{
  "id": "RL31843",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL31843",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 318643,
      "date": "2003-12-18",
      "retrieved": "2016-04-08T14:31:55.878544",
      "title": "Iraq: International Attitudes to Operation Iraqi Freedom and Reconstruction",
      "summary": "On May 1, 2003, President Bush announced the end of the combat phase of the U.S.-led war in\nIraq.\nPresident Bush referred to the war as a \"victory\" and claimed that \"in the battle of Iraq, the United\nStates and our allies have prevailed.\" (\"President Bush Announces that Combat Operations in Iraq\nHave Ended,\"  White House Press , May 1, 2003). In the aftermath of the war, the U.S.\nmilitary\npresence in postwar Iraq persists. Approximately 130,000 U.S. troops remain in Iraq and are\npartaking in the reconstruction and stabilization of the country. Under UNSC Res. 1483, the\nAdministration's current objective in Iraq is to secure and rebuild the country and fulfill the\nhumanitarian needs of the Iraqi people. However, restoring law and order and delivering basic\nservices continues to be threatened by lawlessness and violence by a variety of Hussein loyalists,\nex-soldiers, criminal elements, and possibly international fighters.\n Numerous countries are contributing to reconstruction and stabilization forces in Iraq. The\nUnited Kingdom governs the southern part of the country, where there are nearly 12,000 British\ntroops. Meanwhile, Poland -- with some logistical assistance from NATO -- oversees the\ncentral-southern region and leads a force consisting of 9,200 troops from Europe, Asia, and Latin\nAmerica. Still, other countries that have not contributed troops, such as Saudi Arabia and China,\nhave offered monetary pledges and humanitarian aid.\n There has been an increase in international cooperation between the United States and the\ncountries that opposed the U.S.-led war in Iraq in the postwar period. On October 16, 2003, the U.N.\nSecurity Council unanimously approved UNSC Res. 1511. This resolution authorized a\nmultinational force under unified command (article 13), welcomed countries to pledge substantially\nto Iraq's reconstruction needs (article 24), and signaled an overall greater role for the United Nations\nin postwar Iraq. The spirit of international cooperation was also evident at the Madrid International\nConference on Reconstruction in Iraq on October 24, 2003. The conference garnered close to $13\nbillion in aid pledges from countries and donors other than the United States. Some analysts suggest,\nhowever, that foreign governments are still hesitant to contribute peacekeeping troops and financial\nassistance out of fear of appearing to sanction the Iraq war.\n Concerns over (1) the deteriorating security situation and troops' safety, (2) the accuracy of\nprewar intelligence on Iraq, including the unproven assertion of a large-scale program to develop\nchemical, biological, and nuclear weapons, and (3) the timetable and design for establishing an\ninternationally recognized, \"legitimate\" Iraqi government, however, have rekindled the prewar\ndebate over the use of military action against Iraq and predictions about the ease of \"regime change\"\nin Iraq. In light of the latter concerns, the U.S. government has recently announced that it may seek\nan additional U.N. resolution to back its proposal for turning over authority to a sovereign Iraqi\ngovernment. Presumably, such concerns might affect the extent of foreign support toward postwar\nIraq reconstruction.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
      "active": false,
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          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL31843",
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      "topics": []
    }
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Foreign Affairs",
    "Intelligence and National Security",
    "Middle Eastern Affairs",
    "National Defense"
  ]
}