The War in Iraq: 5 Years Later

by Jarrett Martineau | March 19, 2008 at 07:19 am

2427 views | 4 Recommendations | 13 comments

Unhappy 5th Birthday, Iraq War!

The Iraq War is turning 5 this week and, with nearly 4,000 U.S. soldiers already killed, billions of dollars being spent every minute to maintain it, few prospects of soldiers returning home anytime soon, anti-war protests being coordinated worldwide, and the story's practical disappearance from North American media coverage, it doesn't sound like it's going to be much of a birthday party.

But there are hundreds of protests, peace rallies, and demonstrations taking place all over the world this week. Be sure to check out the amazing collection of photos we've received: here.

Thanks to everyone who has contributed so far - and please let us know what's happening in your community by posting your photos, videos and comments to this story.

UPDATED | March 20, 2008 | Iraqi PM Says Country Must Rise Above Violence

The prime minister said the cultural festival in Hillah, the predominantly Shiite capital of Babil province about 60 miles south of Baghdad, was evidence that Iraq was on the road to recovery.

"This is a sign of the return to normal life in Iraq," the prime minister said before having to end his speech early after the power went out.

A day earlier, Iraq's presidential council, under strong U.S. pressure, signed off on a measure paving the way for provincial elections by the fall, a major step toward easing sectarian rifts.

Peaceful Grannies Clash With Pro-War Kids

Grannies holding a knit-in to protest the war in Iraq clashed in a shouting match with pro-war activists in Times Square on Wednesday, the fifth anniversary of the start of the conflict.

Bush Says No Regrets on Iraq War

Marking the fifth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion with a touch of the swagger he showed early in the war, Bush said in a speech at the Pentagon, "The successes we are seeing in Iraq are undeniable."

Protesters Arrested Outside IRS, Demonstrations Planned Across U.S.

Police arrested more than a dozen people who crossed a barricade and blocked entrances at the Internal Revenue Service building Wednesday, the start of a day of protests marking the fifth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

The War By The Numbers

The Cost to U.S. Forces in Iraq

3,990: American troops who have died in Iraq since the start of the war. [icasualties.org, 3/17/08]
[...]
$50-60 Billion: Bush Administration's pre-war estimates of the cost of the war. [New York Times, 12/31/02]

$12 Billion: Direct cost per month of the Iraq War. [Washington Post, Bilmes and Stiglitz Op-Ed, 3/9/08] [...]

$3 Trillion: Total estimated cost of the Iraq War. [Washington Post, Bilmes and Stiglitz Op-Ed, 3/9/08]

Iraq War Disappears as Media Story

The war has nearly vanished from TV screens over the past few months, replaced by stories about the fascinating presidential campaign and faltering economy...Statistics clearly illustrate the diminished attention. For the first 10 weeks of the year, the war accounted for 3 percent of television, newspaper and Internet stories in the Project for Excellence in Journalism's survey of news coverage. During the same period in 2007, Iraq filled 23 percent of the news hole."

Nearly 4,000 U.S. Soldiers Dead in Iraq

Sometime soon, the U.S. military will suffer the 4,000th death of the war in Iraq.

'5 Years Too Many' Organizes National Anti-War Demonstrations

From Anchorage to Miami Beach, from Caribou, Maine, to San Diego, people all over this country are organizing to mark the 5th anniversary of the war and occupation of Iraq. So far, more than 600 actions in all 50 states, are listed on our calendar, and more are being posted hourly.

Iraq and Afghanistan War Veteran 'Winter Soldiers' Join Protests

Northwest Indiana natives Vincent Emanuele and Derek Giffin grapple with their pasts.Both served in the war in Iraq and say they are scarred by what they witnessed. They say they are resentful because they feel the U.S. government lied to them about the battle’s purpose.

Thousands March in UK Anti-War Protests

Thousands of anti-war protesters joined marches in Britain on Saturday to mark the fifth anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq.

And despite it all...

Dick Cheney Calls Iraq Invasion A "Successful Endeavour"

U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney on Monday declared the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq a "successful endeavor," pointing to security and political progress on a visit ahead of the fifth anniversary of the war..."If you look back on those five years it has been a difficult, challenging but nonetheless successful endeavor ... and it has been well worth the effort," he told a news conference in Baghdad after meeting Iraqi leaders.

...and then he called up an old friend and hung a sign on his office door reading:

Dick's Gone' Fishin'

Vice President Dick Cheney went fishing in the waters between Oman and Iran on Wednesday, borrowing the Sultan of Oman's 60-foot royal yacht for the mission...Cheney has had a personal relationship with the sultan going back to the time when the vice president was defense secretary, but the sultan did not go along on the fishing trip...As a quiet U.S. military ally, Oman allows the United States to use four air bases _ including one just 50 miles from Iran _ for refueling, logistics and storage of pre-positioned military supplies.

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DustinKilgore

at 11:38 on March 17th, 2008

A sign I've designed for the March 19 Peace Rally in Chicago.

DustinKilgore has contributed a photo to this story.

