The Conflict in Iraq, 2003

The 2003 war in Iraq is set to become one of the defining events in international politics of the early twenty-first century. The decision to use armed force against Iraq remains highly controversial, legally and politically. International organizations, such as the United Nations, NATO and the European Union, have been badly damaged. The US-led intervention in Iraq was intended to show how 'transformed' military power can deliver solutions, rapidly and decisively. Yet Iraq's transition and reconstruction has been far from easy, and Iraq remains a source of instability in the Middle East and internationally.