The Iraq War: an analysis from the perspectives of just war theory and international law

Abstract

The Iraq War has been one of the most controversial military engagements in recent history. Domestically, approval for this war has rarely gone beyond a bare majority of the American public, and often has lacked even this full majority. According to an ABC News/Washington Post Poll approval for the war was highest near its start in April of 2003 with 75% for the war and only 22% against. Within two months its approval had dropped by nearly 10% and continued to drop steadily from then on. By January of 2006, only 39% are still for the war, with the majority, 60% disapproving. A CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll reports almost exactly the same results with a ratio of 72% for the war and 25% against in March 2003 falling to a ratio of 40% for the war and 56% against in February of 2006. http://www.pollingreport.com/iraq.htm Although initially party loyalty and post-September 11 terrorist anxieties acted in concert to grant the Bush administration some leeway as it made its case for invading Iraq, support for the Iraq War slipped as individual justifications for the war proved to be unfounded one by one. The Bush administration's plan fared little better abroad. The international community, with only a few exceptions, regarded this war as one of aggression on the part of the United States. The Iraq War was condemned by international bodies such as the United Nations, as well as by individual states throughout the world, including many allies of the United States. The United States, with the help of only a few other nations. invaded Iraq in spite of this widespread disapproval, citing numerous important legal and moral principles and claiming they justified a mandate for war. The Iraq War's relevance, however, goes far beyond straightforward issues of public opinion. Its effect is far deeper and more complex, directly impacting established moral and legal norms and posing a significant threat to the very structure of the international community as it has come to exist over the last several hundred years.