VIOLATION OF LAWS OF WAR: A CASE STUDY OF U.S. INVASION OF IRAQ IN 2003

Abstract

It has been almost seventeen long years that the US had launched its attack on Iraq. However, its legitimacy remains in the debate of political discourse under the light of international law. Even though existent literature has provided various reasons for this attack and try to justify it through the lens of international law, but this study moves beyond the available range of translations by producing a novel perspective on the subject. The thesis focuses on one central question; why the US invasion of Iraq is termed illegal? The main argument of the thesis is that states violate the laws of war for their self-interests. To prove the main idea of the study, it takes help from the realist paradigm to construct an argument on a theoretical basis. This study explores the objectives of the US for invading Iraq in 2003 along with the critical analysis of the situation by throwing the light on the issue from the perspectives of international law. The tentative hypothesis explains the geo-political interest of the US that has led to the war in Iraq. This study critically analyses the role of international law to define the just and unjust war. The conclusion elaborates on the findings of the thesis and highlights that such coercive measures can lead the region into chaos which ultimately proved to be correct when the world faced the challenge of terrorism from terrorist factions like Al-Qaeda, ISIL, etc. The morality of war is a highly questionable debate that results in destruction and the repercussions are severe. The dire consequences of the Iraq war are still haunting the world as it caused severe humanitarian crises in the 21st century.