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Iraq War 2003

News and Commentary

Alternative Resources on the U.S.-Iraq Conflict: (http://www.pitt.edu/~ttwiss/irtf/iraq.html).
-Annotated directory of news and activist sites opposed to American military action.

BBC News: Conflict With Iraq: (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/middle_east/2002/conflict_with_iraq/default.stm).
-News stories, analysis, and background features.

CNN.com:Operation Iraqi Freedom: (http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/index.html)
-Features news articles and interactive background resources.

The Nation: No War With Iraq: (http://www.thenation.com/directory/view.mhtml?t=040307).
-Articles from the magazine and links to alternative news resources.

Observer Special Reports: Iraq: (http://www.observer.co.uk/iraq).
-Analysis and commentary from one of Britain's major Sunday newspapers.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Iraq Report:  (http://www.rferl.org/reports/FullReport.aspx?report=572)
-Weekly news update, derived from a variety of worldwide sources.

Yahoo News: Iraq Coverage: (story.news.yahoo.com/fc?cid=34&tmpl=fc&in=World&cat=Iraq).
-Links to current news articles, Web sites, and other resources.

Key Documents

Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002: (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:H.J.RES.114:).
-Full text and summary of the resolution passed by Congress in October 2002, from the Library of Congress' THOMAS Web site.

CIA Letter to Senate on Baghdad's Intentions: (http://foi.missouri.edu/terrorintelligence/cialetter.html).
-October 7th, 2002 letter from CIA Director George Tenet to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, discussing Iraqi intentions and links to al-Qa'ida. Posted by the University of Missouri's Freedom of Information Center, and originally published by the New York Times.

Iraq: Failing to Disarm: (http://www.state.gov/p/nea/disarm/).
-The full transcript of Secretary of State Colin Powell's February 5th, 2003 presentation before the UN Security Council, including video and slides.

Iraqi Declaration on Weapons of Mass Destruction: (http://www.fas.org/irp/news/2002/12/iraq120702.pdf).
-Table of contents for Iraq's collection of WMD-related documents submitted to the UN on December 7th, 2002. Posted by the Federation of American Scientists.

Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction: The Assessment of the British Government: (http://www.archive2.official-documents.co.uk/document/reps/iraq/cover.htm)
-Official dossier released on September 24, 2002.

Letter to the Honorable Kent Conrad and John M. Spratt Jr. regarding estimated costs of a potential conflict with Iraq: (http://www.cbo.gov/showdoc.cfm?index=3822&sequence=0).
-September 30, 2002 document from the Congressional Budget Office.

National Security Strategy of the United States of America: (http://www.whitehouse.gov/nsc/nss.html).
-September 2002 document widely considered as providing the doctrinal basis for the US decision to confront Iraq.

United Nations Security Council: Draft Resolution, March 7, 2003: (http://www.un.org/News/dh/iraq/res-iraq-07mar03-en-rev.pdf).
-Resolution proposed by the United States, United Kingdom, and Spain, setting a March 17, 2003 deadline for full Iraqi disarmament.

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441: (http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=S/RES/1441(2002)).
-November 8th, 2002 resolution passed by the UN Security Council requiring Iraq to cooperate with the current round of weapons inspections. Click on "English" to see the text of the resolution.

Unresolved Disarmament Issues: Iraq's Proscribed Weapons Programmes: (http://www.un.org/Depts/unmovic/documents/cluster.htm).
-Full text of the 175 page report submitted to the UN Security Council by chief weapons inspector Dr. Hans Blix on March 7, 2003.

Update on Inspection: (http://www.un.org/Depts/unmovic/Bx27.htm).
-January 27th, 2003 report by Dr. Hans Blix, head of UNMOVIC, to the UN Security Council on the course of inspections and level of Iraqi cooperation to date.

Government Information

CIA World Factbook - Iraq: (http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/iz.html).
-Basic political and statistical information.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Iraq: (http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029394374).
-Official source for UK government statements, news releases, and other documents.

Hearings to Examine Threats, Responses, and Regional Considerations Surrounding Iraq: (http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=107_senate_hearings&docid=f:81697.wais).
-Transcript of hearings held before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on July 31 - August 1, 2002. Also available as a PDF document.

Iraq Related CRS Reports: (http://fpc.state.gov/c7690.htm).
-Congressional Research Service reports from August 2002 to the present, made available by the State Department's Foreign Press Centers.

State Department Background Notes - Iraq: (http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/6804.htm).
-Historical, political, and economic background information. Updated in December 2001.

UN News Centre: UN Arms Inspections in Iraq: (http://www.un.org/apps/news/infocusRel.asp?infocusID=50&Body=Iraq&Body1=inspect).
-UN news stories, official statements, Security Council resolutions, inspection reports, and other documents.

US Department of State: Iraq Update: (http://usinfo.state.gov/regional/nea/iraq/).
-Official source of US government statements, press releases, and reports on human rights and other topics concerning Iraq.

