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Summary:
Operation Iraqi Freedom accomplished a long-standing U.S. objective, the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, but replacing his regime with a stable, moderate, democratic political structure has run into significant difficulty. That outcome would contribute to preventing Iraq from becoming a sanctuary for terrorists, a key recommendation of the September 11 Commission report (Chapter 12, Section 2). During the 1990s, U.S. efforts to change the regime covertly failed because of limited U.S. commitment, disorganization of the Iraqi opposition, and the vigilance of Iraq's several overlapping security services. Previous U.S. Administrations had ruled out a U.S. military invasion to change the regime, believing such action would be risky and that Iraq did not necessarily pose a level of threat that would justify doing so. President George W. Bush characterized Iraq as a grave potential threat to the United States because of its refusal to abandon its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs and its potential to transfer WMD to terrorist groups. After a November 2002-March 2003 round of U.N. WMD inspections in which Iraq's cooperation was mixed, on March 19, 2003, the United States launched Operation Iraqi Freedom to disarm Iraq and change its regime. The regime fell on April 9, 2003. In the months prior to the war, the Administration stressed that regime change through U.S.-led military action would yield benefits beyond disarmament and reduction of support for terrorism, benefits such as liberation of the Iraqi people from an oppressive regime and promotion of democracy throughout the Middle East. Escalating resistance to the U.S.-led occupation (April 2003-June 2004) complicated U.S. efforts to build democracy and to establish legitimate and effective Iraqi political and security bodies. Partly in an effort to reduce U.S. casualties and satisfy Iraqi demands for an end to coalition occupation, the United States decided to accelerate the hand over of sovereignty. An interim government was named on June 1, 2004, and the handover took place on June 28, 2004. Current plans are to for elections for a transition government by January 31, 2005, with votes on a permanent constitution by October 31, 2005, and for a permanent government by December 15, 2005, although virtually all of these deadlines are to some degree jeopardized by the persistent insurgency. The Bush Administration asserts that U.S. policy in Iraq will ultimately succeed as U.S. trainers and the interim Iraqi government build new Iraqi security bodies. Some believe the United States should add troops to the current level of about 140,000, plus about 24,000 foreign military personnel, and should eliminate pockets of insurgent control. Others believe the United States needs to take new steps to recruit major international force contributors, and yet some others believe that the United States should pull out of Iraq. This report will be updated as warranted by major developments. See also CRS Report RL31833, Iraq: Recent Developments in Reconstruction Assistance.
