What is happening in Iraq?

The US invasion in 2003 toppled Saddam Hussein’s regime. Decrees to purge the Baath Party and dissolve the army and other security institutions created a wide security vacuum, plunging the country into a precarious situation where no institutions remained capable of maintaining order. In this void, armed groups, factions, and sectarian communities mobilized, each pursuing its own interests. Citizens no longer saw a state that guaranteed their rights; instead, they sought protection within parties or sects. …