Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq

In late 2002, US President George W. Bush sought and obtained approval from the United States Congress to use military force against Iraq. This authorization was granted under the War Powers Act and passed by a greater than 2-1 margin with bipartisan support.

The act cited several factors to justify a war:

• Iraq's noncompliance with the conditions of the 1991 cease fire
• Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, and programs to develop such weapons, posed a "threat to the national security of the United States and international peace and security in the Persian Gulf region"
• Iraq's "brutal repression of its civilian population"
• Iraq's "capability and willingness to use weapons of mass destruction against other nations and its own people"
• Iraq's hostility towards the United States as demonstrated by the 1993 assassination attempt of George Bush Sr, and firing on coalition aircraft enforcing the no-fly zones following the 1991 Gulf War
• Iraq's connection to terrorist groups, including Al Qaeda
• Fear that Iraq would provide weapons of mass destruction to terrorists for use against the United States

The act praised President Bush's diplomatic efforts at the UN Security Council to "obtain prompt and decisive action by the Security Council to ensure that Iraq abandons its strategy of delay, evasion and noncompliance and promptly and strictly complies with all relevant Security Council resolutions." It authorized him to use military force to "defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq; and enforce all relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions regarding Iraq." Before being permitted to use force, the President was required to determine that further diplomatic efforts alone would not satisfactorily protect the United States or ensure Iraq's compliance with UNSC resolutions.

The act was significant in that it did not require the President to obtain UN Security Council authorization. Further, even if Iraq complied with UNSC resolutions, the President was still authorized to attack in order to protect the United States. This was, in effect, approval for Bush to act unilaterally. This was viewed among American conservatives as a major impetus for the UNSC's unanimous adoption of resolution 1441 a few weeks later.