Iraq war

(2003)

   Since the ending of the first Gulf war (1991), relations between the West and Iraq had remained in a state of low-level conflict marked by American and British air-strikes, and sanctions and threats against Saddam Hussein. In the wake of the September 11th attacks and the relative success of the United States (US) invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, the Bush administration felt that it had sufficient military justification and public support in the US for further operations against perceived threats in the Middle East. Throughout 2002, while invasion was being contemplated, it was increasingly apparent that removing Hussein from power was a major goal, although the US offered to accept major changes in Iraqi military and foreign policy in lieu of this.

   The stated justification for invasion included Iraqi production and use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) which the US claimed were being stored in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441. George Bush, supported by the Blair Government, claimed that these weapons posed a grave and imminent threat to the United States and its allies. Critics of the Hussein regime also pointed to the alleged Iraqi links with terrorist organisations and the mass killings and general denial of human rights under the Hussein government.

   Prior to the invasion, UN inspection teams searched Iraq for WMD and were willing to continue, but were forced out by the onset of war in spite of their requests for more time. The US abandoned its failing efforts to get international endorsement for war against Iraq on 17 March 2003 and began the invasion on 20 March 2003. Ninety-eight per cent of the invading force comprised United States and United Kingdom troops, although numerous other nations also participated. The Iraqi military was defeated and Baghdad fell on 9 April 2003. On 1 May 2003, Bush declared the end of major combat operations, terminating the Ba’ath Party‘s rule and removing Hussein from office. Coalition forces ultimately captured Hussein on 13 December 2003. Careful inspections after Iraq’s capitulation failed to locate any WMD, which has given rise to continued debate about the legitimacy under international law of the invasion. Post-invasion Iraq has been plagued by violence caused by a mostly Sunni Muslim insurgency, the involvement of outside powers and the terrorism of the al-Qaeda militant network. The strife and regular killings between rival religious groups lead some commentators to detect signs of an impending civil war. More positive indications have been the tentative growth of democracy, as signified by the country’s holding of free elections and the creation – after considerable delay – of a broadly supported government based upon them. However, it has as yet failed to take command of the situation and establish law and order. The war has proved highly divisive in British politics, some Conservative, several Labour and most Liberal Democrat MPs being opposed to it at the time of the prewar debate. Subsequently, discontent over the basis for and waging of the war has increased, among both politicians and the general public. The controversies surrounding WMD and the enquiries into the evidence on which the case for invasion was made, as well as the handling of the war and its aftermath, have seriously damaged the reputation and credibility of Tony Blair who as Prime Minister was widely portrayed as being too unwilling to criticise George Bush and his presidency. The war caused major upset to many traditional Labour supporters, seriously damaging the morale of party activists.

   See also: Butler Report, Hutton Report, just war