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Legality of the Iraq War#Legitimacy

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+#REDIRECT [[Legality of the Iraq War#Legitimacy]]
-{{Campaignbox Iraq War}}
-[[File:UStanks baghdad 2003.JPEG|300px|thumb|right|M1A1 Abrams pose for a photo under the "Hands of Victory" in Ceremony Square, [[Baghdad, Iraq]].]]
-A dispute exists over the '''legitimacy of the 2003 invasion of Iraq'''. The debate centers around the question whether the invasion was an unprovoked assault on an independent country that may have breached [[international law]], or if the United Nations Security Council authorized the invasion (whether the conditions set in place after the [[Gulf War]] allowed the resumption if Iraq did not uphold to the [[United Nations Security Council Resolution|Security Council resolutions]]).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/letters/story/0,3604,909275,00.html |title=War would be illegal |work=The Guardian|date=March 7, 2003|location=London}}</ref> Those arguing for its legitimacy often point to [[Iraq Resolution|Congressional Joint Resolution 114]] and [[United Nations Security Council|UN Security Council]] resolutions, such as [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441|Resolution 1441]] and [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 678|Resolution 678]].<ref>"International Law and the War in Iraq," John Yoo. ''The American Journal of International Law'', Vol. 97, No. 3 (Jul., 2003), pp. 563-576 {{doi|10.2307/3109841}}.</ref><ref>"Future Implications of the Iraq Conflict." W.H. Taft and T’F. Buchwald. ''The American Journal of International Law'', Vol. 97, No. 3 (Jul., 2003), pp. 553-563 {{doi|10.2307/3109841}},</ref> Those arguing against its legitimacy also cite some of the same sources, stating they do not actually permit war but instead lay out conditions that must be met before war can be declared. Furthermore, the Security Council may only authorise the use of force against an "aggressor"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/Docs/sc/unsc_functions.html |title=Functions and Powers |publisher=United Nations |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030402031311/http://www.un.org/Docs/sc/unsc_functions.html |archive-date=April 2, 2003 }}</ref> in the interests of preserving peace, whereas the 2003 invasion of Iraq was not provoked by any aggressive military action.
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-There are ongoing debates regarding whether the invasion was launched with the explicit authorization of the [[United Nations Security Council]]. The Government of the United States asserts that the invasion was explicitly authorized by [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 678|Security Council Resolution 678]] and thus complies with international law.<ref>{{cite journal|author=CRS Issue Brief for Congress|date=February 2002|title=Iraq-U.S. Confrontation|journal=Alfred B. Prados and Kenneth Katzman|issue=IB94049|url=https://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/9043.pdf|access-date=2009-04-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090409073529/http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/9043.pdf|archive-date=2009-04-09|url-status=live}}</ref> The Security Council Resolution 678 authorizes UN Member States to "use all necessary means to uphold and implement [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 660|Resolution 660]] and all subsequent relevant resolutions and to restore international peace and security in the area",<ref>{{cite press release|publisher=Department of State|date=2003-03-20|title=Saddam Hussein's Defiance of UNSCRs|url=http://2001-2009.state.gov/p/io/rls/fs/2003/18850.htm|access-date=2009-04-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090219124501/http://2001-2009.state.gov/p/io/rls/fs/2003/18850.htm|archive-date=2009-02-19|url-status=live}}</ref> however there exist different interpretations of its meaning. The only legal jurisdiction to find "aggression" or to find the invasion illegal rests with the Security Council under [[United Nations Charter]] Articles 39–42. The Security Council met in 2003 for two days, reviewed the legal claims involved, and elected to be "seized of the matter".<ref>Patrick McLaren, ''Settling the Score with Saddam: Resolution 1441 and Parallel Justifications for the Use of Force against Iraq'' (2003) 13 Duke Journal of Comparative and International Law 233 (Lexis)</ref><ref>Bill Campbell and Chris Moraitis, 'Memorandum of Advice to the Commonwealth Government on the Use of Force against Iraq' (2003) 4 Melbourne Journal of International Law 178.</ref> The Security Council has not reviewed these issues since 2003. The public debate, however, continues.  Former [[Secretary-General of the United Nations|UN Secretary General]] [[Kofi Annan]] expressed his opinion that the invasion of Iraq was "not in conformity with the UN charter [...] from the charter point of view, [the invasion] was illegal."<ref>{{cite news |author-link=Owen Bennett-Jones |last=Bennett-Jones |first=Owen |date=2004-09-16 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3661640.stm |title=Excerpts: Annan interview |publisher=BBC |access-date=2009-04-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326195308/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3661640.stm |archive-date=2009-03-26 |url-status=live }}</ref> ''(See [[Legality of the Iraq War]])''
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-== Saddam's record ==
-While in power, Saddam Hussein invaded Iran in 1980 and began the [[Iran–Iraq War]], which lasted until 1988.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=United Nations |title=خطای نابهنگام |date=12 September 1991 |access-date=2012-02-05 |page=[http://www.irna.com/occasion/defence/english/un/page1.pdf 1], [http://www.irna.com/occasion/defence/english/un/page2.pdf 2], [http://www.irna.com/occasion/defence/english/un/page3.pdf 3] |language=fa|url=http://www.irna.com/occasion/defence/english/un/page1.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205102912/http://www.irna.com/occasion/defence/english/un/page1.pdf |archive-date=5 February 2012 }}</ref> Iraq's invasion was [[United States support for Iraq during the Iran–Iraq War|backed by the United States]] who funneled over $5 billion to support Saddam's party and sold Iraq hundreds of millions of dollars worth of military equipment. During the war, Hussein used chemical weapons on at least 10 occasions, including attacks against civilians.<ref>{{cite press release|publisher=The White House|date=2002-09-12|title=Saddam Hussein's Development of Weapons of Mass Destruction|url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/iraq/decade/sect3.html|access-date=2017-09-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180922202027/https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/iraq/decade/sect3.html|archive-date=2018-09-22|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait and began the [[Gulf War|Persian Gulf War]]. After the [[ceasefire]] agreement was signed between Saddam and the UN in 1991, which suspended the hostilities of the Gulf War, Iraq repeatedly violated 16 different [[UNSC]] resolutions from 1990 to 2002.