THE ASSAULT ON IRAQ BY THE UNITED STATES-2003: ANTITHESIS OF DISPUTE SETTLEMENT?

摘要

The challenges related to maintaining international system-stability were not met peacefully in the politically tense winter of 2002-3 when a predominantly American and British coalition prepared a military attack against Iraq's leadership under Saddam Hussein. The reason advanced for an assault was that Iraq's dictator, Hussein, had accumulated and deployed weapons of mass destruction contrary to sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council on Iraq. As threats of war intensified, non-US and non-British governmental and public clamour-round the world-condemned the resort to arms. War came on 20 March 2003, however, lasting 26 days. How did this happen, and were there options?