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1. Justifications for Invading Iraq
A. Threat From Saddam Hussein
| Q1. |
Did Saddam Hussein and his regime pose a threat to the United States and its allies? |
| Q2. |
Did Saddam Hussein and his regime pose an immediate or imminent threat? |
| Q3. |
Was the phrase "imminent threat" used or implied by the Bush Administration before the invasion? |
B. Weapons of Mass Destruction
| Q1. |
What is a weapon of mass destruction (WMD)? |
| Q2. |
Did Saddam Hussein have weapons of mass destruction after the 1st Gulf War? |
| Q3. |
Did Saddam Hussein try to acquire uranium yellowcake or aluminum tubes for the purpose of developing nuclear weapons? |
| Q4. |
Did Saddam Hussein develop and maintain mobile labs for the purpose of biological and chemical weapon production? |
| Q5. |
What is known about Saddam Hussein's use of weapons of mass destruction? |
C. Terrorism and Terrorist Links
| Q1. |
To what extent did Saddam Hussein cultivate or maintain links to terrorist organizations? |
| Q2. |
Was Saddam Hussein involved with the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon? |
| Q3. |
Did Saddam Hussein have links to Al Qaeda? |
| Q4. |
Did Al Qaeda's attack on September 11, 2001 justify the Bush Administration's decision to attack Iraq? |
D. Human Rights Abuses
| Q1. |
To what extent did Saddam Hussein and his regime commit human rights abuses? |
| Q2. |
Did the humanitarian crisis in Iraq warrant invervention? |
E. Iraq's Oil
| Q1. |
Was control of Iraq's oil a reason for the U.S. to attack Iraq? |
| Q2. |
Was Iraq's decision to change payment for its oil from dollars to euros a reason for the U.S. to attack Iraq? |
F. Spreading Democracy
| Q1. |
What are the plans to establish democracy in Iraq? |
| Q2. |
Will plans for democracy in Iraq succeed? |
| Q3. |
Could regime change in Iraq promote the spread of democracy in the Middle East? |
G. U.N. Resolution Violations
| Q1. |
Did Saddam Hussein's violation of United Nation Security Council resolutions justify Iraq's invasion? |
| Q2. |
Did the U.N. Security Council Resolution 1441 provide sufficient legal basis for military action? |
H. Preemption
| Q1. |
Was the preemptive invasion of Iraq a violation of international law? |
| Q2. |
What is the difference between preemptive and preventative military action? |
| Q3. |
Was the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq justifiable as a preventative action? |
| Q4. |
What is the Bush administration's National Security Strategy (a.k.a. the "Bush Doctrine")? |
| Q5. |
What constitutes preemptive military action according to the Bush Doctrine? |
I. Intelligence
| Q1. |
What is a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE)? |
| Q2. |
What do the 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2007 National Intelligence Estimates (NIE) report? |
| Q3. |
Which classified intelligence information products are routinely shared with Congress and which ones are not? |
| Q4. |
Did Congress have the same intelligence information as the White House prior to the October 2002 congressional vote authorizing the use of force in Iraq? |
2. Saddam Hussein
A. Personal and Political Background
| Q1. |
What was Saddam Hussein's personal and political background? |
| Q2. |
What is the Ba'ath Party? |
B. Support and Backing
| Q1. |
To what extent did Saddam Hussein receive aid and support from the United States? |
C. Human Rights Abuses
| Q1. |
To what extent was Saddam Hussein and his regime responsible for Human Rights violations in Iraq? |
| Q2. |
Did the humanitarian crisis in Iraq warrant humanitarian intervention? |
D. Threat From Saddam Hussein
| Q1. |
Did Saddam Hussein and his regime pose a threat to the United States and its allies? |
| Q2. |
Did Saddam Hussein and his regime pose an immediate threat? |
| Q3. |
Was the phrase "imminent threat" used by the Bush administration to reference Iraq before the war? |
3. Weapons in Iraq
A. Development of Weapons
| Q1. |
What is a weapon of mass destruction (WMD)? |
| Q2. |
To what extent did the U.S. supply Iraq with materials used to create weapons of mass destruction? |
| Q3. |
Did Saddam Hussein try to acquire uranium yellowcake or aluminum tubes for the purpose of developing nuclear weapons? |
Q4. |
Did Saddam Hussein develop and maintain mobile labs for the purpose of biological and chemical weapon production? |
B. Possession of Weapons
| Q1. |
Did Saddam Hussein have weapons of mass destruction after the 1st Gulf War? |
B. Use of Weapons
| Q1. |
What is known about Saddam Hussein's use of weapons of mass destruction? |
4. U.S-Iraq Relations
A. U.S. Involvement with Iraq
| Q1. |
To what extent did Saddam Hussein receive aid and support from the United States? |
| Q2. |
To what extent did the U.S. supply Iraq with materials used to create weapons of mass destruction? |
| Q3. |
To what extent was the U.S. involved with the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988)? |
B. Gulf War (1990-1991)
| Q1. |
What was the relationship between Iraq and Kuwait prior to the 1990 invasion? |
| Q2. |
What disputes existed between Iraq and Kuwait prior to the 1990 invasion? |
| Q3. |
Were there prior indications that Iraq would invade Kuwait? |
| Q4. |
Did the U.S. initially attempt to resolve the Iraq-Kuwait conflict peacefully? |
C. U.S. Presidential Debates on Iraq
| Q1. |
Which statements concerning Iraq were made during the 2004 U.S. Presidential debates between George W. Bush and John Kerry? |
5. Iraq's Oil
A. History and Background
| Q1. |
What is the history of oil production in Iraq? |
| Q2. |
Which countries obtained oil from Iraq before March 19, 2003? |
| Q3. |
