'I lived in Iraq when the West invaded'

Faisal Saeed Al Mutar joins The Winston Marshall Show for a powerful conversation on freedom, reform, and the unfinished business of the Middle East.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Iraqi-born social entrepreneur, speaker, and Ideas Beyond Borders founder Faisal Saeed Al Mutar reflects on the legacy of the Iraq War, U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, and the region’s shifting power dynamics. Speaking from his personal experiences growing up in Baghdad during the U.S. invasion, Al Mutar offers an unflinching perspective on what Western intervention has meant for Iraqis—and where it has left the region today.

Al Mutar recounts meeting Christopher Hitchens during the height of Iraq’s civil war, when the famed writer told him he supported the war “because of people like you.” While Al Mutar acknowledges the Kurds benefited most from Saddam Hussein’s removal, he emphasizes that for the majority of Iraqis, the war created “unfinished business”—transforming one authoritarian system into another, this time dominated by Iranian influence.

The discussion moves through U.S. policy under Obama and Trump, the destabilizing role of Qatar, and the enduring consequences of empowering Iran through flawed deals like the JCPOA. Al Mutar criticizes both American inconsistency and regional actors like Qatar, who play “both the disturber and the solution” by funding extremism while posturing as mediators.

On Palestine and Israel, Al Mutar takes a pragmatic stance: recognition of a Palestinian state, he argues, could offer Palestinians a nonviolent channel for grievances and help undercut extremist groups like Hamas. He stresses that without regional integration and credible pathways to prosperity, militancy will continue to thrive.

Ultimately, Al Mutar frames the challenge of the Middle East as one of trust and vision: “I want to see a Middle East where people want to visit, not escape. More prosperity, more freedom, and more integration are the only paths forward.”

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