<ref>{{cite press release|publisher=The White House|date=2002-09-12|title=Saddam Hussein's Defiance of United Nations Resolutions|url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/iraq/decade/sect2.html|access-date=2017-09-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170711150828/https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/iraq/decade/sect2.html|archive-date=2017-07-11|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Iraq Survey Group]] interviewed regime officials who stated Hussein kept weapon scientists employed and planned to revive Iraq's WMD program after the inspections were lifted, including nuclear weapons.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/pdf/duelfer1_b.pdf |title=Comprehensive Report of the Special Advisor to the DCI on Iraq's WMD: Volume 1; Regime Strategic Intent Page 1, "Key Findings" |access-date=2007-08-31 |quote=He sought to balance the need to cooperate with UN inspections—to gain support for lifting sanctions—with his intention to preserve Iraq’s intellectual capital for WMD with a minimum of foreign intrusiveness and loss of face. … Saddam wanted to recreate Iraq's WMD capability—which was essentially destroyed in 1991—after sanctions were removed and Iraq's economy stabilized, but probably with a different mix of capabilities to that which previously existed. Saddam aspired to develop a nuclear capability—in an incremental fashion, irrespective of international pressure and the resulting economic risks—but he intended to focus on ballistic missile and tactical chemical warfare (CW) capabilities. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070713075625/http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/pdf/duelfer1_b.pdf |archive-date=2007-07-13 |url-status=live }}</ref> Under [[UN Resolution 1441]], he was given a "final opportunity" to comply, and he again violated the resolution by submitting a false report to [[UNMOVIC]] inspectors and continually preventing them from inspecting Iraq's WMD sites.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/Depts/unmovic/BlixSC19dec.htm |title=Hans Blix Security Council Briefing Notes |date=2002-12-19 |access-date=9 July 2007 |quote=During the period 1991–1998, Iraq submitted many declarations called full, final and complete. Regrettably, much in these declarations proved inaccurate or incomplete or was unsupported or contradicted by evidence. In such cases, no confidence can arise that proscribed programmes or items have been eliminated. … The overall impression is that not much new significant information has been provided in the part of Iraq's Declaration, which relates to proscribed weapons programmes, nor has much new supporting documentation or other evidence been submitted. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080126114111/http://www.un.org/Depts/unmovic/BlixSC19dec.htm |archive-date=26 January 2008 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/feb/14/iraq.unitednations1 |title=Hans Blix's briefing to the security council |date=14 February 2003 |work=[[The Guardian|Guardian]] |access-date=21 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130826223940/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/feb/14/iraq.unitednations1 |archive-date=26 August 2013 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
-During the Gulf War, Iraq took foreign civilians hostage on an unprecedented scale.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fas.org/irp/threat/terror_90/sponsored.html |title=Overview of State-Sponsored Terrorism |publisher=Federation of American Scientists |year=1990 |access-date=9 July 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011223622/https://fas.org/irp/threat/terror_90/sponsored.html |archive-date=11 October 2017 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}</ref> Hussein attempted to use terrorism against the United States during the Gulf War and against former President [[George H. W. Bush|George H.W. Bush]] in Kuwait in 1993 for leading the Gulf War against him.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/980302/archive_003360.htm |title=Tracking Saddam's Network |work=U.S. News & World Report |date=1998-02-22 |access-date=9 July 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929134126/http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/980302/archive_003360.htm |archive-date=29 September 2007 }}</ref>  He had a long history of supporting fighters in Palestine by giving money to families of suicide bombers<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/html/final/eng/bu/iraq/iraq_f_a.htm |title=Iraqi Support for and Encouragement of Palestinian Terrorism (Part 1) |date=August 2002 |access-date=9 July 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927033655/http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/html/final/eng/bu/iraq/iraq_f_a.htm |archive-date=27 September 2007 }}</ref> and gave refuge to other fighting groups against neighboring states in the region.<ref>{{cite press release|publisher=The White House|date=2002-09-12|title=Saddam Hussein's Support for International Terrorism|url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/iraq/decade/sect5.html|access-date=2017-09-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180309223506/https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/iraq/decade/sect5.html|archive-date=2018-03-09|url-status=live}}</ref>
-In 1988 the [[Al-Anfal Campaign]] took place in Iraqi [[Kurdistan]], and was carried out by the cousin of Saddam Hussein, [[Ali Hassan al-Majid]]. A document signed by Ali Hassan al-Majid is quoted as stating, "all persons captured in those villages shall be detained and interrogated by the security services and those between the ages of 15 and 70 shall be executed after any useful information has been obtained from them". This target group covered any male of fighting age. In 1991 after the Iraqi forces were expelled from Kuwait, the regime of Saddam Hussein cracked down on uprisings in the Kurdish north and Shia south. It is stated between this time over 40,000 Kurds and 60,000 or more Shi'ites were executed.{{citation needed|date=September 2011}}
-In 2000, two human rights groups, [[International Federation of Human Rights Leagues]] and the Coalition for Justice in Iraq, released a joint report documenting the indoctrination of children into a fighting force. These children as young as five were recruited into the [[Ashbal Saddam]] or Saddam's Cubs. The children would be separated from their parents and undergo military training. Parents objecting to this recruitment would be executed and children jailed if they failed to comply. These jails were later noted by [[Scott Ritter]] in an interview with [[Time (magazine)|''Time'' magazine]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,351165,00.html |title=Time Magazine: Scott Ritter in his Own Words |access-date=9 August 2007 |first=Massimo |last=Calabresi |date=September 14, 2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060612220940/http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,351165,00.html |archive-date=12 June 2006 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
