In the cascade of errors that led to the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, the Bush administration’s failure to deter Saddam Hussein from invading Kuwait—as well as Saddam’s failure to grasp what would happen after he acted—stand out. Saddam’s invasion drew the U.S. into a major war to liberate Kuwait, followed by a succession of limited wars and C.I.A. covert actions against Saddam, ultimately culminating with George W. Bush’s fateful decision to invade.
