The mechanism of international legal legitimation of the 2003 U. S. armed invasion of Iraq: Lessons for the future

Part one

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu14.2025.108

Abstract

In the context of the 2022–2023 UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolutions on the alleged “aggression of Russia against the Ukraine”, in which Russia’s special military operation (SMO) in the Ukraine was assessed by more than 140 states on the basis of the U. S. arguments (while ignoring the international legal position of Russia), it is necessary to examine the U. S. experience in legal justification for its numerous armed incursions into foreign countries. The mechanism of ingenious legal maintenance by Washington of the use of force abroad is shown on the example of the U. S. attack on Iraq in 2003, the subsequent change of the government of that country, the execution of its president, the creation of a new government of Iraq, dependent
on the United States. The paper identifies the international legal arguments used by Washington in favor of the allegedly legitimate armed invasion of Iraq, as well as considers
the relevant facts and critically examines their international legal assessments proposed by the U. S. As a result of the use by the Americans of a compelling for many states international legal argumentation, coupled with the extensive diplomatic efforts made by the United States, not a single UNGA resolution was adopted that would have qualified such an attack as aggression.
The article shows how Washington managed to achieve international legal legitimation of the military occupation of Iraq, including in UN documents. Later this mechanism was also tested in other countries. The relevance of the subject matter is due to the possible consideration of the results of this study for improvement of the international legal support of the SMO, which at present, as the voting on the mentioned UNGA resolutions shows, does not look convincing at the level of prevailing international legal consciousness.

Keywords:

the U.S. invasion of Iraq, special military operation, UN Security Council, aggression, coercive measures, legitimate use of force, preemptive self-defence, preventive strike, unilateral military action, international legal legitimation

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Published

2025-04-22

How to Cite

Vylegzhanin, A. N., & Korzhenyak, A. M. (2025). The mechanism of international legal legitimation of the 2003 U. S. armed invasion of Iraq: Lessons for the future: Part one. Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Law, 16(1), 111–126. https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu14.2025.108

Issue

Vol. 16 No. 1 (2025)

Section

Foreign and International Law

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Articles of "Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Law" are open access distributed under the terms of the License Agreement with Saint Petersburg State University, which permits to the authors unrestricted distribution and self-archiving free of charge.