-Vice President Cheney stated in 2006 that the U.S. would still have invaded Iraq even if intelligence had shown that there were no weapons of mass destruction.  He said Hussein was still dangerous because of his history of using WMD, and taking him out of power "was the right thing to do".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/14767199|title=Cheney: WMD or not, Iraq invasion was correct|date=10 September 2006 |access-date=2007-08-31|quote=He’d done it before,' Cheney said. 'He had produced chemical weapons before and used them. He had produced biological weapons. He had a robust nuclear program in ’91.' The U.S. invasion 'was the right thing to do, and if we had to do it again, we would do exactly the same thing,' he said.|publisher=NBC News}}</ref>
-According to [[Donald Rumsfeld]], Saddam Hussein was giving $25,000 to the families of suicide bombers who were aggressive toward Israel.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://thedailyshow.cc.com/videos/j6f55l/donald-rumsfeld-pt--1 |title=Donald Rumsfeld Pt. 1 - the Daily Show - Video Clip &#124; Comedy Central |access-date=2014-07-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714153309/http://thedailyshow.cc.com/videos/j6f55l/donald-rumsfeld-pt--1 |archive-date=2014-07-14 |url-status=live }}</ref>
-== United Nations ==
-[[File:Desert fox missile.jpg|thumb|A [[BGM-109 Tomahawk|Tomahawk cruise missile]] (TLAM) is fired from an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer during the fourth wave of attacks on Iraq in support of Operation Desert Fox]]
-As part of the [[1991 Gulf War]] [[ceasefire]] agreement, the Iraqi government agreed to [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 687|Security Council Resolution 687]], which called for weapons inspectors to search locations in Iraq for chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, as well as weapons that exceed an effective distance of 150 kilometres.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/Depts/unscom/Chronology/resolution687.htm |title=Resolution 687 |publisher=United Nations Security Council |access-date=2017-06-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170610103845/http://www.un.org/Depts/unscom/Chronology/resolution687.htm |archive-date=2017-06-10 |url-status=live }}</ref> After the passing of resolution 687, thirteen additional resolutions ([[United Nations Security Council Resolution 699|699]], [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 707|707]], [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 715|715]], [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 949|949]], [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1051|1051]], [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1060|1060]], [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1115|1115]], [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1134|1134]], [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1137|1137]], [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1154|1154]], [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1194|1194]], [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1205|1205]], 1284) were passed by the Security Council reaffirming the continuation of inspections, or citing Iraq's failure to comply fully with them.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/Depts/unscom/Chronology/chronologyframe.htm|title=Chronology of December 1999|publisher=United Nations|access-date=2017-06-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080710022117/http://www.un.org/Depts/unscom/Chronology/chronologyframe.htm|archive-date=2008-07-10|url-status=live}}</ref> On September 9, 1998, the Security Council passed resolution 1194 which unanimously condemns Iraq's suspension of cooperation with UNSCOM, one month later on October 31 Iraq officially declares it will cease all forms of interaction with UNSCOM.<ref name="UNSCOM">{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/meast/9810/31/iraq.un.01/index.html |title=Iraq stops cooperation with UNSCOM |publisher=CNN |date=31 October 1998 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060308043806/http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/meast/9810/31/iraq.un.01/index.html |archive-date=March 8, 2006 }}</ref>
-The period between October 31, 1998, and the initiation of [[Operation Desert Fox]] (December 16, 1998), contained talks by the Iraqi government with the United Nations Security Council. During these talks Iraq attempted to attach conditions to the work of UNSCOM and the [[International Atomic Energy Agency]], which was against previous resolutions calling for unconditional access. The situation was defused after Iraq's Ambassador to the U.N., [[Nizar Hamdoon]], submitted a third letter stating the position of the Iraqi government on October 31 was "void".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/meast/9811/15/iraq.01/index.html |title=Iraq blinks: Last-minute letters try to avert war |date=15 November 1998 |publisher=CNN |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070706102123/http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/meast/9811/15/iraq.01/index.html |archive-date=July 6, 2007 }}</ref> After weapons inspections resumed, UNSCOM requested arms documents related to weapon usage and destruction during the [[Iran–Iraq War]]. The Iraqi government rejected this request because it was handwritten and did not fall within the scope of the UN mandate. The UN inspectors insisted in order to know if Iraq destroyed all of its weapons, it had to know "the total holdings of Iraq's chemical weapons."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/meast/9811/20/iraq.02/index.html |title=Iraq resists request for arms documents |publisher=CNN |date=20 November 1998 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050204153954/http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/meast/9811/20/iraq.02/index.html |archive-date= 4 February 2005 }}</ref> Further incidents erupted as Iraqi officials demanded "lists of things and materials" being searched for during surprise inspections.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/meast/9812/09/iraq.02/index.html |title=Weapons chief says Iraqi inspection rebuff 'very serious' |publisher=CNN |date=9 December 1998 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021002184426/http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/meast/9812/09/iraq.02/index.html |archive-date=October 2, 2002 }}</ref>
-On December 16, 1998, U.S. President [[Bill Clinton]] initiated [[Operation Desert Fox]] based on Iraq's failure to fully comply with the inspectors. Clinton noted the announcement made by the Iraqi government on October 31, stating they would no longer cooperate with [[UNSCOM]]. Also noted was the numerous efforts to hinder UNSCOM officials, including prevention of photographing evidence and photocopying documents, as well as prevention of interviewing Iraqi personnel.<ref>{{cite press release|publisher=The White House|date=1998-12-16|title=Address by the President to the Nation on Iraq Air Strike|url=http://clinton6.nara.gov/1998/12/1998-12-16-address-by-the-president-to-the-nation-on-iraq-air-strike.html|access-date=2009-04-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100705235230/http://clinton6.nara.gov/1998/12/1998-12-16-address-by-the-president-to-the-nation-on-iraq-air-strike.html|archive-date=2010-07-05|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="UNSCOM" />
