Purpose of This Report

This report was created to provide information and analysis on the buildup to the 2003 war with Iraq and on the war itself. For current CRS products related to Iraq, see the CRS home page at http://www.crs.gov . On November 8, 2002, the Security Council, actingat U.S. urging, adopted Resolution 1441, giving Iraq a "final opportunity" to comply with thedisarmament obligations imposed under previous resolutions, or face "serious consequences." During January-March 2003, theU.S. The war began on the night of March 19, 2003, with an aerial attack against a location where Saddam Hussein was suspected to be meeting with top Iraqi officials. U.S. and British troopsentered Iraq on March 20, and while the invasion encountered resistance, particularly in its earlystages, U.S. forces had largely gained control of Baghdad, the capital, by April 9. In attempting to win international support for its policy, the Administration asserted that Iraq was in material breach of 17 U.N. Security Council resolutions - including Resolution 1441 ofNovember 8, 2002 - mandating that Iraq fully declare and eliminate its WMD programs. A numberof U.S. allies and Security Council members, including France, Germany, Russia, and China agreedthat Iraq did not fully comply with Resolution 1441, but opposed military action, maintaining insteadthat U.N. inspections were working to disarm Iraq and should have been continued. Policy Debate. After the war was launched on March 19,Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin charged that "This military action cannot be justified in anyway." (27)
Role of the United Nations. (34) (For more information, see below, Post-war Governance Issues and Humanitarian Issues .) However, weapons of mass destruction (WMD) were not used by Iraqi forces andU.S. Inspectors? However,U.S. Some commentators, including officials in the Bush Administration, believe that the war with Iraq and theoverthrow of Saddam Hussein will lead to a democratic revolution in large parts of the Middle East.Some link democracy in the Middle East with a broader effort to pursue development in a region thathas lagged behind much of the world in economic and social spheres, as well as in individualfreedom and political empowerment. The apparent bitterness towards the coalition forces also remains an issue. Few refugees have been moving out of Iraq. With respect to Iraq, these legal requirements were met. 107-243 , signed into law on October 16, 2002, authorized the President "to use the Armed Forcesof the United States as he determines to be necessary and appropriate in order to (1) defend thenational security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq; and (2) enforce allrelevant United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq." P.L. P.L. Subsequent to enactment of the authorization but prior to the initiation of military action, twelve members of the House of Representatives, along with a number of U.S. soldiers and the families ofsoldiers, filed suit against President Bush seeking to enjoin military action against Iraq on thegrounds it would exceed the authority granted by the October resolution or, alternatively, that theOctober resolution unconstitutionally delegated Congress' power to declare war to the President. Earlier Estimates of First Year Cost of a War with Iraq (in billions of dollars )
Notes and Sources: 
a Lower end reflects CBO revised estimate of cost of one-month war reflecting currentdeployments,a 10 month occupation of 100,000 troops, the U.S. paying half of the U.N.'s estimate of $30billion for reconstruction over three years, humanitarian aid for 10 % of the population, and $10billion in aid to allies based on State Department sources cited in Los Angeles Times , "Iraq WarCost Could Soar, Pentagon Says," February 26, 2003. 
b Higher end estimate reflects House Budget Committee estimate of cost of a 250,000 force,a10-month occupation of 200,000 troops, the U.S. paying the full cost of reconstruction,humanitarian aid for 20% of the population and $18 billion in aid to allies based on StateDepartment sources cited in Los Angeles Times , "Iraq War Cost Could Soar, Pentagon Says,"February 26, 2003. (136) During the war itself, oil prices have fluctuated widely. The price spike resulted from supply difficulties due to an oil workers' strike in Venezuela, as well asoverriding concerns about Persian Gulf oil supply. Information Resources

This section provides links to additional sources of information related to a possible war withIraq.
The Iraq war was launched on March 19, 2003, with a strike against a location where Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and top lieutenants were believed to be meeting. On March 17, PresidentBush had given Saddam an ultimatum to leave the country or face military conflict. Although someresistance was encountered after U.S. troops entered Iraq, all major Iraqi population centers had beenbrought under U.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 the disarmamentobligations" or "face serious consequences." During January and February 2003, a U.S. militarybuildup in the Persian Gulf intensified and President Bush, other top U.S. officials, and BritishPrime Minister Tony Blair repeatedly indicated that Iraq had little time left to offer full cooperationwith U.N. weapons inspectors. However, leaders of France, Germany, Russia, and China urged thatthe inspections process be allowed more time.
The Administration and its supporters assert that Iraq was in defiance of 17 Security Council resolutions requiring that it fully declare and eliminate its weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Further delay in taking action against Iraq, they argued, would have endangered national security andundermined U.S. credibility. Skeptics, including many foreign critics, maintained that theAdministration was exaggerating the Iraq threat and argued that the U.N. inspections process shouldhave been extended. In October 2002, Congress authorized the President to use the armed forcesof the United States to defend U.S. national security against the threat posed by Iraq and to enforceall relevant U.N. resolutions regarding Iraq ( P.L. 107-243 ).
Analysts and officials are concerned about the risk of instability and ethnic fragmentation 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 administering Iraq, if any, is still under debate. Whether theoverthrow of Iraq President Saddam Hussein will lead to democratization in Iraq and the widerMiddle East, or promote instability and an intensification of anti-U.S. attitudes, is also an issue indebate. The Iraq war has created concerns over the humanitarian situation, particularly in Baghdadand other cities affected by the war, but large-scale refugee flows have not occurred.
Constitutional issues concerning a possible war with Iraq were largely resolved by the enactment of P.L. 107-243 , the October authorization. International legal issues remain, however,with respect to launching a pre-emptive war against Iraq and the prospective occupation. Estimatesof 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, global oil production could increase significantly after the war.
This CRS report provides information and analysis with respect to the 2003 war with Iraq, reviews a number of war-related issues, and provides links to additional sources of information. Itwill not be further updated. For current CRS products related to Iraq, see the CRS home page at http://www.crs.gov .