What agreements were made between Iraq and foreign countries for control of Iraq's oil reserves? |
B. Political Impact
| Q1. |
Was control of Iraq's oil a reason for the U.S. to attack Iraq? |
| Q2. |
Was Iraq's decision to change payment for its oil from dollars to euros a reason for the U.S. to attack Iraq? |
| Q3. |
Where does the U.S. obtain its oil? |
C. Post-War Issues
| Q1. |
What are the potential prospects for oil exploration in Iraq? |
| Q2. |
How will U.S. control of Iraqi oil affect the economies of other oil producing nations? |
| Q3. |
What are the plans for the distribution of post-war Iraqi oil and its revenues? |
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6. Iraqi Sectarianism
A. Iraqi Ethnic and Religious Groups
| Q1. |
What are the different ethnic groups in Iraq? |
| Q2. |
What are the different religious groups in Iraq? |
| Q3. |
Should Iraq be partitioned into a federal country with separate, semi-autonomous regions? |
B. Sectarian Violence
| Q1. |
Were sectarian differences a problem in Iraq before the 2003 U.S. invasion? |
| Q2. |
Should the sectarian violence in Iraq be described as a civil war? |
7. Safety and Security
A. U.S. and Iraq Safety and Security
| Q1. |
Has the Iraq War made America safer? |
| Q2. |
How has the Iraq War affected the safety and security of Iraqis? |
| Q3. |
What is a U.S. National Security Strategy? |
| Q4. |
What are the 2002 and 2006 U.S. National Security Strategies? |
B. Private Contractors in Iraq
| Q1. |
What is the role of private security companies in Iraq? |
| Q2. |
How many private security contractors are in Iraq and how much do they cost? |
| Q3. |
What are the pros and cons of private contractors, such as Blackwater and Halliburton, in Iraq? |
| Q4. |
Does the U.S. government provide adequate oversight for private contractors in Iraq? |
8. Insurgency and Terrorism
A.
Insurgency
| Q1. |
What is the insurgency in Iraq? |
| Q2. |
What is the difference between an insurgency and terrorism? |
B. Terrorism
| Q1. |
What is terrorism? |
| Q2. |
How is the war in Iraq expected to impact global terrorism? |
9. Prisoners of War
A. Enemy vs. Unlawful Combatants
| Q1. |
What is the difference between an enemy combatant, an unlawful combatant, and a prisoner of war? |
| Q2. |
Should the U.S. apply the Geneva Conventions to prisoners detained in Guantanamo Bay? * |
| Q3. |
Should the prison at Guantanamo Bay be closed? * |
B. Abu Ghraib
| Q1. |
What was the Abu Ghraib prison during the reign of Saddam Hussein? |
| Q2. |
What happened at Abu Ghraib prison after the U.S. military took over the facility in 2003? |
C. Torture
| Q1. |
What is the definition of torture? |
| Q2. |
Has the United States tortured prisoners captured in Iraq? |
10. Cost of the War
A. Estimates and Cost Comparisons
| Q1. |
Can the cost of war with Iraq (and its aftermath) be estimated? |
| Q2. |
What are the cost estimates of the Iraq War? |
| Q3. |
Has the U.S. internationalized financial and military support for the invasion and rebuilding of Iraq? |
| Q4. |
How much did past wars cost and how do those figures relate to the current Iraq conflict? |
B. Reconstruction Costs
| Q1. |
How have the reconstruction funds for Iraq been allocated? |
| Q2. |
Will the revenue from Iraqi oil production pay for reconstruction? |
| Q3. |
To what extent has the money for Iraq's reconstruction been spent? |
C. Casualties
| Q1. |
What are the difficulties in reporting casualties in Iraq? |
| Q2. |
Is the October 2006 study reporting more than 650,000 Iraqi deaths reliable? |
11. The United Nations (U.N.)
A. Background of the U.N.
| Q1. |
What is the purpose of the United Nations? |
B. Sanctions and Embargo
| Q1. |
Why did the United Nations impose sanctions on Iraq, and how long were they to last? |
| Q2. |
Were there nations that did not comply with the UN sanctions on Iraq? |
| Q3. |
Were the UN "Smart Sanctions" a solution to the Iraqi humanitarian crisis caused by other UN sanctions against Iraq? |
C. Oil-for-Food Program
| Q1. |
What was the "Oil-For-Food" program, and how did it work? |
| Q2. |
Did the Oil-for-Food program benefit the people of Iraq? |
D. Weapons Inspections In Iraq
| Q1. |
What is the background of U.N. weapons inspections in Iraq? |
| Q2. |
How successful was the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) in finding Iraq's WMD? |
| Q3. |
Was the United Nations Monitoring, and Verification, and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) successful in finding Iraq's WMD? |
| Q4. |
Was the Iraqi government cooperative with the U.N. weapons inspectors? |
E. The U.N. Security Council and Iraq
| Q1. |
Did Saddam Hussein's violation of United Nation Security Council Resolutions justify the invasion of Iraq? |
12. U.S. Troop Reduction or Withdrawal
A.
Pro or Con Withdrawing Troops
| Q1. |
Has the Bush Administration supported the idea of troop reduction or withdrawal? |
| Q2. |
Is U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq "cutting and running?" |
B. Timetables and Deadlines
| Q1. |
Should the U.S. set a timetable or deadline for troop withdrawal? |
| Q2. |
Should funding for the Iraq War be contingent on withdrawing U.S. troops? |
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* In 2003, the Pentagon stated that the U.S. did not intend on sending Iraqi prisoners of war (POWs) to Guantanamo Bay. ProCon.org research in 2007 found no evidence that POWs from the Iraq War had been sent to Guantanamo Bay. Since people continue to equate the Iraq War with Guantanamo Bay, we decided to include two questions on Guantanamo Bay as an interesting but tangential issue. |
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