Green Zone

The final American forces have withdrawn from Iraq, closing out a military presence that began with the March 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. The departure drew little notice inside Iraq, a marked contrast to the upheaval of the early occupation, which reshaped the country's politics, security, and regional alignments for more than two decades.

The invasion's stated rationale shifted from eliminating weapons of mass destruction to building democracy, while decisions such as disbanding Iraq's 400,000-strong army fueled a Sunni insurgency, sectarian violence, and abuses including those at Abu Ghraib. That instability helped give rise to a precursor of the Islamic State and allowed Iran to expand influence over Iraqi politics and security institutions. The withdrawal marks a symbolic close to one of the most consequential U.S. military interventions of the post-Cold War era, whose political and security aftershocks continue to shape Iraq and the wider Middle East.