-[[File:Rumsfeld-Memo-HowStart.jpg|thumb|right|500px|Excerpt from Donald Rumsfeld memo dated Nov 27 2001 <ref name="tv.msnbc.com">{{Cite web |url=http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/02/16/building-momentum-for-regime-change-rumsfelds-secret-memos/ |title='Building momentum for regime change': Rumsfeld's secret memos — MSNBC |date=16 February 2013 |access-date=2013-04-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130322001534/http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/02/16/building-momentum-for-regime-change-rumsfelds-secret-memos/ |archive-date=2013-03-22 |url-status=live }}</ref>]]
-Inspection teams were withdrawn before the Operation Desert Fox bombing campaign and did not return for four years. The United Nations no-fly zone enforced by the United States, [[United Kingdom]] and [[France]]—also legality disputed—became a location of constant exchange of fire since Iraqi Vice President [[Taha Yassin Ramadan]] instructed Iraqi military to attack all planes in the no-fly zone.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/meast/9812/26/iraq.02/index.html |title=Iraq says it will fire at planes in no-fly zones |date=26 December 1998 |publisher=CNN |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070919012945/http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/meast/9812/26/iraq.02/index.html |archive-date=September 19, 2007 }}</ref>
-A memo written by US Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld dated Nov 27, 2001 considers a US invasion of Iraq. One section of the memo questions "How start?", listing multiple possible justifications for a US-Iraq War, one scenario being "Dispute over WMD inspections—Start thinking now about inspection demands"<ref name="tv.msnbc.com" /> In late 2002, after international pressure and more UN Resolutions, Iraq allowed inspection teams back into the country. In 2003, [[UNMOVIC]] was inspecting Iraq but were ordered out.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/mar/07/politics.iraq |title=Blix wants months – and Straw offers 10 days |location=London |work=The Guardian |first=Sarah |last=Left |date=March 7, 2003 |access-date=December 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160917045756/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/mar/07/politics.iraq |archive-date=September 17, 2016 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref name="blix-UN">{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/03/07/sprj.irq.un.transcript.blix/ |title=Transcript of chief U.N. Weapons Inspector Hans Blix's Presentation to the U.N. Security Council |publisher=CNN |date=March 7, 2003 |access-date=February 28, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080130005742/http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/03/07/sprj.irq.un.transcript.blix/ |archive-date=January 30, 2008 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref> There is no credible evidence of WMD production (see [[Duelfer Report]]) and no WMDs have been found to date after 1991 (See below and [[WMD in Iraq]]). [[George W. Bush]] has since admitted that "much of the intelligence turned out to be wrong".<ref name="Bush-intel-wrong">{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/12/14/bush.iraq/index.html |title=Bush takes responsibility for invasion intelligence |publisher=CNN |date=14 December 2005 |access-date=28 February 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060211222322/http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/12/14/bush.iraq/index.html |archive-date=11 February 2006 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
-The United States offered intelligence from the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] and British [[MI5]] to the [[United Nations Security Council]] suggesting that Iraq possessed [[weapons of mass destruction]]. The U.S. claimed that justification rested upon Iraq's violation of several U.N. Resolutions, most recently [[UN Security Council Resolution 1441]].<ref>{{cite press release|publisher=The White House|date=2003-02-05|title=U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell Addresses the U.N. Security Council|url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2003/02/print/20030205-1.html|access-date=2017-09-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170712023729/https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2003/02/print/20030205-1.html|archive-date=2017-07-12|url-status=live}}</ref> U.S. president [[George W. Bush]] claimed Iraq's WMDs posed a significant threat to the United States and its allies.<ref>{{cite press release|publisher=The White House|date=2003-03-19|title=President Bush Addresses the Nation|url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2003/03/print/20030319-17.html|access-date=2017-09-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160517180222/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2003/03/print/20030319-17.html|archive-date=2016-05-17|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|publisher=The White House|date=2003-03-17|title=President Says Saddam Hussein Must Leave Iraq Within 48 Hours|url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2003/03/print/20030317-7.html|access-date=2017-09-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304060228/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2003/03/print/20030317-7.html|archive-date=2016-03-04|url-status=live}}</ref> An inspection team [[UNMOVIC]], before completing its UN-mandate or completing its report was ordered out by the UN because the US-led invasion appeared imminent.
-=== Weapons of mass destruction ===
-[[File:Powell-anthrax-vial.jpg|thumb|[[Colin Powell]] holding a model vial of anthrax while giving a presentation to the [[United Nations Security Council]].]]
-{{Further|Iraq and weapons of mass destruction}}
-In the past, [[Iraq and weapons of mass destruction|Iraq had been supplied with chemical weapons]] and the technology to develop them by Germany, France, United States and the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2003/mar/06/uk.iraq2|author=David Leigh|title=The strange case of Falluja 2|date=2003-03-06|work=The Guardian|access-date=2008-09-20|location=London|quote=The plant was sold and installed by a British company in Hounslow, Uhde Ltd.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130826233604/http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2003/mar/06/uk.iraq2|archive-date=2013-08-26|url-status=live}}</ref> Saddam used these weapons against Iranian forces in the Iran–Iraq War, and against Kurdish civilians in the Iraqi town of [[Halabja poison gas attack|Halabja]]. In 1990 during the [[Gulf War]] Saddam had the opportunity to use these weapons, but chose not to. One of the noted reasons is the Iraqi forces' lack of up to date equipment to protect themselves from the effects, as well as the speed with which the US forces traversed the open desert.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/iraq/cw-non-use.htm|title=Gulf War Non-Use of Chemical Weapons|publisher=GlobalSecurity.org|access-date=2006-02-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060227211509/http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/iraq/cw-non-use.htm|archive-date=2006-02-27|url-status=live}}</ref> From 1991 to 1998 [[UNSCOM]] inspected Iraq and worked to locate and destroy WMD stockpiles. The team was replaced in 1999 with the United Nations Monitoring Verification and Inspection Commission, [[UNMOVIC]].
