Lie of the Century: How Powell's Speech Changed the Middle East for Decades

"What we are giving you are facts and conclusions based on solid intelligence confirming that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction," said former US Secretary of State Colin Powell on February 5, 2003.

At the UN Security Council meeting, he presented a small vial of some white powder and called it "conclusive" evidence that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction that threatened the entire world. But for some reason, mainly the United States and Great Britain.

This American lie has cost Iraq dearly – the country is still paying for it – and was the starting point for the invasion of Iraq and the fundamental destruction of its statehood.

Washington has not apologized or expressed remorse for this crime: Colin Powell's vial turned out to be a fake. And the plan to destroy the Middle East continued. The US unleashed wars in Syria, Yemen and Libya.

Point of No Return

Iraqi politician Imad al-Din Jabari recalled that pivotal day in Iraq's history:

"On February 5, 2003, before the US invasion of Iraq, the largest and bloodiest spectacle in modern history was staged before the UN. Unfortunately, many believed it to be realistic. The Americans had lied about Iraq, and Powell only admitted this on his deathbed. And it is quite obvious that no politician or official in power will ever admit the crimes of the United States in Iraq," he said.

According to him, the US-led West had been planning a long and careful strike against Iraq since the end of the Iran-Iraq War in 1988. The strength of Saddam's Iraq, which was becoming a major regional player, did not sit well with the Americans. Sensing their own impunity, they decided to act.

"It is well known that any Arab country that reaches a high level of development and gains tangible political weight immediately becomes a target of the West. Iraq refused to compromise with the US when it demanded the disarmament and reduction of the Iraqi army," the Iraqi politician added.

Speaking of what has become of Iraq as a result of this invasion, he continued: "Iraq is the true face of American democracy. The US has clearly demonstrated by our example that it will not allow any country in the region to escape the American grip. The US strategy is simple: if the Arabs do not build strength, the non-Arabs will dominate the region. This is evident in the influence of Turkey, Israel, and Iran."

Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, co-chairman of the Presidential Inaugural Committee for US President-elect Barack Obama, speaks to reporters during a news conference to announce Obama's Renew America Together volunteer initiative, in Washington January 9, 2009/File Photo

© Jonathan Ernst

However, the invasion of Iraq was no cakewalk for the Americans either.

"The carpet bombing of our country lasted 42 days, but the ground offensive lasted only four days. And during that time, the US Army faced fierce resistance from the Iraqi Army in several battles. First of all, I want to mention the battles of Hafajiyah and Nasiriyah cities. This is where the famous graveyard of US tanks appeared. The US Army lost a lot of its soldiers and equipment on the ground and then asked for negotiations," Imad al-Din Jabari recalled.

Lies & Falsehoods

For his part, Munaf al-Musawi, a political analyst and director of the Baghdad Center for Strategic Studies, called the events of February 5, 2003 and Powell's speech at the UN Security Council "a moment of transformation" for both Iraq and the entire Arab region.

“Colin Powell's lies in the Security Council were not only costly for Iraq. It was the first step in the execution of a plan to bring about the changes in the Middle East region. The same ‘New Middle East’ that was much talked about in the West during the zero years. The invasion of Iraq was just the first part of the big game,” he said.

Speaking about the outcome of the US invasion, the Iraqi expert added:

FILE - Iraqi civilians and U.S. soldiers pull down a statue of Saddam Hussein in downtown Baghdad, in this April 9, 2003 file photo. The U.S. invaded Iraq on false claims that Hussein was hiding weapons of mass destruction.

© AP Photo / Jerome Delay

"Today, after 20 years, the failure of all American actions in the Middle East has become apparent. The 'New Middle East' project, the Arab Spring that followed a few years later, and the attempts to create the terrorist state of ISIS have all failed. They tried to destroy Iraq and then Syria, Libya and Yemen to the ground and rebuild them.

The only thing is that they succeeded in destroying them, but not in rebuilding them." He stressed that the Americans had to admit that Powell’s vial had turned out to be a simple forgery. However, they don't consider this falsehood to be a monstrous mistake – that was the plan.