Conferences

Throughout my career, I’ve organized several academic conferences and workshops of various sizes and for various audiences. I also work as the conference consultant for the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations. You can find more info below.

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SHAFR Annual Meetings

Lessons and Legacies of Iraq

Yale International Security Studies & Yale International Leadership Center

On March 20, 2003, a U.S. led coalition launched a shock and awe bombing campaign of Iraq before invading the country as part of President George W. Bush’s Global War on Terror. The United States couched its rationale on false claims that Iraq was stockpiling Weapons of Mass Destruction and Saddam Hussein was supporting al-Qaeda. The invasion overthrew the Ba’athist regime in a matter of weeks and Hussein was captured in December. Far from a swift victory, the conflict continued as coalition forces fought a growing insurgency and the new Iraqi government struggled to gain legitimacy. U.S. troops officially withdrew in 2011, only to return in 2014 to fight ISIS. 2,500 U.S. troops remain in Iraq today.

In addition to reflecting on the historical significance of the invasion, surge, and withdrawal, this symposium examines the implications of these events on current political, military, and policymaking conversations. Much like Vietnam, the ghosts of 2003 can be found stalking the halls of the Pentagon, wandering VA hospitals, as talking heads on cable news, and in refugee camps across the Middle East. Largely regarded a failure, one is left to ask what, if anything, did the U.S. learn from the Iraq War? And perhaps more importantly, how are these lessons being applied in 2023?

Temple University