Iraq War

The Iraq War refers to the invasion of Iraq in 2003 by the so-named Coalition of the Willing, a multinational task force led by the United States of America with strong support coming from Britain, despite heated demonstrations against the war in London, which saw almost two million people march in opposition to Tony Blairs policy. The war has had the net result of the removal of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and the formation of a democratically elected parliament and ratified constitution, but with huge civilian losses since then, estimated to number around 655,000 deaths.

Origins

The Neoconservatives had been supporting an 'intervention' in iraq as far back as January 26, 1998 when a host of American Neoconservatives from the Project for a New American Century including people such as Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz and John Bolton wrote a letter to the then incumbant President Bill Clinton [[1]]. More evidence for an urge to go to war emerges from Mickey Herskowitz, who was hired to ghostwrite a campaign autobiography for George W Bush. He later left the campaign, but he said that the future President of the United States of America had been thinking of invading Iraq as far back as 1999, stating:

“He was thinking about invading Iraq in 1999... It was on his mind. He said to me: ‘One of the keys to being seen as a great leader is to be seen as a commander-in-chief'.

“Start a small war. Pick a country where there is justification you can jump on, go ahead and invade.”

"Bush’s circle of pre-election advisers had a fixation on the political capital that British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher collected from the Falklands War. Said Herskowitz: “They were just absolutely blown away, just enthralled by the scenes of the troops coming back, of the boats, people throwing flowers at [Thatcher] and her getting these standing ovations in Parliament and making these magnificent speeches.”

[2]

The Project for a New American Century believed an invasion of Iraq to be necessary in September 2000, long before the allegations of Iraqi complicity in 9/11:

While the unresolved conflict with Iraq provides the immediate justification, the need for a substantial American force presence in the Gulf transcends the issue of the regime of Saddam Hussein.

[3]

In January 2001, Time Magazine reported that since President Bush took office he had been grumbling about finishing the job his father started. [4]. Furthermore, the Presidents former treasury secretary Paul O' Neill claimed that the President was looking for an excuse to go to war in Iraq. [5]

On February 16, 2001 a number of US and UK warplanes attack Baghdad, nearly two years before the declaration of war. [6].

Immediately following the September 11 attacks President Bush introduces the Bush Doctrine to the world:

Make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them. [7]

References

1. Letter from the Project for a New American Century to President Bill Clinton
2. Guerrila Network reports
3. A report from the Project for a New American Century in relation to rebuilding America and invading Iraq
4. Time Magazine reports
5. Sunday Herald reports
6. CNN reports
7. PBS news reporting