Whitehouse.Gov: Iraq in Focus: (http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/iraq/index.html).
-Source for presidential remarks, press briefings, and special reports.

Iraq: Background and Analysis

The Great Terror: (http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?020325fa_FACT1).
-Article by Jeffrey Goldberg from the March 25th, 2002 issue of the New Yorker, discussing Saddam's brutal treatment of Iraqi Kurds and possible links to al-Qa'ida.

Human Rights Watch: Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan: (http://www.hrw.org/mideast/iraq.php).
-Index of reports and news releases.

Iraq - A Country Study: (http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/iqtoc.html).
-Detailed background on Iraq's history, politics, culture, society, and ethnic and religious groups. Produced by the Library of Congress in 1988.

Iraq Backgrounder: What Lies Beneath: (http://intl-crisis-group.org/projects/showreport.cfm?reportid=786).
-October 2002 report from the International Crisis Group "reviews the mechanics of Saddam Hussein’s rule, looks at the political dynamics that govern relations between religious and ethnic entities, and describes the various opposition groups and their potential role."

Iraq Foundation: (http://www.iraqfoundation.org/).
-Reports and documentation on the human rights situation in Iraq. Includes translations of selected Iraqi Gulf War documents, information on the destruction of villages in the marshes of southern Iraq, and links to Iraqi opposition Web sites.

Iraq Research and Documentation Project (IRDP): (http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~irdp/).
-Digitized collection of Iraqi government documents captured after the Gulf War. Selected documents are available in English translation, as well as chronologies, bibliographies, and links to other resources.

Iraq: 10 Years After Gulf War: (http://www.foreignpolicy-infocus.org/briefs/vol6/v6n01iraq.html).
-January 2001 analysis critical of US policy towards Iraq, from Stephen Zunes of Foreign Policy in Focus. Additional FPIF papers and analyses can be found at their Focus on Iraq Web site.

Iraq: Weapons Threat, Compliance, Sanctions, and U.S. Policy: (http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/18224.pdf).
-Congressional Research Service (CRS) report updated on February 19th, 2003.

Operation "Termination of Traitors": The Iraqi Regime Through its Documents: (http://meria.idc.ac.il/journal/2002/issue3/jv6n3a2.html).
-Scholarly analysis of Saddam's repression of the Kurds of northern Iraq, based on captured Iraqi documents. Published in the September 2002 issue of the Middle East Review of International Affairs.

Saddam Husayn Between His Power Base and the International Community: (http://meria.idc.ac.il/journal/2000/issue4/jv4n4a2.html).
-Analysis of Saddam's foreign and domestic policies from the the December 2000 issue of the Middle East Review of International Affairs.

Tales of the Tyrant: (http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2002/05/bowden.htm).
-Analysis of Saddam Hussein's life and personality by journalist Mark Bowden from the May 2002 Atlantic Monthly.

Voices From the Iraqi Street: (http://intl-crisis-group.org/projects/showreport.cfm?reportid=837).
-December 2002 report from the International Crisis Group on Iraqi popular attitudes towards Saddam's regime and the prospect of American military action.

Military News and Analysis

Confronting Iraq: U.S. Policy and the Use of Force Since the Gulf War: (http://www.rand.org/publications/MR/MR1146/).
-Report published in 2000 by the RAND Corporation.

GlobalSecurity.org: Target Iraq: (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/iraq.htm).
-Detailed analysis of US and Iraqi military options and capabilities, including weapons of mass destruction, featuring articles, maps, images, documents, and links to other resources.

Iraq: Former and Recent Military Confrontations With the United States: (http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/14836.pdf).
-Report from the Congressional Research Service, last updated on October 16th, 2002.

Iraq: Potential U.S. Military Operations: (http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/17349.pdf).
-Report from the Congressional Research Service, last updated on January 13th, 2003.

Iraqi Armed Forces on the Edge of War: (http://www.csis.org/burke/mb/iraq_edgeofwar.pdf).
-February 2003 report from military analyst Anthony Cordesman of the Center For Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Additional reports and analyses are available from the CSIS Iraq Web site.

Iraq's Security and Intelligence Network: A Guide and Analysis: (http://meria.idc.ac.il/journal/2002/issue3/jv6n3a1.html).
-Article from the September 2002 issue of the Middle East Review of International Affairs.

UK Ministry of Defence: (http://www.operations.mod.uk/telic/index.htm).
-Official news and information on British military forces deployed against Iraq.

United States Central Command: (http://www.centcom.mil/).
-Military headquarters responsible for conducting military operations in the Middle East.

War and the Iraq Dilemma: Facing Harsh Realities: (http://carlisle-www.army.mil/usawc/Parameters/02autumn/russell.htm).
-Analysis of a possible American invasion of Iraq from the Autumn 2002 issue of Parameters.

