed and coalition forces swept through the country. The invasion led to the collapse of the Ba'athist government and the capture of Saddam Hussein who was executed years later.
The power vacuum following Hussein's demise (and the mismanagement of the Coalition Provisional Authority) led to widespread civil war, as well as a lengthy insurgency against coalition forces. The war would officially last eight years and claim nearly 4,500 American lives. Estimates are that it may have claimed more than one-million Iraqi lives.
In his new book, "To Start A War: How the Bush Administration Took American Into Iraq," Robert Draper mines newly declassified documents. Draper tracked down previously unavailable CIA and Defense officials to fill out the story of the run-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Draper joins Ben Kieffer on this episode of River to River.