-In 2002, [[Scott Ritter]], a former [[UNSCOM]] weapons inspector, heavily criticized the Bush administration and the news media for relying on the testimony of alleged Iraqi nuclear scientist and defector [[Khidir Hamza]] as a rationale for invading Iraq.
-{{blockquote|
-We seized the entire records of the Iraqi Nuclear program, especially the administrative records. We got a name of everybody, where they worked, what they did, and the top of the list, Saddam's "Bombmaker” [Which was the title of Hamza's book, and earned the nickname afterwards] was a man named Jafar Dhia Jafar, not Khidir Hamza, and if you go down the list of the senior administrative personnel you will not find Hamza's name in there. In fact, we didn't find his name at all, because in 1990 he didn't work for the Iraqi Nuclear Program. He had no knowledge of it because he worked as a kickback specialist for [[Hussein Kamel al-Majid|Hussein Kamel]] in the Presidential Palace.
-He goes into northern Iraq and meets up with [[Ahmad Chalabi]]. He walks in and says, I'm Saddam's ‘Bombmaker’. So they call the CIA and they say, "we know who you are, you're not Saddam's ‘Bombmaker’, go sell your story to someone else." And he was released, he was rejected by all intelligence services at the time, he's a fraud.
-And here we are, someone who the [[CIA]] knows is a fraud, the US Government knows is a fraud, is allowed to sit in front of the [[United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations]] and give testimony as an expert witness. I got a problem with that, I got a problem with the American media, and I've told them over and over and over again that this man is a documentable fraud, a fake, and yet they allow him to go on [[CNN]], [[MSNBC]], [[CNBC]], and testify as if he actually knows what he is talking about.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/ritter.html |title=The Iraqi Threat: How Real Is It? |access-date=2011-01-06 |date=October 2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511091228/http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/ritter.html |archive-date=2011-05-11 |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
-No militarily significant WMDs have been found in Iraq since the invasion, although several degraded chemical munitions dating to before 1991 have been. On June 21, 2006, a report was released through the [[United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence]], stating that since 2003, approximately 500 degraded chemical munitions have been discovered dating from before 1991 in Iraq, and "likely more will be recovered."<ref name="FoxWMD">{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2006/06/22/report-hundreds-wmds-iraq/ |title=Report: Hundreds of WMDs Found in Iraq |date=June 21, 2006 |publisher=Fox News |access-date=2006-04-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090122211324/http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2006/06/22/report-hundreds-wmds-iraq/ |archive-date=January 22, 2009 }}</ref> The weapons are filled "most likely" with Sarin and Mustard Gas.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/projects/pdf/Iraq_WMD_Declassified.pdf|author=House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence|title=De-classified Report|date=June 21, 2006|publisher=Fox News|access-date=2006-04-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060623135015/http://www.foxnews.com/projects/pdf/Iraq_WMD_Declassified.pdf|archive-date=June 23, 2006|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> However, the [[U.S. Department of Defense]] states that these weapons were not in usable condition, and that "these are not the WMDs this country and the rest of the world believed Iraq had, and not the WMDs for which this country went to war."<ref name="FoxWMD" />
-In January 2006, ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported that "A high-level intelligence assessment by the Bush administration concluded in early 2002 that the sale of uranium from Niger to Iraq was 'unlikely.'"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/18/politics/18niger.html|work=New York Times|date=18 January 2006|title=2002 Memo Doubted Uranium Sale Claim|first=Eric|last=Lichtblau|access-date=22 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150829200911/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/18/politics/18niger.html|archive-date=29 August 2015|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The Iraqi government denied the existence of any such facilities or capabilities and called the reports lies and fabrications, which was backed by the post-war prima facie case that no WMDs were evident or found.
-[[File:Bush auth jbc.jpg|thumb|400px|right|President George Bush, surrounded by leaders of the House and Senate, announces the [[Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq]], October 2, 2002.]]
-Former CIA officials have stated that the White House knew before the invasion that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction, but had decided to attack Iraq and continue to use the WMD story as a false pretext for launching the war.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.smh.com.au/news/breaking-news/white-house-knew-there-were-no-wmd-cia/2006/04/22/1145344306427.html|title=White House knew there were no WMD: CIA|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=April 22, 2006|access-date=October 29, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060602045602/http://www.smh.com.au/news/breaking-news/white-house-knew-there-were-no-wmd-cia/2006/04/22/1145344306427.html|archive-date=June 2, 2006|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The leaked [[Downing Street Memo]], an internal summary of a meeting between British defense and intelligence officials, states that Bush Administration had decided to attack Iraq and to "fix intelligence" to support the WMD pretext to justify it. A transcript of a secret conversation between President Bush and PM Blair leaked by a government whistleblower reveals that the US and UK were prepared to invade Iraq even if no WMD were found.<ref name=nytimes3272006>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/27/international/europe/27memo.html?pagewanted=2|title=Bush Was Set on Path to War, British Memo Says|work=The New York Times|first=Don Van|last=Natta, Jr|date=March 27, 2006|access-date=February 22, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141105232114/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/27/international/europe/27memo.html?pagewanted=2|archive-date=November 5, 2014|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}} (see also the [[Downing Street Memorandum]])</ref> British officials in the memo also discuss a proposal by President Bush to provoke Iraq, including using fake UN planes, to manufacture a pretext for the invasion he had already decided on.<ref name=nytimes3272006 /> Best evidence of that false intelligence has been [[Niger]] uranium story because on March 14, 2003 (before the invasion) it became public knowledge that president [[Tandja Mamadou]]'s signatory had been forged.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/03/14/sprj.irq.documents/index.html|title=Fake Iraq documents 'embarrassing' for U.S.|work=CNN|date=March 14, 2003|access-date=April 29, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090927013535/http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/03/14/sprj.irq.documents/index.html|archive-date=September 27, 2009|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
