The Authorization for Use of Military Force against Iraq Resolution was enacted in 2002 after being signed by the President in October, 2002 at a time when the congress was significantly influenced by the terror attacks carried out by the Al-Qaeda group which was funded by Iraq. The President George W. Bush initiated the resolution through a declaration to the General Assembly of the United Nations that it was adopting a resolution in protection of its national security with or without support of the Security Council. The resolution which had limited time from its initiation and enactment was greatly influenced by the political campaign of the presidential elections in which George W. Bush had been an influence to the Republican party and …show more content…
The United States of America was also threatened through hostility demonstrated by the 1993 assassination attempt on George H.W Bush and firing of the coalition aircraft after the 1991 Gulf war. The State of Iraq continued to aid other international terrorist organizations, which were especially the anti-United States. The resolution was therefore adopted to prevent such acts by Iraq. The Authorization for Use of Military Force against Iraq Resolution was also supported by other states in its adoption as they wanted Saddam Hussein (the president of Iraq at the time) to be removed from power. The other states which adopted the resolution included Turkey, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
The legislation was also adopted as required by the Constitution and the Congress for the president to fight terrorism against the United States. This was also emphasized by the Iraq Liberation Act of 1998 which stated that it should be part of the United States’ policy to remove the Saddam Hussein regime and promote a democratic type of governance (Weisburd, 2004). The United States also believed that the Al-Qaeda organization was responsible for terrorist attacks such as 9/11 and therefore need to protect its citizens from such attacks in the future. Furthermore, the United States desired to have the country’s national security reinstated (Weisburd, 2004). The United Nations Security Council
The Iraq War, also known as Operation Iraqi Freedom, took place in 2003 and dragged on for almost nine years, until the withdrawal of US troops in December 2011. The invasion was justified by the US using the new National Security Strategy that was proposed by the Bush administration. One of the key features of the National Security strategy was the justification that the US could preemptively strike targets nations that it deemed a threat to the security of the US. In order to justify the invasion of Iraq, the governmental leaders in the US claimed that Saddam Hussein had ties to Al-Qaeda and other terror groups, as well as using Saddam’s use of chemical weapons as legitimization for the war. Once the war began on March 20, 2003, the original
Though many were opposed to military force, it was for many diferent reasons. Some thought that military force was not needed because the threats imposed by President Bush was in fact acknowledged by the Iraquian troops because they no longer were advancing in territory and no other territory was currently in danger of being invaded, and it would only be a matter of time before they withdrew thier troops. David Chandler in a letter to the la times wrote "The official reasons given by the bush adminastration for going to war in the Persian Gulf are not adequate to explain our agressive
Congress intended the War Powers Resolution to halt the diluted ability of Congress to participate in war-making decisions. The terrorist attacks against the World Trade Center and Pentagon on September 11, 2001, however, created new complications for the separation of powers within the war powers sphere. After September 11, the United States Congress passed the Authorization for Use of Military Force against Terrorists (AUMF). President George W. Bush began offensive campaigns against Afghanistan to neutralize the Taliban government, which controlled Afghanistan and permitted the Al Qaeda terrorist network to conduct terrorist training within the country 's borders.
United States policy towards the Iran-Iraq war was interesting to say the least. While the United States claimed to be a neutral party, they supported Iraq for the majority of the war, supported Iran for a brief period, then went back to only supporting Iraq. Both sides committed numerous atrocities and war crimes, and for the most part received little to no American condemnation. Through this essay, I will explore the reasons for the US involvement, and their responses to a number of war crimes, particularly Iraq’s use of chemical weapons throughout the war.
Bush grew increasingly interested in a second war against Iraq. Bush said the country had “sponsored and sheltered terrorists...developed weapons of mass death...and is seeking the materials needed to [develop nuclear weaponry],” justifying invasion (CITE HERE). On October 2nd, a little more than a month away from Election Day, the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution, advocated for by the Bush Administration, was introduced on the Senate floor. Often known as the “Iraq Resolution,” it authorized President Bush “to use the Armed Forces of the United States [to]…defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq” (CITE
After the terrorist attack of 9/11 President George W. Bush wanted to declare war on Iraq, and chose not to wait on the approval of Congress. He made this decision not because they were a direct threat the the moment, but because they could be a possible threat a year or five from that point in time. Bush’s claims for declaring war are not reasonable by any means. Claiming that they could be a threat down the road years from now, is not a practical reason to declare war on another country, you do not have the be the one to strike first to stop a potential threat to your country. These “emergency” actions by Bush were illegal and should have caused him to be impeached.
