Editing Iraq disarmament crisis (section)

==Background==
{{See also|List of United Nations Security Council resolutions concerning Iraq|l1=United Nations Security Council resolutions concerning Iraq|United Nations Security Council Resolution 687|l2=UNSCR 687|United Nations Security Council Resolution 699|l3=UNSCR 699|United Nations Security Council Resolution 707|l4=UNSCR 707|United Nations Security Council Resolution 715|l5=UNSCR 715|United Nations Security Council Resolution 949|l6=UNSCR 949|United Nations Security Council Resolution 1051|l7=UNSCR 1051|United Nations Security Council Resolution 1060|l8=UNSCR 1060|United Nations Security Council Resolution 1115|l9=UNSCR 1115|United Nations Security Council Resolution 1134|l10=UNSCR 1134|United Nations Security Council Resolution 1137|l11=UNSCR 1137|United Nations Security Council Resolution 1154|l12=UNSCR 1154|United Nations Security Council Resolution 1194|l13=UNSCR 1194|United Nations Security Council Resolution 1205|l14=UNSCR 1205|United Nations Security Council Resolution 1284|l15=UNSCR 1284}}
{{Events leading to the Iraq War}}
In the decade following the 1991 Gulf War, the United Nations passed 16 [[United Nations Security Council Resolution|Security Council resolutions]] calling for the complete elimination of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. [[United Nations member states|Member states]] communicated their frustration over the years that Iraq was impeding the work of the UN Special Commission and failing to take seriously its disarmament obligations. Iraqi security forces had on several occasions physically prevented weapons inspectors from doing their job and in at least one case, took documents from them.

On 29 September 1998, the [[United States Congress]] passed the ''[[Iraq Liberation Act]]'' supporting the efforts of [[Iraqi anti-Saddam groups|Iraqi opposition groups]] to remove Saddam Hussein from office. The Act was signed by President Clinton on 31 October 1998. On the same day, Iraq announced it would no longer cooperate with United Nations weapons inspectors.

The UN, under [[Kofi Annan]], brokered a deal wherein Iraq would allow weapons inspectors back into the country. Iraq ceased cooperating with inspectors only days later. The inspectors left the country in December. Inspectors returned the following year as part of The [[United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission]] (UNMOVIC).

[[Paul Wolfowitz]], the military analyst for the [[United States Department of Defense]] under [[Ronald Reagan]], had formulated a new [[United States foreign policy|foreign policy]] with regard to Iraq and other "potential aggressor states", dismissing "containment" in favor of "[[Preemptive war|preemption]]", with the goal of striking first to eliminate threats.

This policy was short-lived, however, and Clinton, along with [[George H. W. Bush]], [[Colin Powell]], and other former Bush administration officials, dismissed calls for preemption in favor of continued containment. This was the policy of George W. Bush as well for his first several months in office. The [[September 11, 2001 attacks]] brought to life Wolfowitz's and other "hawks'" advocacy for [[pre-emptive war|preemptive action]]; Iraq was widely agreed to be a likely subject of this new policy. Powell continued to support the philosophy behind containment.

Following the Gulf War, the [[Iraqi Army]] was reduced to 23 divisions with a total of about 375,000 troops. The [[Iraqi Air Force]] was reduced to less than 300 aircraft. The [[Iraqi Navy]] was almost completely destroyed, and its few remaining operational vessels were in a poor state of repair, the crews were estimated to be in a poor state of readiness, and its capabilities were reduced to that of limited mining and raiding missions.<ref>
{{cite web |author=John Pike |url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/iraq/navy.htm |title=Iraqi Navy |publisher=Globalsecurity.org |access-date=2013-06-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130401124247/http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/iraq/navy.htm |archive-date=2013-04-01 |url-status=live }}
</ref> Any rebuilding that was done went into the [[Republican Guard (Iraq)|Republican Guard]], and the formation of the [[Special Republican Guard]].