#USInvasionofIraq20🇮🇶 Sunday marks the 20th anniversary of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, which began one of the longest, costliest and most demoralizing military conflicts in American history. On the sobering occasion,

Sputnik reached out to veterans of the war to get a sense of how it affected them and their comrades, and changed their outlook on US foreign policy.

💬"I try to avoid thinking of the war as either a win or a loss because there are winners and losers. In a sense, the US won the war because of the countless billions that were made. The military-industrial complex won. This was very profitable for a lot of different companies and in a sense, the US also won militarily because we weren’t pushed off the battlefield in the classic sense. We lost the hearts and minds of the people. We lost the basic mission as it changed, even as it turned to nation building, that was a complete failure. So in that sense the US lost the war," says Nate Lewis, a former artilleryman in the Army's 214th Fires Brigade who joined up shortly before the 9/11 terror attacks to earn some money for school, and who was deployed in Iraq after his 20th birthday in 2003.

👉 Click here to read more of the veteran's story and find out his views on the justification for the war, the treatment of veterans, and the mental and physical health crises they've faced since returning

#USInvasionofIraq20🇮🇶 “We don’t really offer space for warriors to really process and heal and move forward,” believes Nick Morgan, an Army Reservist from A Company of the 458th Engineer Battalion who was deployed to Iraq in 2004-2005.

💬 "When I got back from deployment we just jumped back into civilian life and [were] left to figure it out. All these problems started bubbling up and people that experience extreme cases of trauma and combat have a change in psyche. Your dreams are different, different things seem a lot more threatening. I can't speak to why everybody commits suicide, but I will say that it's because it hurts a lot. There’s not a simple answer to it," the vet turned activist working with the Iraq Veterans Against the War advocacy said.

👉 Click here to read more of the veteran's story, his views on who "won" and "lost" the war, and what he makes of the depleted uranium environmental disaster caused by the US invasion

Lowering Russian Oil Price Cap 'Unprofitable' for US, as Crude Cost Dip Would 'Hit Its Producers'

In order to impose sanctions on Russia, a price cap of $60 per barrel was implemented on Russian oil in December, along with a prohibition on seaborne exports. Additionally, the G7 countries and Australia placed a limit on Russian crude exports, which will be reviewed every two months to ensure it remains 5 percent below the International Energy Agency benchmark. If the price cap for Russian oil were lowered, it would not be beneficial for American producers, as this mechanism also impacts their prices. Therefore, the United States would not benefit from a revision of the price cap for Russian oil.

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German Opposition Party AfD Pulls Ahead Green Party First Time Since 2018

In a recent poll conducted by the Institute for New Social Answers (INSA) for a German newspaper, the right-wing opposition party Alternative for Germany (AfD) has surpassed Alliance 90/The Greens, a member of the government coalition, for the first time since 2018.

Meanwhile, the Bundestag has passed an electoral reform that will reduce the number of seats in the German parliament from 736 to 630 starting from the next legislative term, a move that has been criticized by opposition parties who plan to contest the changes in court. These modifications are expected to come into effect during the next election, which is scheduled to occur in 2025.

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🇦🇪🇸🇾Syrian President Bashar Assad has arrived in the United Arab Emirates accompanied by a delegation of ministers to hold talks with the country's president, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan, Assad's office said on Sunday.

"President Bashar Assad arrived in the United Arab Emirates on the official visit this afternoon ... He was received at the Abu Dhabi presidential airport by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan, the president of the United Arab Emirates," the presidential office said on Telegram.

The president's delegation includes a number of ministers and the charge d'affairs of the Syrian Embassy in Abu Dhabi.

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🇸🇦🇮🇷Saudi king invites Iranian president to pay official visit to Saudi Arabia

Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has sent a letter to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, inviting him to visit Saudi Arabia following the official resumption of bilateral relations between the countries, Deputy Chief of Staff for Political Affairs to Iran's President Mohammad Jamshidi said on Sunday.

"In a letter to President Raisi, H.E Salman bin Abdulaziz the King of Saudi Arabia welcomed the deal btw the 2 brotherly countries, invited him to Riyadh & called for strong economic/regional cooperation," Deputy Chief of Staff for Political Affairs to Iran's President Mohammad Jamshidi tweeted

The Iranian official added that Raisi welcomed the invitation and stressed the country's readiness to expand cooperation.

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🇮🇱🇵🇸Israel, Palestine agree to create mechanism to curb violence

Sharm el-Sheikh on Sunday hosted a five-sided meeting between Israel, Palestine, Egypt, the United States and Jordan aimed at de-escalation in the region.

"The two sides agreed to establish a mechanism to curb and counter violence incitement and inflammatory statements and actions, which will report to the quintet leadership in April, in a resumed session of the meeting in Sharm El Sheikh," the Egyptian Foreign Ministry's spokesperson tweeted.

