IRAQ WAR: Necessary Part of the Fight Against Terrorism or a War of Choice?

Issue: Should the United States go to war against Iraq, or is such an action unwarranted?

Following the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, and the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan later that year, President George W. Bush named Iraq as part of an “axis of evil” that threatened global peace. Charging Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein of destabilizing the Middle East by harboring terrorists and developing weapons of mass destruction, President Bush urged a preemptive war against Iraq in 2003. Opponents of going to war, however, argued that the Bush administration was exaggerating the threat posed by Iraq and that a U.S. invasion would cost many American lives and create new problems in the Middle East.

Let your students get the facts and decide for themselves: Should the United States go to war with Iraq in 2003? Be sure to check out Issues & Controversies in American History‘s clear and unbiased examination of the Iraq War.

Issues & Controversies in American History is an accessible educational database that delivers dynamic, concise, and balanced coverage providing the background, outcome, and contemporary points of view for every major debate and conflict in American history.