Iraq War and the War on Terror
President Bush maintained throughout both terms of his presidency that the war in Iraq was a front line in a war against global terrorism. This view was reflected yearly in special and inaugural addresses, and caused considerable debate in the United States and elsewhere. It is now conclusively established that there were no organic links between Iraq and Al Qaeda in 2003, nor were weapons of mass destruction ever found.
- Bush and the Iraq War: A Timeline
- Bush: Iraq Will Determine the War on Terror
- Iraq and Global Terrorism
- Iraq Study Group Separates Iraq and GWOT
- Neocon Anxiety Links Terror, Iraq
- Iraq Unrest: Civil War or Terrorism?
- Iraq War Statistics (Deborah White)
- Iraq War Timeline (Keith Porter)
- Which Came First? War or Terrorism?
U.S. Troops
Aubrey
The overconfident and unplanned approach to the war led to a more protracted and violent effort than many Americans had been led to expect. By 2005, the growth of an Iraqi resistance, sectarian violence verging on civil war, and an influx of foreign fighters motivated to fight on religious grounds led to questions about how many U.S. troops would be required to quell the emergent chaos. At the same time, it was clear that the presence of a U.S. occupation was itself the reason for much of the rising violence. Both the 2006 Congressional election and the 2008 presidential election turned in large part on issues related to U.S. troops in Iraq.
Iraqi and Foreign Combatants
VOA News
At the height of the fighting in Iraq, there were multiple militaries, actors and groups acting Iraq, whose alliances shifted more than once. Most dramatically, Sunni resistance fighters joined with the U.S. to battle jihadists in 2007. Many observers believe this was a turning point for the better in Iraq.