2003 invasion of Iraq

The U.S.-led military campaign that began on March 20, 2003, toppled Saddam Hussein’s government, and initiated the Iraq War.

Shock and awe: A military strategy that seeks to overwhelm an adversary through rapid, highly visible displays of force. The strategy’s promise of swift paralysis shaped public expectations for the opening campaign.
September 11 attacks: The coordinated terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001. The attacks transformed U.S. threat perceptions and framed the administration’s case for preventive action.
De-Ba'athification: The post-invasion policy that removed Ba'ath Party members from Iraqi public institutions. The policy weakened state capacity and excluded many experienced officials from public life.
United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission: The United Nations body responsible for inspecting Iraq’s disarmament compliance from 1999 to 2007. Its inspectors were still working in Iraq shortly before the invasion and had not concluded their mission.
Operation Iraqi Freedom: The U.S.-led military operation launched in March 2003 to remove Saddam Hussein’s government. This was the campaign name for the invasion and its initial military phase.
Iraq disarmament crisis: The prolonged dispute over Iraq’s compliance with international demands to disclose and eliminate prohibited weapons programs. The crisis supplied the central public rationale for military action.
Disbanding of the Iraqi Army: The 2003 decision by the Coalition Provisional Authority to dissolve Iraq’s armed forces. It left hundreds of thousands of former soldiers without military employment or status.
Hans Blix: A Swedish diplomat who led UN weapons inspections in Iraq from 2000 to 2003. His reports acknowledged Iraqi failures but did not establish the active stockpiles asserted by invasion advocates.
Battle of Nasiriyah: A series of battles fought between coalition forces and Iraqi troops around Nasiriyah in March 2003. The fighting exposed logistical and resistance challenges during the coalition’s advance north.
Iraq Survey Group: The U.S.-led team that investigated Iraq’s weapons programs after the 2003 invasion. Its findings later showed that Iraq had no active stockpiles of the weapons cited before the invasion.

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