Crisuka

at 12:05 on March 17th, 2008

For a free world, without war, without violence.

Women against war.

A sample of all those women fighters who make their voices heard throughout the world. In Barcelona, were proud their poster carrying his motto, their cries of hope. And it showed with pride to the many photographers that were pursuing.

Crisuka has contributed a photo to this story.

cynthia yoo

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 14:25 on March 17th, 2008

Jarrett Martineau, I like this story. It's good stuff.

Jarrett Martineau

at 09:16 on March 19th, 2008

Paul Rieckhoff has a great comment over at the HuffPost, on how little media attention is being paid to the fifth anniversary of the Iraq War:[q
url="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-rieckhoff/five-years-of-the-war-in-_b_92317.html"]This
week marks the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq, but you wouldn't
know it from what you see on TV.

With all the scandal-mongering coverage of the Democratic primary,
the media's been too busy to spend much time talking about the two wars
we're still fighting. In fact, just 3% of the news in February was dedicated to the war.
That's down from 15% of news coverage last July. For the men and women
risking their lives overseas, that's a slap in the face.

And
it's skewing Americans' perceptions of the war. Over 80% of Americans
are aware that Oprah Winfrey endorsed Senator Obama, yet only 28% know
how many American troops have died in Iraq. That's less than one in
three Americans. For any readers who aren't sure, the casualty number
is about to hit 4,000. You can see the names and faces of these brave men and women here.

Most Americans will say that it's the very least we can do is take
the time to honor their sacrifice. But how can we, as Americans, claim
to be honoring their sacrifice if the average American can't even
measure it?

We can do better.

I know it's an election year, and that the economy is in trouble. I
know that it's easier to endlessly replay the latest gaffe from a
candidate than to take your camera outside the Green Zone. But news of
the ongoing wars shouldn't fall by the wayside.

You can help remind them. Please take a minute now to sign an open letter and demand the major networks increase their coverage of the Iraq war.[/q]

Pacha Mama Photography

at 10:17 on March 19th, 2008

Taken by the Military Recruitment Center in Hollywood.

Pacha Mama Photography has contributed a photo to this story.

nonoboy

at 11:15 on March 19th, 2008

Anti-War Protests in DC 3/19/2007

nonoboy has contributed a photo to this story.

Rev Dan Catt

at 13:43 on March 19th, 2008

I was a little way away when this guy was apparently grabbed. On my way over (he was on the ground by the time I got there) I'd already overheard about 6 different accounts of what happened.

Whatever it was, he was taken away and put on the 'taken away and put on a bus' bus.

Rev Dan Catt has contributed a photo to this story.

Kristen Channel

at 16:23 on March 19th, 2008

Wednesday, March 19, Noon - Hartford, CT: Reclaiming the Prophetic Voice, a statewide interfaith network of religious leaders and people of faith in Connecticut, marked this 5th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq by bearing witness to the horrifying costs of war (human, economic, and moral) and to the complicity of silence (by individuals, institutions and corporations). A brief interfaith prayer service on the steps of Center Church (featuring AFSC’s “Cost of War” banners and boots representing CT’s soldiers who have died) were followed by a procession to the Federal Building, stopping in front of United Technologies headquarters along the way.

Kristen Channel has contributed a photo to this story.

kathy.doucette

at 19:04 on March 19th, 2008

We got to the basecamp at McPherson Square around 10:30 am. We kind of stumbled around trying to figure out where the events were taking place. They had a general handout, but maps would have been useful -- even if they just had one big map at basecamp.

In the end, we just listened for the police car sirens and followed them to the action.

There was a lot of good energy in the crowds and everything I saw was peaceful and respectful. Didn't see any pro-war counter demonstrations at the events I attended -- with the exception of three people yelling how we were anti-American and that protesting did "not support the troops."

kathy.doucette has contributed a photo to this story.

jump4joy

at 22:07 on March 19th, 2008

Peace Rally: The Empire Has No Clothes, in Eugene, Oregon. 5th Anniversary of the Iraq War.

jump4joy has contributed a photo to this story.

paulinacha

at 07:18 on March 20th, 2008

The weekend after Shock and Awe, in Burlington, Vermont, thousands of people turned up to speak out against the U.S. invasion of Iraq, including Madeleine Kunin and Bernard Sanders. I do not know who rested this banner next to the statue of Brevet Major General William Wells, a Vermont Civil War hero, in Battery Park, but my guess is that the juxtaposition was intentional. I'd like to think that the Path to World Peace is Friendship. If every citizen of Earth had friends across the globe, perhaps the governments would be unable to find soldiers willing to kill in their names.

paulinacha has contributed a photo to this story.

pbriggsiam

at 12:53 on March 20th, 2008

My wife, Maddie and I led the organizing locally of this demonstration against the war in Pasadena. We worked with Moveon.org and with Pasadena Democracy for America to pull it off. We had 120 plus neighbors at our rally! We got press coverage from both the Pasadena Star News and the Los Angeles NBC affiliate - channel 4 KNBC!

pbriggsiam has contributed a photo to this story.