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| 1-Minute Overview |
| Should the US have attacked Iraq? |
| Top 10 Pros and Cons |
| Did You Know? |
| Timeline, 1990 - 2009 |
| Timeline, Pre-History - 1989 |
Projects
Pros and Cons by Issue
Issue: Justifications for Invading Iraq
| Q: | Did Saddam Hussein and his regime pose a threat to the United States and its allies? |
| Q: | Did Saddam Hussein and his regime pose an immediate or imminent threat? |
| Q: | Was the phrase "imminent threat" used or implied by the Bush Administration before the invasion? |
| Q: | What is a weapon of mass destruction (WMD)? |
| Q: | Did Saddam Hussein have weapons of mass destruction after the 1st Gulf War? |
| Q: | Did Saddam Hussein try to acquire uranium yellowcake or aluminum tubes for the purpose of developing nuclear weapons? |
| Q: | Did Saddam Hussein develop and maintain mobile labs for the purpose of biological and chemical weapon production? |
| Q: | What is known about Saddam Hussein's use of weapons of mass destruction? |
| Q: | What was Saddam Hussein's involvement with terrorist groups? |
| Q: | Was Saddam Hussein involved in 9/11? |
| Q: | Did Iraq under Saddam Hussein support Al Qaeda? |
| Q: | Did Sep. 11, 2001 justify the Bush Administration's decision to attack Iraq? |
| Q: | What human rights abuses did Saddam Hussein and his regime commit? |
| Q: | Did the humanitarian crisis in Iraq warrant intervention? |
| Q: | Was control of Iraq's oil a reason for the US to attack Iraq? |
| Q: | Was Iraq's decision to change payment for its oil from dollars to euros a reason for the US to attack Iraq? |
| Q: | What are the plans to establish democracy in Iraq? |
| Q: | Will plans for democracy in Iraq succeed? |
| Q: | Could regime change in Iraq promote the spread of democracy in the Middle East? |
| Q: | Did Saddam Hussein's violation of United Nation resolutions justify the invasion of Iraq? |
| Q: | Did the UN Security Council Resolution 1441 provide sufficient legal basis for military action against Iraq? |
| Q: | Was the preemptive invasion of Iraq a violation of international law? |
| Q: | What is the difference between preemptive and preventative military action? |
| Q: | Was the US-led invasion of Iraq justifiable as a preventative action? |
| Q: | What is the Bush administration's National Security Strategy (aka the Bush Doctrine)? |
| Q: | What constitutes preemptive military action according to the Bush Doctrine? |
| Q: | What is a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE)? |
| Q: | What do the 2002, 2004, 2006, Jan. 2007, and Aug. 2007 National Intelligence Estimates (NIE) report? |
| Q: | Which classified intelligence information products are routinely shared with Congress and which ones are not? |
| Q: | Did Congress have the same intelligence information as the White House prior to the October 2002 congressional vote authorizing the use of force in Iraq? |
Issue: Saddam Hussein
| Q: | What was Saddam Hussein's personal and political background? |
| Q: | What is the Ba'ath Party? |
| Q: | To what extent did Saddam Hussein receive aid and support from the United States? |
| Q: | What human rights abuses did Saddam Hussein and his regime commit? |
| Q: | Did the humanitarian crisis in Iraq warrant intervention? |
| Q: | Did Saddam Hussein and his regime pose a threat to the United States and its allies? |
| Q: | Did Saddam Hussein and his regime pose an immediate or imminent threat? |
| Q: | Was the phrase "imminent threat" used by the Bush Administration to reference Iraq before the war? |
Issue: Weapons in Iraq
| Q: | What is a weapon of mass destruction (WMD)? |
| Q: | To what extent did the US supply Iraq with materials used to create weapons of mass destruction? |
| Q: | Did Saddam Hussein try to acquire uranium yellowcake or aluminum tubes for the purpose of developing nuclear weapons? |
| Q: | Did Saddam Hussein develop and maintain mobile labs for the purpose of biological and chemical weapon production? |
| Q: | Did Saddam Hussein have weapons of mass destruction after the 1st Gulf War? |
| Q: | What is known about Saddam Hussein's use of weapons of mass destruction? |
Issue: US - Iraq Relations
| Q: | To what extent did Saddam Hussein receive aid and support from the United States? |
| Q: | To what extent did the US supply Iraq with materials used to create weapons of mass destruction? |
| Q: | To what extent was the US involved with the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988)? |
| Q: | What was the relationship between Iraq and Kuwait prior to the 1990 invasion? |