-In 2004 the [[Butler Review|Butler Commission Report]] concluded that, "on the basis of the intelligence assessments at the time," statements by the British Government "on Iraqi attempts to buy uranium from Africa" were "well-founded." Opponents however consider the Butler Review a [[Whitewash (censorship)|whitewash]] which lacked cross-party support (the panel was appointed by, and reported directly to, the Prime Minister).<ref>{{cite journal|issue=1100|url=http://www.overcast.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/print/press/private_eye.htm|title=Iraq crisis & what the Butler will not see|journal=Private Eye|date=February 20, 2004|access-date=June 26, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120907132755/http://www.overcast.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/print/press/private_eye.htm|archive-date=September 7, 2012}}</ref>
-The [[Iraq Intelligence Commission]] rejected claims that the Bush administration attempted to influence the intelligence community's pre-war assessments of Iraq's weapons programs, but it did not investigate whether the administration misled the public about the intelligence.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.factcheck.org/iraq_what_did_congress_know_and_when.html |title=Iraq: What Did Congress Know, And When? |publisher=Factcheck.org, November 19, 2005 |access-date=7 October 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927191023/http://www.factcheck.org/iraq_what_did_congress_know_and_when.html |archive-date=27 September 2007 }}</ref>
-{{blockquote|
-The Commission found no evidence of political pressure to influence the Intelligence Community's pre-war assessments of Iraq's weapons programs. As we discuss in detail in the body of our report, analysts universally asserted that in no instance did political pressure cause them to skew or alter any of their analytical judgments.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.factcheck.org/iraq_what_did_congress_know_and_when.html |title=Iraq: What Did Congress Know, And When? |publisher=FactCheck.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927191023/http://www.factcheck.org/iraq_what_did_congress_know_and_when.html |archive-date=2007-09-27 }}</ref>
-}}
-[[Paul R. Pillar]], a 28-year veteran of the [[CIA]], wrote in ''[[Foreign Affairs]]'' that "the method of investigation used by [these] panels—essentially, asking analysts whether their arms had been twisted—would have caught only the crudest attempts at politicization:
-{{blockquote|The actual politicization of intelligence occurs subtly and can take many forms. … Well before March 2003, intelligence analysts and their managers knew that the United States was heading for war with Iraq. It was clear that the Bush administration would frown on or ignore analysis that called into question a decision to go to war and welcome analysis that supported such a decision. Intelligence analysts … felt a strong wind consistently blowing in one direction.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20060301faessay85202/paul-r-pillar/intelligence-policy-and-the-war-in-iraq.html |title=Intelligence, Policy, and the War in Iraq |publisher=Foreign Affairs |date=March–April 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071110203614/http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20060301faessay85202/paul-r-pillar/intelligence-policy-and-the-war-in-iraq.html |archive-date=2007-11-10 }}</ref>}}
-Pillar holds that intelligence was "misused to justify decisions already made".<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1158967,00.html |title=Verbatim: Feb. 20, 2006 |magazine=Time |date=February 14, 2006 |access-date=March 7, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070816032407/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1158967,00.html |archive-date=August 16, 2007 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
-Regime [[Operation Iraqi Freedom documents|documents captured inside Iraq]] by coalition forces are reported to reveal Saddam's frustration with weapon inspections. Meeting transcripts record him saying to senior aides: "We don't have anything hidden!" He questions whether inspectors would "roam Iraq for 50 years". "When is this going to end?" he remarks. He tells his deputies in another: "Don't think for a minute that we still have WMD. We have nothing."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,188665,00.html |title=Transcripts Show Saddam Frustrated Over WMD Claims |publisher=Fox News |date=March 22, 2006 |access-date=September 14, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070530183418/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,188665,00.html |archive-date=May 30, 2007 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
-Former General Georges Sada maintains the Iraqi leadership ordered the removal of WMD from Iraq to Syria before the 2003 invasion, in spite of the findings by the [[Iraq Survey Group]]. Sada left Iraq in 1991, precluding him from having any first-hand knowledge of any such action, and he has provided no evidence to substantiate his claims. The final report on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, issued by Charles Duelfer, concluded in April 2005 that the hunt for weapons of mass destruction had "gone as far as feasible" and found nothing. However, Duelfer reported though that the search for WMD material turned up nothing that his team was "unable to rule out unofficial movement of limited WMD-related materials"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/7634313 |title=CIA's final report: No WMD found in Iraq |publisher=NBC News |date=April 25, 2003 |access-date=January 19, 2007 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>{{Failed verification|reason=No info in the source about Sada being an adviser to Saddam Hussein or exiled from Iraq in 1991. Sada's BLP article was removed for his unverifiable self-made substantial claims like the top advisor role, among other reasons.|date=October 2020}}
-== Countries supporting and opposing the invasion ==
-[[File:State positions Iraq war.svg|thumb|State positions on the Iraq War]]
-Support for the invasion and [[History of Iraq (2003–2011)|occupation of Iraq]] included 49 nations, a group that was frequently referred to as the "[[coalition of the willing]]". These nations provided combat troops, support troops, and logistical support for the invasion. The nations contributing combat forces during the initial invasion were, roughly:
-Total 297,384 – 99% US & UK
