On March 20, 2003, a US-led coalition of 49 countries invaded Iraq and overthrew the government within three weeks. The rebuilding of occupied Iraq continues through 2010 although the coalition no longer exists, and over 4,000 US soldiers and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have died.
Proponents argue that liberating the people of Iraq from Saddam’s human rights abuses, spreading democracy in the region, enforcing UN regulations, finding suspected weapons of mass destruction, and making the US safer from terrorism in a post-9/11 world, all justify the war in Iraq.
Opponents argue that Iraq had no WMDs or connection to 9/11, and that the Bush administration just wanted Iraq’s oil and any excuse to remove Saddam. They say the attack violated international law, killed countless civilians, wasted billions of dollars, and made the US less safe from terrorism.
US Iraq ProCon.org is a nonpartisan, nonprofit website that presents facts, studies, and pro and con statements on questions related to whether or not the US should have attacked Iraq.