ABSTRACT
By this time, the American military build-up in the region was almost complete, and American and British leaders argued that Resolution 1441 gave them authority to invade Iraq (see Figure 10.1). The other permanent members of the Council disagreed, arguing that another resolution was necessary to authorize a war2 and that they would veto such a resolution. On March 17, without waiting for completion of international inspections, President George W. Bush declared that diplomacy was over. The 2003 invasion to
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the UN and triggered a debate, still unresolved, over whether a country can legally resort to force without UN authorization. Historically, states have enjoyed a sovereign right to use force at their discretion, and the change in this norm is uneven across countries.