-The [[United States]] (250,000 84%), the [[United Kingdom]] (45,000 15%), [[Australia]] (2,000 0.6%), [[Denmark]] (200 0.06%), and [[Poland]] (184 0.06%), these totals do not include the 50,000+ Iraqi [[Kurds in Iraq|Kurdish]] soldiers that assisted the coalition. Ten other countries offered small numbers of non-combat forces, mostly either medical teams and specialists in decontamination. In several of these countries a majority of the public was opposed to the war. For example, in [[Spain]] polls reported at one time a 90% opposition to the war. In most other countries less than 10% of the populace supported an invasion of Iraq without a specific go-ahead from the UN.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gallup-international.com/ContentFiles/survey.asp?id=10 |title=Iraq Poll 2003 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090126150127/http://www.gallup-international.com/ContentFiles/survey.asp?id=10 |archive-date=2009-01-26 }}</ref> According to a mid-January 2003 telephone poll, approximately one-third of the U.S. population supported a unilateral invasion by the US and its allies, while two-thirds supported war if directly authorized by the U.N.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.gallup-international.com/download/GIA%20press%20release%20Iraq%20Survey%202003.pdf |title=Gallup Poll Results |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927044750/http://www.gallup-international.com/download/GIA%20press%20release%20Iraq%20Survey%202003.pdf |archive-date=2011-09-27 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.gallup-international.com/download//GIA%20Iraq%20Survey%20-%20Results.zip |title= Gallup Poll Results |access-date= 2006-01-30 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20051227030043/http://www.gallup-international.com/download/GIA%20Iraq%20Survey%20-%20Results.zip |archive-date= 2005-12-27 |url-status= dead }}</ref>
-[[Protests against the 2003 Iraq war|Global protests]] expressed [[Popular opposition to war on Iraq|opposition to the invasion]]. In many Middle Eastern and Islamic countries there were mass protests, as well as in Europe. On the government level, the war was criticized by [[Canada]], [[Belgium]], [[Chile]], [[Russia]], [[France]], the [[People's Republic of China]], [[Germany]], [[Switzerland]], the [[Holy See|Vatican]], [[India]], [[Iraq]], [[Indonesia]], [[Malaysia]], [[New Zealand]], [[Brazil]], [[Mexico]], the [[Arab League]], the [[African Union]] and many others. Though many nations opposed the war, no foreign government openly supported Saddam Hussein, and none volunteered any assistance to the Iraqi side. Leading traditional allies of the U.S. who had supported Security Council [[UN Security Council Resolution 1441|Resolution 1441]], [[France]], [[Germany]] and [[Russia]], emerged as a united front opposed to the U.S.-led invasion, urging that the UN weapons inspectors be given time to complete their work.
-Saudi Foreign Minister [[Saud Al Faisal bin Abdul Aziz|Prince Saud]] said the U.S. military could not use Saudi Arabia's soil in any way to attack Iraq. [https://web.archive.org/web/20130405021640/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,59796,00.html] After ten years of U.S. presence in Saudi Arabia, cited among reasons by Saudi-born [[Osama bin Laden]] for his [[al-Qaeda]] attacks on America on September 11, 2001, most of U.S. forces were withdrawn in 2003. [https://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2003-08-28-ustroops-saudiarabia_x.htm]
-== Legality of the invasion ==
-{{Main|Legality of the Iraq War}}
-The legality of the invasion and occupation of Iraq has been debated, with an overwhelming majority of the world's population considering the invasion illegal.
-The then [[United Nations]] [[Secretary-General of the United Nations|Secretary-General]] [[Kofi Annan]] said in September 2004 that: "From our point of view and the [[United Nations Charter|UN Charter]] point of view, it [the war] was illegal."<ref name=autogenerated2 /><ref>{{cite news |author=Ewen MacAskill and Julian Borger in Washington |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/sep/16/iraq.iraq |title=Iraq war was illegal and breached UN charter, says Annan |work=Guardian |date=2004-09-16 |access-date=2010-04-19 |location=London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130828073847/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/sep/16/iraq.iraq |archive-date=2013-08-28 |url-status=live }}</ref>
-The [[International Criminal Court#Office of the Prosecutor|Prosecutor]] of the [[International Criminal Court]] reported in February 2006 that he had received 240 communications in connection with the invasion of Iraq in March 2003 which alleged that various [[war crimes]] had been committed.
-The political leaders of the US and UK at the time argued that the war was legal, and that existing [[United Nations Security Council|UN Security Council]] resolutions related to the first [[Persian Gulf War]] and the subsequent ceasefire ([[United Nations Security Council Resolution 660|660]], [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 678|678]]), and to later inspections of Iraqi weapons programs ([[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441|1441]]), had already authorized the invasion.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/9043.pdf |title=We're sorry, that page can't be found |access-date=2017-06-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170930035515/https://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/9043.pdf |archive-date=2017-09-30 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Opposition to the Iraq War|Critics of the invasion]] have challenged both of these assertions, arguing that an additional Security Council resolution, which the US and UK failed to obtain, would have been necessary to specifically authorize the invasion.<ref name=autogenerated2>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3661134.stm| date=16 September 2004| title=Iraq war illegal, says Annan| publisher=BBC News| access-date=2006-05-25| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090115131657/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3661134.stm| archive-date=15 January 2009| url-status=live| df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name=autogenerated3>{{cite web|url=http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/forum/forumnew73.php |title=UN RESOLUTION 1441: COMPELLING SADDAM, RESTRAINING BUSH |first=Mary Ellen |last=O'Connell |publisher=Jurist |access-date=2006-05-25 |date=November 21, 2002 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060516140700/http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/forum/forumnew73.php |archive-date=2006-05-16 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.worldpress.org/specials/iraq/| publisher=World Press Review Online| title=International Law – War in Iraq – United Nations – Iraq| first=Rachel S| last=Taylor| access-date=2006-05-25| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130730223344/http://worldpress.org/specials/iraq/| archive-date=2013-07-30| url-status=live}}</ref>
-The [[Iraq Inquiry]] in the UK later found that the legal basis for the law was questionable.
