ABSTRACT
Following the end of the 1990-1991 Persian Gulf crisis triggered by Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, Iraq's record of defiance was not in doubt, although the decision to choose war against Iraq was controversial. Iraq had defied sixteen United Nations resolutions passed between 1991 and 2002, starting with United Nations Security Council Resolution 687, which was the most important. Chief United Nations (UN) weapons inspector Hans Blix issued a report in January 2003 that was critical of Iraq's "efforts to disarm and cooperate with UN inspectors". The Defense Department could gain influence and prestige if the armed forces performed well, and the military might stave off budget cuts and base closings and gain support for new weapons programs. The chapter describes the events leading up to the war and considers the primary and possible secondary motivations for going to Iraq war.
