Unintended Consequences? Foreign Intervention in the Middle East

On 20 March 2003, American missiles first hit Baghdad, signalling the start of a US-led campaign to overthrow Saddam Hussein. 16 years later, Iraq has witnessed perpetual conflict, which reached its nadir in 2014 when ISIS militants captured one third of the country. The breakdown of the unitary state throughout the region has ushered in an era of instability and violence. This panel critically assesses the degree to which enduring instability in Iraq and the broader region can be seen as an unintended