Former US VP Dick Cheney dies, leaves behind legacy of destruction

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen English
Today 15:42
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Dick Cheney, who spearheaded the 2003 Iraq invasion and championed torture and surveillance under the Bush administration, has died at 84.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney watches he attends a primary Election Night gathering for his daughter, Rep. Liz Cheney, on August 16, 2022, in Jackson, Wyoming (AP)

Former United States Vice President Dick Cheney, one of the most powerful and divisive figures in modern American politics, died on November 3, 2025, at the age of 84, his family announced.

According to statements reported by Reuters and the Associated Press, Cheney died from complications of pneumonia and longstanding cardiac disease in his home in Virginia.

While hailed by allies as a skilled bureaucratic strategist, Cheney’s legacy remains defined by his central role in orchestrating the 2003 invasion of Iraq, where an entire nation was devastated, killing hundreds of thousands of civilians, and destabilizing the wider region under false pretexts.

As Vice President under George W. Bush, Cheney was widely seen as the driving force behind the administration’s false claims that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction, a pretext later discredited but used to justify the occupation.

A legacy of secrecy and militarism

Cheney’s tenure epitomized the rise of the US “national security state.” A longtime advocate of expanded executive power, he championed the use of torture, warrantless surveillance, and secret prisons as part of Washington’s so-called “war on terror.” His influence extended deep into the Pentagon and the intelligence apparatus, often sidelining diplomats and even the State Department.

Cheney’s legacy is one of unchecked militarism and moral impunity, citing his continued defense of waterboarding and the “enhanced interrogation” program condemned by the United Nations as torture.

Before becoming vice president, Cheney served as Secretary of Defense under George H.W. Bush, overseeing the 1991 Gulf War, and later as CEO of Halliburton, the oil services giant that profited heavily from contracts in Iraq and other war zones following the 2003 invasion.

Even in his later years, Cheney remained unrepentant about his record. In a 2015 interview, he insisted that he had “no regrets” over Iraq, calling it “the right decision.”