| Q: | What disputes existed between Iraq and Kuwait prior to the 1990 invasion? |
| Q: | Did the US initially attempt to resolve the Iraq-Kuwait conflict peacefully? |
| Q: | Which statements concerning Iraq were made during the 2004 US Presidential debates between George W. Bush and John Kerry? |
Issue: Iraq's Oil
| Q: | What is the history of oil in Iraq? |
| Q: | Which countries obtained oil from Iraq before March 19, 2003? |
| Q: | What agreements were made between Saddam Hussein and foreign companies for access to Iraq's oil? |
| Q: | Was control of Iraq's oil a reason for the US to attack Iraq? |
| Q: | Was Iraq's decision to change payment for its oil from dollars to euros a reason for the US to attack Iraq? |
| Q: | Where did the US obtain its oil prior to the Iraq War? |
| Q: | What are the potential prospects for oil exploration in Iraq? |
| Q: | How will US control of Iraqi oil affect the economies of other oil producing nations? |
| Q: | What are the plans for the distribution of post-war Iraqi oil and its revenues? |
Issue: Iraqi Sectarianism
| Q: | What are the different ethnic groups in Iraq? |
| Q: | What are the different religious groups in Iraq? |
| Q: | Should Iraq be partitioned into a federal country with separate, semi-autonomous regions? |
| Q: | Were sectarian differences a problem in Iraq before the 2003 US invasion? |
| Q: | Should the sectarian violence in Iraq be described as a civil war? |
Issue: Safety and Security
| Q: | Has the Iraq War made America safer? |
| Q: | How has the Iraq War affected the safety and security of Iraqis? |
| Q: | What is a US National Security Strategy? |
| Q: | What are the 2002 and 2006 US National Security Strategies? |
| Q: | What is the role of private security companies in Iraq? |
| Q: | How many private security contractors are in Iraq and how much do they cost? |
| Q: | What are the pros and cons of private contractors, such as Blackwater and Halliburton, in Iraq? |
| Q: | Does the US government provide adequate oversight for private contractors in Iraq? |
Issue: Insurgency and Terrorism
| Q: | What is the insurgency in Iraq? |
| Q: | What is the difference between insurgency and terrorism? |
| Q: | What is terrorism? |
| Q: | How is the war in Iraq expected to impact global terrorism? |
Issue: Prisoners of War
| Q: | What is the difference between an enemy combatant, an unlawful combatant, and a prisoner of war? |
| Q: | Should the US apply the Geneva Conventions to prisoners detained in Guantanamo Bay? |
| Q: | Should the prison at Guantanamo Bay be closed? |
| Q: | What was the Abu Ghraib prison during the reign of Saddam Hussein? |
| Q: | What happened at Abu Ghraib prison after the US military took over the facility in 2003? |
| Q: | What is the definition of torture? |
| Q: | Has the United States condoned the use of torture tactics on prisoners captured in Iraq? |
| Q: | Background information on waterboarding (PDF format 2.3 MB) |
Issue: Cost of the War
| Q: | Can the cost of war with Iraq (and its aftermath) be estimated? |
| Q: | What are the cost estimates of the Iraq War? |
| Q: | How much did past wars cost and how do those figures relate to the Iraq conflict as of Sep. 2004? |
| Q: | How have the reconstruction funds for Iraq been allocated? |
| Q: | Will the revenue from Iraqi oil production pay for reconstruction? |
| Q: | To what extent has the money for Iraq's reconstruction been spent? |
| Q: | What are the difficulties in reporting casualties in the Iraq War? |
| Q: | Is the October 2006 Lancet study reporting 654,965 Iraqi deaths reliable? |
Issue: The United Nations (UN)
| Q: | What is the purpose of the UN? |
| Q: | Why did the UN impose sanctions on Iraq, and how long were they to last? |
| Q: | Were there nations that did not comply with the UN sanctions on Iraq? |
| Q: | Did the Oil-for-Food program benefit the people of Iraq? |
| Q: | What UN weapon inspections occurred in Iraq between 1991 and Mar. 19, 2003? |
| Q: | Was the Iraqi government cooperative with the UN weapons inspectors in 2002 and 2003? |
| Q: | Did Saddam Hussein's violation of United Nation Security Council resolutions justify Iraq's invasion? |
| Q: | Did the UN Security Council Resolution 1441 provide sufficient legal basis for military action against Iraq? |
Issue: US Troop Reduction or Withdrawal
| Q: | Has the Bush Administration supported the idea of troop reduction or withdrawal? |
| Q: | Should the US set a timetable or deadline for troop withdrawal? |
| Q: | Was the 2008 Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) to withdraw US troops from Iraq by 2011 a good agreement? |