Iraq War: Background and Issues Overview
Summary
The Iraq war was launched on March 19, 2003, with a strike against a locationwhere Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and top lieutenants were believed to bemeeting. On March 17, President Bush had given Saddam an ultimatum to leave thecountry or face military conflict. Although some resistance was encountered afterU.S. troops entered Iraq, all major Iraqi population centers had been brought underU.S. control by April 14. In November 2002, the United Nations Security Councilhad adopted Resolution 1441, giving Iraq a final opportunity to “comply with its thedisarmament obligations” or “face serious consequences.” During January andFebruary 2003, a U.S. military buildup in the Persian Gulf intensified and PresidentBush, other top U.S. officials, and British Prime Minister Tony Blair repeatedlyindicated that Iraq had little time left to offer full cooperation with U.N. weaponsinspectors. However, leaders of France, Germany, Russia, and China urged that theinspections process be allowed more time.The Administration and its supporters assert that Iraq was in defiance of 17Security Council resolutions requiring that it fully declare and eliminate its weaponsof mass destruction (WMD). Further delay in taking action against Iraq, they argued,would have endangered national security and undermined U.S. credibility. Skeptics,including many foreign critics, maintained that the Administration was exaggeratingthe Iraq threat and argued that the U.N. inspections process should have beenextended. In October 2002, Congress authorized the President to use the armedforces of the United States to defend U.S. national security against the threat posedby Iraq and to enforce all relevant U.N. resolutions regarding Iraq (P.L. 107-243).Analysts and officials are concerned about the risk of instability and ethnicfragmentation in Iraq after the war. U.S. plans for post-war governance of Iraq are just starting to be implemented, and the role of the United Nations in administeringIraq, if any, is still under debate. Whether the overthrow of Iraq President SaddamHussein will lead to democratization in Iraq and the wider Middle East, or promoteinstability and an intensification of anti-U.S. attitudes, is also an issue in debate. TheIraq war has created concerns over the humanitarian situation, particularly inBaghdad and other cities affected by the war, but large-scale refugee flows have notoccurred.Constitutional issues concerning a possible war with Iraq were largely resolvedby the enactment of P.L. 107-243, the October authorization. International legalissues remain, however, with respect to launching a pre-emptive war against Iraq andthe prospective occupation. Estimates of the cost of a war in Iraq vary widely. If war or its aftermath leads to a spike in the price of oil, economic growth could slow,but oil prices have fluctuated widely during the conflict to date. Conceivably, globaloil production could increase significantly after the war.This CRS report provides information and analysis with respect to the 2003 warwith Iraq, reviews a number of war-related issues, and provides links to additionalsources of information. It will not be further updated. For current CRS productsrelated to Iraq, see the CRS home page at [http://www.crs.gov].
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