Since the end of major combat operations on May 1st, 2003,
Coalition forces have yet to discover any weapons of mass
destruction in Iraq. As Iraqi possession and production of WMD was
a central reason for the war, the apparent lack of WMD has left a
gaping hole in this rationale. The picture on the ground appears to be
much more complicated than originally anticipated. Where are the
weapons? Did Saddam have so-called “dual use”
facilities that could be turned into chemical and biological weapons
factories on short notice? Or was American and British pre-war
intelligence cherry-picked to make Iraq look more threatening than
it actually was? Did the intelligence services simply not realize
the extent to which a decade of sanctions had succeeded in disarming
Iraq? Or was the conflict in Iraq a natural response to the events
of September 11th? Have US resources been diverted from the war
against al-Qaeda and the rebuilding of Afghanistan? Or is Iraq a
central front of the war on terror?
WMD in Iraq: Evidence and Implications
Joseph Cirincione, Jessica T. Mathews and George Perkovich,
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, January 2004. This
report attempts to summarize and clarify the complex story of
weapons of mass destruction and the Iraq war. It examines the
unclassified record of prewar intelligence, administration
statements of Iraq's capabilities to produce nuclear, biological,
and chemical weapons and long-range missiles, and the evidence found
to date in Iraq. It draws findings from this material and offers
lessons and recommendations for the future.
Quagmire? What Quagmire? Iraq is a
Black Hole
Colonel Dan Smith, American Diplomacy, 2003. Colonel Smith
argues that Iraq, unlike Vietnam, is not a quagmire, but looms
instead as a black hole which he sees as an ever-expanding funnel
into which human lives, human talent, and monetary resources are
being poured, never to be recovered.
Iraq: The Wrong War
Charles V. Pena, The Cato Institute, December 15, 2003. The
more important war is the war on terror, specifically against
al-Qaeda, according to Pena. The conflict in Iraq was and is a
dangerous distraction.
Iraq and the Return of
Colonialism 
Barhan Ghalioun, Social Science Research Council, Summer 2003.
Ghalioun ties the American invasion of Iraq to the failings of the
larger Arab world to modernize and democratize.
Unproven: The Controversy over
Justifying War in Iraq
David Cortright, Alistair Millar, George A. Lopez, and Linda
Gerber, Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies.
This report discusses the controversy over pre-war intelligence, and
attempts to present all of the publicly available intelligence on
Iraq’s weapons programs before the war.
Lessons of Operation Iraqi
Freedom
Richard Perle, American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy
Research, August 11, 2004. Strongly in favor of the Bush
administration’s foreign policy, Perle details nine major lessons
learned in the Iraq War.
Confrontation with Saddam's
Iraq: A Military Assessment
Lt. Gen. Shaul Mofaz, former chief of staff, Israel Defense
Forces, discusses the underpinnings of the war against Iraq and
describes the benefits of a democratic Iraq.
Event Analysis: Opening War Moves by the United States
Kenneth W. Estes
Statement of Principles
Project for a New American Century, June 3, 1997. This
statement, calling for a more aggressive US foreign policy and
increased defense spending, is often cited as evidence of the
ostensible neoconservative plan to take out Iraq long before
September 11. It is signed by many who are now officials in the
Bush administration, including Dick Cheney, Paul Wolfowitz, and
Donald Rumsfeld.
Remarks to the United Nations Security Council
Secretary of State Colin Powell’s February 5, 2003 presentation
to the United Nations Security Council detailing evidence of Iraqi
possession of WMD.
Iraq's WMD Programs: Culling Hard Facts from Soft Myths
Statement of Stuart A. Cohen, Vice Chairman, National
Intelligence Council, discussing the October 2002 National
Intelligence Estimate on Iraq’s WMD capabilities. Discredits 10
myths about the NIC, such as "Analysts were pressured to change
judgments to meet the needs of the Bush Administration" and "We
overcompensated for having underestimated the WMD threat in 1991."
Iraq: Meeting the Challenge,
Sharing the Burden, Staying the Course
A trip report to members of the Committee on Foreign Relations
of the United States Senate by Richard Lugar. A sober assessment of
the costs and burdens associated with rebuilding and democratizing
Iraq. July 2003.
