Former US Vice President Dick Cheney, one of the chief architects of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, has died at the age of 84 due to pneumonia and chronic heart disease, his family announced Monday evening.

Cheney, a central figure in American politics for decades, was best known for his influential role in shaping US foreign policy during the administration of President George W. Bush (2001–2009). He was widely regarded as one of the most powerful vice presidents in US history, particularly in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks, when he became a driving force behind the so-called “War on Terror” and the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.

While the office of vice president is often seen as largely ceremonial, Cheney transformed it into an independent power center within the administration, exerting strong influence behind the scenes. He also sought to expand presidential authority, particularly during wartime, allowing the executive branch to act with fewer restrictions from Congress or the judiciary.

Cheney was a leading advocate of extraordinary surveillance and interrogation measures, including waterboarding and sleep deprivation — techniques that drew global condemnation as forms of torture.

Born in 1941 in Nebraska, Cheney studied at Yale University before graduating from the University of Wyoming. His political career began in Congress, followed by his appointment as Secretary of Defense under President George H.W. Bush in 1989, where he led the US-led coalition to expel Iraqi forces from Kuwait in 1991.

In 1995, Cheney became the CEO of Halliburton, an oil services company that later faced criticism for profiting from contracts during the Iraq War and for potential conflicts of interest.

During his vice presidency, Cheney was one of the most vocal proponents of the claim that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), a justification later proven to be unfounded but which had played a decisive role in mobilizing support for the war.

In his later years, despite his Republican affiliation, Cheney broke ranks with much of his party. In the 2024 US presidential election, he publicly endorsed Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, warning that Donald Trump posed “an unprecedented threat to the American Republic.” He urged Americans to defend the Constitution and put the nation’s interests above partisan divisions.

Dick Cheney’s legacy remains deeply intertwined with the decisions that reshaped the Middle East and global politics — most notably, the Iraq invasion, considered one of the bloodiest and most consequential military campaigns in modern US history. (ILKHA)