-The UN Security Council, as outlined in Article 39 of the UN Charter, theoretically has the ability to rule on the legality of the war, but the US and the UK have [[United Nations Security Council veto power|veto power]] in the Security Council, so action is highly improbable even if the issue were to be raised. Despite this, the [[United Nations General Assembly|UN General Assembly]] (UNGA) may ask that the [[International Court of Justice]] (ICJ)—"the principal judicial organ of the United Nations" (Article 92)—give either an 'advisory opinion' or 'judgement' on the legality of the war. Indeed, the UNGA asked the ICJ to give an 'advisory opinion' on "the legal consequences arising from the construction of the wall being built by Israel", by its resolution A/RES/ES-10/14,<ref>[https://www.un.org/ga/sessions/emergency.shtml UNGA Emergency Special Sessions.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170703103536/http://www.un.org/ga/sessions/emergency.shtml |date=2017-07-03 }} UN.org.</ref> as recently as 12 December 2003; despite opposition from permanent members of the Security Council. It achieved this by sitting in tenth 'emergency special session', under the framework of the [[United Nations General Assembly Resolution 377|'Uniting for Peace' resolution]]. The ICJ had previously found against the US for its actions in [[Nicaragua]], a finding the US refused to comply with.
-== Opposition view of the invasion ==
-{{Main|Opposition to the Iraq War}}
-[[International figures' positions on invasion of Iraq|Those who opposed the war in Iraq]] did not regard Iraq's violation of UN resolutions to be a valid case for the war, since no single nation has the authority, under the [[UN Charter]], to judge Iraq's compliance to UN resolutions and to enforce them. Furthermore, critics argued that the US was applying double standards of justice, noting that other nations such as [[Israel]] are also in breach of UN resolutions and have nuclear weapons.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/breakfast/2384905.stm |publisher=BBC News |title=Focus on Iraq: the UN |date=November 1, 2002 |access-date=May 7, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514005922/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/breakfast/2384905.stm |archive-date=May 14, 2011 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
-[[Giorgio Agamben]], the Italian philosopher, has offered a critique of the logic of [[preemptive war]].
-Although Iraq was known to have pursued an active nuclear weapons development program previously, as well as to have tried to procure materials and equipment for their manufacture, these weapons and material have yet to be discovered. President Bush's reference to Iraqi attempts to purchase [[uranium]] in Africa in his 2003 [[State of the Union address]] are by now commonly considered as having been based on forged documents (see [[Yellowcake forgery]]).
-[[Robert Fisk]], Middle East correspondent for ''[[The Independent]]'', comments in his book ''[[The Great War for Civilisation]]'' that history is repeating itself. Fisk, in the Dutch TV news program [[Nova (Dutch TV series)|Nova]]: "It is not just similar, it is 'fingerprint' the same". In 1917, the [[United Kingdom|UK]] invaded Iraq, claiming to come "not as conquerors but as liberators". After an insurrection in 1920, "the first town that was bombed was [[Fallujah]] and the next town that was laid siege to was [[Najaf]]". Then, the British army intelligence services claimed that terrorists were crossing the border from [[Syria]]. Prime minister [[David Lloyd George|Lloyd George]] stood up in the house of commons and declared that "if British troops leave Iraq there will be civil war". The British were going to set up a [[democracy in Iraq]]. In a referendum, however, a king was 'elected'. "They decided they would no longer use troops on the ground, it was too dangerous, they would use the Royal Air force to bomb villages from the air. And eventually, [...] we left and our leaders were overthrown and the [[Ba'athist Iraq|Ba'ath]] party, which was a revolutionary socialist party at the time—Saddam Hussein—took over. And I'm afraid that the Iraq we are creating now is an Iraq of anarchy and chaos. And as long as we stay there, the chaos will get worse."
-== Christian opposition to war ==
-Pope John Paul II spoke out against the war several times, and said that a war against Iraq would be a "disaster" and a "crime against peace." During the buildup to the war, one hundred Christian scholars of ethical theory issued a statement condemning the war as morally unjustifiable. Their brief statement, which was published in the Sept. 23 edition of the [Chronicle of Higher Education], read as follows: "As Christian Ethicists, we share a common moral presumption against a preemptive war on Iraq by the United States." The group included scholars from a wide array of universities, including traditionally left-leaning Ivy League schools as well as more conservative institutions such as Lipscomb University, in Nashville, Lubbock Christian University, in Lubbock, Tex. (both affiliated with the Churches of Christ), and the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://chronicle.com/daily/2002/09/2002092302n.htm |title=The Chronicle of Higher Education |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516213638/http://chronicle.com/daily/2002/09/2002092302n.htm |archive-date=May 16, 2008 }}</ref> Other scholars of the [[just war|just war theory]] asserted that war with Iraq could be justified on the grounds of defense of a "helpless other." This position is based on the position that war could be justified on the grounds of liberating a helpless people being victimized by a tyrannical ruler.<ref>Minami, Wayde. "World Left with Brutal Decision on Possible Invasion of Iraq." ''Air Force Times'' 63:54 November 18, 2002.</ref>
-== See also ==
-* ''[[At the Center of the Storm: My Years at the CIA]]''
-* [[Command responsibility]]
-* [[Democide]]
-* [[Invasion of Iraq]]
-* [[Jus ad bellum]]
-* [[Rationale for the Iraq War]]
-* [[War on Terrorism]]
-* [[List of United Nations Security Council resolutions concerning Iraq]]
-* [[Movement to impeach George W. Bush]]
-* [[The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder]]
-* [[Opposition to the 2003 Iraq War]]
-* [[Views on the 2003 invasion of Iraq]]
-* [[War crimes]]
-* [[War of aggression]]
-* [[War crimes committed by the United States]]
-== References ==
-{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
-== External links ==
-* [http://www.nbcnews.com/id/7634313 CIA’s final report: No WMD found in Iraq]
-* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080108221203/http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=15&ItemID=14669 Children as "Collateral Damage" of the War in Iraq]
-* [https://thetyee.ca/Views/2006/08/02/WarCrimes/ Could Bush Be Prosecuted for War Crimes?]
-{{Iraq War}}
 [[Category:Iraq War legal issues|*]]
 [[Category:2003 invasion of Iraq]]
-[[Category:Stances and opinions regarding the Iraq War]]
+[[Category:Reactions to the Iraq War]]