Statement By David Kay on
the Interim Progress Report On the Activities of the Iraq Survey
Group (ISG)
Statement by David Kay on the Interim Progress Report on the
Activities of the Iraq Survey Group (ISG) before the House Permanent
Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Committee on
Appropriations, Subcommittee on Defense, and the Senate Select
Committee on Intelligence. October 2, 2003 Kay explains to Congress
why America has not yet found those WMDs. Also addresses what has
been uncovered on biological warfare, chemical weapons, nuclear
weapons, and delivery methods. There are some supporting images on
the sidebar of evidence of weapons. Lastly, Kay shares his view of
how the US is in a unique place because it doesn't have to rely on
the UN/IAEA for inaccurate data on WMDs.
Remarks as prepared for delivery
by Director of Central Intelligence, George J. Tenet, at Georgetown
University
5 February, 2004 Addresses: how does the CIA feel about their
performance so far? What was the CIA's prewar estimate on Iraq and
how have they followed Iraq's development of WMD programs for over
10 years?
Blix: Iraq War Was Illegal — Blair's defense
is bogus, says the former UN weapons inspector
In an Interview with Hans Blix from the British newspaper The
Independent. Blix states that, in his estimation, the war in Iraq
was illegal.
The Iraq War and Lessons
Relating to Intelligence and Weapons of Mass Destruction
Anthony Cordesman, December 2003, working draft. A report on
the pre-war intelligence on Iraq's WMD.
Unraveling the Known Unknowns: Why no Weapons of
Mass Destruction have been found in Iraq
British American Security Information Council (BASIC), January
2004. Report on pre-war American and British intelligence,
concludes that there was no rationale for war.
Press Briefing: 11AM Monday 8
March 2004
In this March 5, 2004 speech, Prime Minister Tony Blair warns of
the continuing global terrorist threat and the necessity of the
fight in Iraq.
U.N. Authorization for War with Iraq Is Unnecessary
This piece by Brett Schaefer of the Heritage Foundation outlines
4 points for why the U.S. did not require a U.N. mandate or
resolution in support of its action against Iraq.
Thoughts on Iraq and the War on Terrorism
On the issue that matters most (America's survival, the civilized world's survival, the spread of democracy, and the war against terrorism),
President Bush is right . . .
The
Conflict in Iraq and the International Rule of Law
Gillian Triggs, May 2003. This paper considers
the United Nations system for peace enforcement and the place of
international law in the aftermath of the Coalition-led attack
in Iraq. It explores the future role of the Security Council,
the legal obligations of occupying forces and the possibility of
war crimes trials.
Beyond Iraq: Challenges to the
Transatlantic Security Community
Thomas Risse, 2003. The Johns Hopkins
University: American Institute for Contemporary German Studies.
In the midst of the yet-to-be-resolved Iraq conflict,
transatlantic relations have weakened. Highlighting the German
role in the transatlantic community, the article calls for a
European response to the changing world political scene. First,
the fundamentals of the transatlantic security community are
discussed. Second, Risse explores domestic developments on both
sides of the Atlantic to account for the current crisis,
focusing on the United States. Last, he sketches a European
vision of world order in response to the current discourse
emanating from Washington.
International Law and the War in Iraq
John C. Yoo,
July 2003. Many international legal scholars and foreign
governments have argued that the recent war in Iraq violated
international law. This paper criticizes this view, claiming
that existing United Nations Security Council resolutions
authorizes the use of force against Iraq and that the use of
force can be justified as self defense. The author also
addresses the changing notions of self defense in
considering the behavior of rogue states and the threat of
weapons of mass destruction.
Abu
Ghraib: Implementing Reforms, Taking Responsibilities
May 2004. This paper addresses abuse of Iraqi
prisoners in Abu Ghraib and the need for reform so as to
maintain the legitimacy of America's presence in Iraq. It
proposes amendments to American foreign policy, the
investigation and resignation of top Pentagon officials and the
necessity of moving beyond the post-9/11 anti-Muslim mindset
that perpetuates such crimes.
Compiled and annotated by editorial assistants Adam Mausner and Siheun Song in consultation with Sean Costigan, Senior Editor for CIAO.
