Did you know that anti-war protests matter?

 

The United Nations (UN) voted against the war in Iraq in 2003. In November 2002, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 1441, which called on Iraq to disarm its weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and allow inspections to verify their disarmament. The resolution did not explicitly authorize military force, but the United States and some of its allies argued that it provided a legal basis for the use of force if Iraq failed to comply.

In March 2003, the United States and a coalition of countries invaded Iraq without explicit authorization from the Security Council. The invasion was controversial and sparked widespread protests around the world. The Security Council held further meetings on the situation in Iraq, but no new resolution was passed explicitly authorizing the use of force.

In hindsight, the lack of evidence of WMDs in Iraq and the failure to find them after the invasion led to widespread criticism of the war and the decision to invade.

Some have argued that the war in Iraq was a war crime.