After removing the Taliban from power in Afghanistan, President Bush shifted his focus to Iraq, one of the most controversial moves of his presidency. The Bush Administration claimed that Iraqi leaders had ties to al-Qaeda and that they possessed weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). The administration spent months trying to convince American allies that Iraq's leader, Saddam Hussein, had to be removed from power.

U.S. Marines invading one of Saddam Hussein's palaces in 2003.

In the end, Saddam Hussein turned out not to be a supporter of al-Qaeda, and his regime didn't possess any dangerous chemical or nuclear weapons, but President Bush insisted that Iraq was a key battleground in the War on Terror. On March 20, 2003, the United States invaded Iraq, and U.S. forces captured the capital of Baghdad in less than three weeks. After the fall of Baghdad, Saddam Hussein went into hiding. The Iraqi army was disbanded, and a new democracy was put in place, with mixed results.

On May 1, 2003, just a month and a half after the Iraq invasion began, President Bush flew onto an aircraft carrier in a military jet and declared "Mission Accomplished" for the American forces on board and before international media. The Iraq War lasted long after Bush's famous photo opportunity, however. The brutal regime of Saddam Hussein evaporated almost as soon as Iraq was invaded. Into that vacuum stepped many groups competing for power and control, and few were interested in cooperating with the U.S. or even necessarily building a democracy.

While the political situation in Iraq remained unstable, al-Qaeda and other Islamic terrorists began a guerrilla war against the American occupiers and the new government put in place by the United States. American troops did not withdraw from the country until 2011, and as of 2014, extreme Islamic groups continue to vie for power within Iraq's borders.

Years after Bush's term has ended, the Iraq War remains one of the most controversial parts of the War on Terror. Supporters say that it removed an unstable dictator from power, and critics say it destabilized the country and increased terrorist and fundamentalist activity in the Middle East.

Use the following activity to review President Bush's foreign policy after 9/11. Drag the correct word or phrase into each blank space.