Finally, in January 1991, the U. S. Congress voted to support Security Council resolution 660. It authorized using "all necessary means" if Iraq did not withdraw from Kuwait by January 15. Shrugging off this final
The attacks carried out on September 11, 2001 were handled directly by Al-Qaeda. Being a terrorist group, Al-Qaeda does not directly associate with any particular country therefore Bush had no right to attack a country as a whole based solely off the actions of a particular group. “For the president, it was not necessary that there were manifest signs of that threat. After 9/11, such signs could no longer be expected” (DeCosse). This suggests that the reason Bush decided to go to war was solely based on one incident that happened, even though there were no threats being made. Although terrorist attacks such as 9/11 did occur, nothing like that would happen again, and be a very slim chance of any threat reaching the United States. There was no real motive other other than using an incident that happened in the past. It was beneficial to the Bush administration to portray the entire country of Iraq as a country of terrorists, when in reality is was only a small group that committed the crime. “International terrorism, the events of September 11, and Saddam Hussein, if not addressed, would weaken the international power of the United States” (Ortu). This emphasizes the fact that Bush used the event of 9/11 as a reason to go to war. He felt as if it were not addressed, terrorism would continue even though there was no reason at that point in time to go to would continue to attack the United States. Only stating the events of 9/11,
Iraq has been the concentration of the universal group and has been included unmistakably in the media as of late, as the radical Islamist assemble known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has significantly expanded its energy and impact in the area in the last half of 2014. The political turmoil and definitely crumbled security condition, which describes present day Iraq, can be followed back to the United States intrusion of that nation and ISIS, which has as of late developed in Iraq and Syria, in the revolt against the resultant US occupation, in those days as al-Qaeda in Iraq. In any case, for what reason did the US attack and involve Iraq anyway? Today, there is a troublesome civil argument about what the Bush organization's intentions were, with the probably clarification being a blend of the majority of the reasons advertised. What should likewise be considered is that the occasions paving the way to the 2003 attack just go most of the way to clarify why the US propelled this crusade, and keeping in mind the end goal to comprehend the intricate and multidimensional components adding to the Bush organization's choice to attack Iraq, one must backpedal further and look at pre 9/11 US
The reason for the invasion of Iraq was that they were suspected of harboring weapons of mass destruction and they were a potential threat to world peace. However no evidence has ever been found of the existence of such weapons in Iraq and this brought a lot of criticism on the US. This was however not the first altercation the US has been involved in in the Gulf war they fought with Iraq in order to protect their oil interests in the gulf region. The united states in the past has been known for going to war to protect is economic interests from the second world war, to the Vietnam War to the Korean War. All was aimed to protect the economic superiority of the United States. The resolution that brought the gulf war to an end put Sadam Hussein in power and thereafter he failed to follow some compliances the United Nations had imposed and in 2003 the Us led a coalition of forces aimed to remove Sadam Hussein from power and it was successful as he was executed 3 years later. This however started war in the country with the people bring opposed to the occupying forces and the new government that was in place. They also had additional reasons for
In 2003, President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell launched an invasion of the nation of Iraq. United States Secretary of State Colin Powell outlined the reasons Iraq posed a threat to international security in a speech he gave at the United Nations. Iraq’s nuclear weapons program concerned the Bush administration. Fearing Iraq might use this program to act aggressively in the region, and wanting to secure oil supplies and a friendly regime, the administration pursued a plan of action to remove Iraqi President Saddam Hussein from power (FLS 2016, 43). A constant secure supply of oil stood as a cornerstone of the military-industrial complex thriving in the United States and a friendly regime in such an oil rich country remained an important objective of President Bush. This directly conflicted with the desire of President Saddam Hussein of Iraq to remain in power.
The war against Iraq began on March 20, 2002, when the U.S lunched “Operation Iraqi Freedom”. This was after President Bush called Iraq part of an “axis of evil”, also calling the country dangerous which is threatening U.S with the world’s most destructive weapons. The major phase of the war began when U.S troops marched within 50 miles of Baghdad with heavy aerial attacks on Baghdad and other cities. After the attack on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon which was believed to be the work of Al Qaeda, U.S was concerned about the security of the Untied States which lead to the war in Iraq. Even though U.S officials felt the war in Iraq is the main priority, but many people in U.S opposes the war which brings up a lot of controversial issues.
On September 20, 2002, the Bush administration published a national security manifesto titled "The National Security Strategy of the United States of America"; sometimes called “the Bush Doctrine”, which is a justification for easy recourse to war whenever and wherever an American president chooses. The United States wanted more control over the Middle East and the oil that could be obtained there; all they needed was an excuse to go to war and in turn be able to obtain resources. After 9/11 Bush had his excuse; Al Qaeda. Weaving a trail of propaganda and fear through the media with false information, Bush ordered an invasion of Iraq in pursuit of his form of hegemonic internationalism. The reasons broadcasted by the White House claimed that Saddam Hussein (President of Iraq in 2002) was building weapons of mass destruction and promoting/supporting terrorism which made him a grave threat to the western world. The real reason behind invading Iraq was to secure American access to vital resources, being oil. Iraq had been attacking Iran who was dangerously close to Saudi Arabia which is a huge supplier of oil to the United States. Once the United States had control of Iraq they installed a sympathetic “democratic” government which had eliminated the Iraqi threat to Saudi oil. Through the pursuit of hegemonic internationalism the United States had achieved one of its national interests, obtaining vital resources, but at a huge cost. Over 1 million
In August of 2002, the Bush administration’s position about Iraq had changed significantly. Prior to this point, the United States and other western countries had been arming Iraq with weapons of every type. The fact the United States and other countries had been arming Iraq with weapons, shows how little they considered Iraq to be a threat. This quickly changed. A debate on invading Iraq, held by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, created
Along with increased security within the United States the NATO council declared that this attack was not only an attack on the U.S., but on all NATO nations. The United States declared a War on Terror to prevent an attack like these from happening again. The United States planned on achieving this by economic and military sanctions on states that are perceived to be involved in terrorist activities. The Taliban government was removed for supporting al-Qaeda. Many countries, such as the United Kingdom, India, Austria, and Pakistan, enforced anti-terrorist legislation after 9/11. The United States Department of Homeland Security was formed. The primary function is to help prevent, protect against, and respond to acts of terrorism on the U.S.(York 2001) This is also an important case because it shows counter terrorism methods of not only the United States, but of the country’s allies as well. This is a prime example of allies coming to a nation’s aid in time of need. This case also showed how a country (the U.S.) with strong economic and military power is going to react and how this reaction is going to transform international relations. This case shows strong enforcement of demands on an attack that had many casualties.