On this day in 2003, a coalition of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland began their land invasion of Iraq; both U.S. president George W. Bush and British prime minister Tony Blair had claimed that the Iraqi government was in possession of weapons of mass destruction. The end of major combat operations occurred just over a month after March 20th, but military occupation would continue well into 2011.
The lead up to the 2003 conflict is best explained by the effects of the Persian Gulf War of 1990-91. In 1990, Iraq’s attempted invasion of Kuwait was foiled by the interference of the United States and its allies in what is now known as the Persian Gulf War. Despite the military loss of the Iraqi government however, the Iraqi leaders who had initiated the original conflict were able to maintain their hold on power. These leaders of the Iraqi governance, headed by Saddam Hussain, managed to remain in power due to an effort of violent and suppressive tactics used against uprisings intended to shift the balance of power within the nation. As a result of these actions, as well as attempting to restrain any future aggressions, the United States alongside the United Nations implemented strict economic sanctions on Iraq. These sanctions would include the forced restriction of Iraqi manufactured lethal weapons; the restrictions focused on the production of nuclear, biological and chemical weaponry. Despite the sanctions that had been implemented by the global community, an inspection initiated by the UN in the mid 1990’s uncovered the presence of prohibited weapons throughout Iraq. Even after having their production of lethal weapons exposed, the Iraqi governance’ continued ignorance and undermining of the sanctions, as well as their interference with UN inspections, greatly angered the international community. In 1998, in response to these violations of disciplinary action, Bill Clinton initiated the bombing of multiple Iraqi military installations (code-named Operation Desert Fox). The United States show of military force only served to further polarize the situation as Iraq permanently banned the entrance of inspectors into the country. During the next several years, as the allied nations became unable to effectively ensure their restrictions, the sanctions slowly weakened as neighboring nations reestablished trade with Iraq.
The situation became increasingly hostile in 2002 during the presidency of United States president, George W. Bush. The disturbing events of September 11, 2001, had spurred the American people into a state of fear and insecurity, an insecurity that was only exacerbated by Bush’s claims that Iraq had continued their manufacturing and possession of weapons of mass destruction (which was later proved to have been a fabrication), as well as his claims that they supported terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda (the perpetrators of the September 11th attacks). As Bush’s position of hostility towards Iraq became more apparent, America’s renewed attempt at Iraqi disarmament was becoming a priority. In November of 2002, acting on the claims made by Bush, the UN Security Council demanded that the Iraqi government comply with the renewal of inspections, as well as adhere to previous resolutions; upon this order, Iraq resumed their compliance with the UN inspections. Despite what much of the national community had perceived to be an increase in cooperation by the Iraqi government – most notably, French leader Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder had cited the Iraqi compatibility with the inspections – Bush alongside the British prime minister Tony Blair continued to dispense the narrative that Iraq was working to hinder the UN’s inspections. On March 17th, 2003, disregarding the calls to extend inspections and afford the Iraqi government more time to comply with them, Bush asserted that any more attempts at diplomacy by the UN Security Council were futile. He then provided an ultimatum to the Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein, giving him 48 hours to leave Iraq before the commencement of war. Although major global leaders objected to Bush’s method, after Hussein refused to leave the country, Bush approved the United States invasion of Iraq.
On March 20th of 2003, a coalition of United States, British, Australian and Polish forces landed in Iraq. United States forces that had deployed in Kuwait, on the southern border of Iraq, were at first met with very little resistance as they drove towards the capital city of Baghdad. British forces who had begun their campaign in the southern city of Basra, too, were met with similar opposition. The coalition had anticipated scorched-earth policy (the burning of agriculture and infrastructure), but the retreating Iraqi forces very rarely chose to resist the advancing coalition. The greatest resistance that the coalition faced were Saddam’s Fedayeen: loyalists to Hussein who chose to arm themselves against the oncoming military forces. Despite the obstacles set in place by the armed defenders of Hussein, the United State’s Forces continued to move north towards Baghdad. The Republican Guard of Iraq had been deployed to defend the capital city, but U.S. forces in the air inflicted mass damage upon the defending forces, greatly weakening any opposition placed between the Americans and their target. By April 4th, United State’s forces had taken control of Baghdad’s international airport and within five days, having overcome a ferocious yet disorganized Iraqi force, the coalition had taken control of Iraq’s capital city. In northern Iraq, a regiment of American paratroopers had combined with Kurdish fighters and on April 10th and 11th had taken Kirkuk and Mosul. The final stronghold of Iraq, Tikrit – the hometown of Hussein – fell with little resistance on April 13th. Despite remaining loyalist groups attempting to continue their fight against the coalition forces, George W. Bush declared an end to major combat on May 1, 2003. In December of that same year, Saddam Hussein was captured, in June of 2004 he was turned over to Iraqi forces who found him guilty of crimes against humanity and he was executed in December of 2006.
After the fall of the Iraqi government, chaos erupted across the country; looting and violence commenced in the major cities, presenting an incredibly arduous task for occupying forces who still had to contend with conflict from remaining loyalist troops. In the years following the United States victory over Iraqi forces, coalition casualties that had numbered no more than 200 hundred in the first months of the conflict soon grew to more than 3,000 by early 2007. During this same period it is estimated that more than 50,000 Iraqis were killed in the process of the war.
The Iraq War, before it was even initiated, and to this day, has become one of the most controversial conflicts in modern history. Although none were in opposition to the end of Hussein’s vile and vindictive rule, many European leaders saw the war as unnecessary and rash – instigated on less than credible terms. Leaders in the Middle East decried the conflict as anti-Arab and Islamophobic imperialism; many were deeply disturbed by the western occupation of one of their neighboring nations. Those who had initially supported the war in the United States on the grounds of ending human rights violations grew to oppose the presidency of Bush and the mishandled occupation of Iraq. As the American presence in Iraq was prolonged, more and more Americans started to resent the war, a majority of Americans believed that they should never have gone to war in the first place; even fewer supported the Bush administration’s handling of the occupation. The British prime minister, Tony Blair, was forced to resign in 2007 after national and international backlash caused by his inclusion and support of the conflict.
Numerous investigations and studies compiled in the following years of the invasion of Iraq all showed that in the lead up to the events of September 11th, 2001, there had been no collusion between Al Qaeda and the Iraqi government, as well as the fact that Iraq had not been in possession of any weapons of mass destruction. All reasons named by Bush as to why U.S. interference in the Middle East was vital were debunked – proven to be fabrications. A conflict that spurred Iraq into disarray and disorder, near unanimously disapproved of by the international community, has dramatically changed and shaped the modern world we live in today.
Today In History 