The Iraq War
The 2003 invasion of Iraq, the WMD intelligence failure, and a conflict that destabilized the Middle East.
The Case for War
The Bush administration argued that Iraq under Saddam Hussein posed an imminent threat due to weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), alleged links to al-Qaeda, and a long record of defying UN resolutions. On February 5, 2003, Secretary of State Colin Powell presented intelligence to the UN Security Council purporting to show mobile biological weapons labs and active WMD programs.
The case was disputed from the start. France, Germany, and Russia opposed the invasion. UN weapons inspectors led by Hans Blix reported finding no evidence of active WMD programs and requested more time. Millions of people protested worldwide on February 15, 2003, in what remains the largest coordinated protest in human history.
The US assembled a 'Coalition of the Willing' — 49 countries, though combat forces came primarily from the US and UK — and invaded on March 20, 2003, without explicit UN Security Council authorization.
