EUREKA – Iraqi journalist Haider Hamza will present “Iraq 10 Years Later: Good Intentions vs. Brutal Realities” in the Cerf Center at Eureka College at 7:30 p.m. March 19, which is the 10th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq.

Hamza will discuss the impact of the war on Iraq’s 30 million citizens and what lessons have been and should have been learned from the invasion.

“For most Americans, the Iraq war is a thing of the past,” Hamza said. “The U.S. has withdrawn most of its troops from Iraq, and incidents that roiled newspaper headlines seem all but forgotten.

“But nearly 1 million Iraqis were killed in the course of the war, 3 million injured and more than 4 million displaced,” Hamza said. “For those still struggling from physical, economic and psychological wounds, the legacy from the Iraq war can seem impossible to forget.”

Hamza lived through the 2003 invasion with his family near Babylon, south of Baghdad. In his early 20s, he was a TV producer and photo editor for ABC News and Reuters, among others. 

In 2007 Hamza won a Fulbright scholarship and moved to the United States to obtain a master’s degree in global security and conflict resolution. Seeking to understand what Americans felt about their country’s involvement in Iraq, Hamza drove through 35 states, setting up a mobile booth with a sign that read “Talk to an Iraqi.” His story has been featured on Showtime and National Public Radio. 

Cost for the presentation is $5. For tickets or more information, call (309) 467-6420.