The sides have also agreed to take step toward improving the economic conditions of the Palestinian people and reaffirmed the importance of continuing to hold such meetings "with a view to consolidating the basis for direct negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis," according to the statement.

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Macron's Approval Rating Drops to Record Low of 28% Amid Pension Reform

According to a recent poll by a French newspaper, the approval rating of French President Emmanuel Macron has fallen to 28%, a level not seen since the yellow vests protests in 2019.

This drop in approval comes after Macron utilized Article 49.3 of the French Constitution, which enables the government to override parliament and increase the retirement age, a decision that has been met with criticism.

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Russia is not the only country that does not recognize the International Criminal Court’s authority. Take a look at Sputnik's infographics to find out who else is on the same side.

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🌍 Africans need to start "decolonizing their consciousness and minds," Kassaye Nigussie, professor of the theory and history of international relations at Russia's RUDN university, says

🗣 "The system imposed on us remains intact, exploiting former colonies. Former metropolises have been sending proxies to control African reserves, ending up in charge of Africa's scientific sphere, resources, and manpower," Nigussie said at the second Russia-Africa parliamentary conference.

▪️ He believes Western languages and cultures are offered "at a very high price" of losing African identity, adding that the idea of multilingualism being a problem causing Africa's backwardness is not true and supporting it with the example of Russia with its "rich linguistic background and multiculturalism"

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📹Repair units continue to maintain military hardware used in the special military operation

The maintenance specialists have deployed repair stations to carry out their work.

The video courtesy of Russian MoD.

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Former Pakistani Prime Minister Khan Charged With Terrorism

In his video message, the former prime minister said that his opponents intend to either put him in prison or kill him, and denounced the raid on his home in Lahore as "shameful tactics, conspiracies and plans."

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🇺🇸🇮🇱 Joe Biden has talked to Benjamin Netanyahu over the phone, offering support in resolving issues relating to the controversial judicial reform in Israel, the White House said.

💬 “The President reinforced the need for all sides to take urgent, collaborative steps to enhance security coordination, condemn all acts of terrorism, and maintain the viability of a two-state solution," the White House said in a Sunday statement after the talks.

According to the release, Biden told Netanyahu that there should be a genuine checks and balances system in all "democratic societies" and major changes must be enacted with a broad base of popular support.

💬 "President Biden reiterated his unwavering commitment to Israel’s security and the ongoing cooperation between our national security teams, including to counter all threats posed by Iran. Both leaders agreed to stay in regular contact over the coming weeks," the White House said.

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10 Years, 40 Meetings: What to Expect From Xi Jinping’s Visit to Russia for Talks With Putin

Chinese President Xi Jinping will embark on a three-day state visit to Russia on Monday at the invitation of his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

What issues are the two leaders expected to discuss? What’s the significance of the trip, and what message does he plan to convey to Moscow and the rest of the world?

Click here for answers

⚡️ 🇮🇳 All mobile internet services, all SMS services (except banking & mobile recharge) & all dongle services provided on mobile networks, except the voice call, have been suspended in Punjab till March 21

This comes after on Sunday, videos emerged on social media showing a group of supporters of the Khalistan separatist movement protesting outside the Indian mission in London 🇬🇧 in the wake of police action against fugitive Amritpal Singh.

#USInvasionofIraq20🇮🇶 The US invasion of Iraq was marked by mass protests around the world, with the biggest rallies of February 15 and 16, 2003 being attended by six to ten million people worldwide. The outcry, however, did not break the Pentagon’s war plans.

Sputnik sat down with two prominent American anti-war activists to discuss the rise and the eventual decline of the US grassroots peace movement during the Iraq War.

Michael Žmolek teaches world history, international studies, and development studies at the University of Iowa. In the early 2000s he was among those actively opposing the bombing, sanctions and military occupation of Iraq. Žmolek was one of the organizers of the February 15, 2003 protest in New York.

He said that many mainstream outlets have been bringing grist to Pentagon’s mill, giving much less airtime to peace activists and mostly voicing talking points of the Bush administration:

💬 “It's hard to get a strong, consistent, pro-peace anti-war position when you've got a lot of groups that, say, are working with one or the other parties, or are much larger than most of the other groups. Nobody's really clear what their agenda is, and yet they're organizing the rallies. A lot of people show up for rallies with no idea who the organizers were. It's a bit like herding cats.”

Click here to learn more about the rise and fall of the US anti-war movement

❗️Latest statements from Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service on the ongoing conflict in Syria:

▪️The US is planning to hand over dozens of four-wheel drive pickup trucks with heavy machine guns, as well as Igla MANPADS, TOW and NLAW anti-tank missiles, to Islamist groups in Syria;

▪️Representatives of US Сentral Сommand take part in the planning of the most important operations against Syrian government;

▪️Washington's close engagement with Islamic terrorists is a manifestation of state terrorism;

▪️The US continues to use Islamist groups under its control in Syria to undermine the positions of the legitimate government of this country.

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