War Report: Iraq War and Afghan Aftermath: (http://www.comw.org/warreport/index.html).
-Index of links to news articles and other documents, from the Project on Defense Alternatives.

Weapons of Mass Destruction

Arms Control Association: Country Resources - Iraq: (http://www.armscontrol.org/country/iraq/).
-Articles and other documents analyzing Iraq's WMD capabilities and offering policy recommendations.

Center for Nonproliferation Studies: Iraq Special Collection: (http://cns.miis.edu/research/iraq/index.htm).
-Offers reports, articles, background information, and United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) documents.

Disarming Iraq: The Lessons of UNSCOM: (http://www.heritage.org/Research/MiddleEast/bg1608.cfm).
-October 28, 2002 background report from the Heritage Foundation. Additional Heritage reports and analysis can be found at their Middle East Research page.

Information Paper: Iraq's Scud Ballistic Missiles: (http://www.gulflink.osd.mil/scud_info/).
-July 2000 Department of Defense report on Iraq's use of Scud missiles during the Gulf War, possible chemical and biological capability, and residual Scud threat. Part of the DOD's GulfLINK Web site on Gulf War veteran's illnesses, which features many other documents dealing with Iraqi chemical and biological weapons.

Inspecting Iraq: A Record of the First 40 Days: (http://www.comw.org/pda/fulltext/030104inspectiraq.html).
-Compilation of news and media reports released on January 4th, 2003 by the Project on Defense Alternatives.

International Atomic Energy Agency: IAEA and Iraq : (http://www.iaea.org/worldatom/Press/Focus/IaeaIraq/index.shtml).
-Press releases, major documents, and inspections updates from the agency responsible for inspecting suspected Iraqi nuclear facilities.

Iraq: A New Approach: (http://www.ceip.org/files/publications/iraq/resources.htm).
-In depth analysis of Iraq's WMD programs, including congressional testimony from specialists, and a September 2002 report advocating "coercive inspections" of suspected Iraqi WMD sites. From the Carnegie Endowment For International Peace. See the Carnegie Crisis in Iraq page for links to more reports and analysis.

Iraq and Weapons of Mass Destruction: (http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB80/).
-"The documents presented in this electronic briefing book include the major unclassified U.S. and British assessments of Iraqi WMD programs, the reports of the IAEA and UNSCOM covering the final period prior to the 1998 expulsions, the transcript of a key speech by President George W. Bush, a recently released statement on U.S. policy towards combating WMD, and documents from the 1980s and 1990s concerning various aspects of Iraqi WMD activities." From the National Security Archive at George Washington University.

Iraq: The UNSCOM Experience: (http://editors.sipri.se/pubs/Factsheet/unscom.html).
-Detailed fact sheet published in October 1998 by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Iraq Watch: (http://www.iraqwatch.org/).
-Detailed source of documentation, analysis, and updates on Iraq's WMD programs. Sponsored by the Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control.

Iraq WMD Dossier Statement: (http://www.iiss.org/news-more.php?itemID=88).
-Summary of September 2002 report released by the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

Spying On Saddam: (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/unscom/).
-Companion Web site to 1999 PBS Frontline documentary on UN weapons inspections in Iraq from 1991-98 and their impact. Includes interviews with former inspectors and other specialists, as well as images and links to additional readings.

United Nations Monitoring, Verification, and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC): (http://www.un.org/Depts/unmovic/index.htm).
-Body created in December 1999 to replace UNSCOM in overseeing Iraqi WMD disarmament.

United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM): (http://www.un.org/Depts/unscom/index.html).
-Official Web site of the UN body charged with monitoring Iraqi WMD disarmament from 1991-1998. Includes full-text reports and other documents.

Post-War Iraq

After Saddam Hussein: Winning a Peace if it Comes to War: (http://www.usip.org/pubs/specialreports/sr102.html).
-February 2003 special report from the United States Institute of Peace.

The Future of a Post-Saddam Iraq: A Blueprint for American Involvement: (http://www.heritage.org/Research/MiddleEast/iraqroom.cfm).
-Analyses and policy recommendations from the Heritage Foundation.

Iraq "The Day After": Internal Dynamics in Post-Saddam Iraq: (http://www.nwc.navy.mil/press/Review/2003/Winter/art1-w03.htm).
-Analysis by Dr. Phebe Marr from the Winter 2003 issue of the Naval War College Review.

Iraqi National Congress: (http://www.inc.org.uk/).
-Official Web site of major Iraqi opposition movement, featuring INC statements and other documents.

The Iraqi Opposition's Evolution: From Conflict To Unity?: (http://meria.idc.ac.il/journal/2002/issue4/jv6n4a1.html).
-"This article uses Iraqi documents to survey the relationship between the Iraqi opposition and the regime of Saddam Hussein...A key question is whether the opposition has reached a higher level of unity and both the determination and ability, with U.S. help, to develop a new democratic regime in the country." From the December 2002 issue of the Middle East Review of International Affairs.