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final opportunity to comply with its disarmament obligations” and
warned of “serious consequences” if it did not do so. Faced with the
prospect of war, Saddam permitted U.N. weapons inspectors to
return to Iraq in December.
Over the next few months, the Bush administration pressured
other governments to find that Iraq was still in “material breach” of
its obligations under Resolution 1441. Many countries, such as
France, Germany, Russia, and China, resisted. Nevertheless, on
March 20, 2003, the United States and Great Britain began a war
to drive Saddam Hussein from power. By April 9, American troops
had swept into Baghdad, and Saddam was in hiding. It was appar-
ent that the Iraqi regime had collapsed. On May 1, just six weeks
after the start of the war, President Bush announced the end of
“major combat operations.”
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U.S. soldiers observe a burning oil well at the Rumaylah oilfield in southern Iraq, April 2003.