The United Nations: The Invasion of Iraq in 1991 and 2003 (Research Paper Sample)

The Invasion of Iraq in 1991 and 2003
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The United States together with other states in the United Nations are known for their military presence in warring countries especially in the Middle East. The US and other world organizations only intervene when countries are unable to reach a peaceful understanding to resolve their conflict. Additionally, the loss of life due to unnecessary war between two states or parties often results in the United Nations involvement. The US, UN, and other states played a significant role in the Iraq war in 1991 and 2003. There are various similarities and differences between the two incidences of war.
In August 1990, Iraq marched into Kuwait and occupied it. As a result, the Security Council condemned the invasion and demanded the immediate withdrawal of Iraq’s forces. A coalition of 34 nations authorized by the UN and led by the US participated in this conflict. The UN pressed for economic sanctions on Iraq in 1990 as a way of driving out Iraq forces out of Kuwait (Williams and Slusser, 2013). Under the resolutions of the Security Council, the Member States in support of Kuwait were to utilize all their necessary means to restore peace and security in the country. Consequently, victory was achieved by the coalition forces in driving out Iraq combatants out of Kuwait. Mainly the battle took place in Kuwait, Iraq and neighboring areas of Saudi Arabia. Later on the US mobilized forces to prevent Iraq’s impending invasion of Saudi Arabia.
Unlike in 1991, the event that led to the Iraq invasion of US troops in 2003 was the terrorist attack in the US on September 11th, 2001. Consequently, the US became concerned about global terrorism and the weapons possessed by these terrorists led to a new era of war. Under the Bush administration, the US affirmed that it would not distinguish between terrorist organizations and the countries that harbor them. The US suspected that Iraq was developing Weapons of Mass Destruction that would have been sold to terrorist groups to launch devastating attacks on the US (Heinrich, 2015). Also, the US wanted to take down Saddam Hussein, who was viewed as an enemy of the state who supported various terrorist groups. The action to remove Saddam from power was also seen as a method of intimidating other regimes in the Middle East region who were against US interests into cooperation.
Therefore, it is evidently clear that the US had an overwhelming interest in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Although the US brought its concerns regarding Iraq to the UN in 2003 it did not insist on the organization’s invasion of troops. It was argued that due to Iraq’s violation of the cease-fire agreement in 1991, the United States had every right to deploy military forces for the second time to stop unproductive conflicts. Unlike in 1991, many states did not support the US attack on Iraq hence the reason the country failed to involve the Security Council. Nevertheless, some countries such as Australia joined forces with the US. In 1991, troops were deployed to promote...