The Iraq War Resolution of 2002 was a joint resolution of Congress passed in October 2002, authorizing the President to use military force in Iraq to “defend the national security of the United States” and “enforce all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq.” See Public Law 107–243—Oct. 16, 2002 (Iraq War Resolution of 2002). Congress gave, among others, the following reasons for authorizing the use of military force: Iraq’s violation of the United Nation’s imposed cease-fire after the liberation of Kuwait, Congress’s conclusion that Iraq’s continued weapons of mass destruction programs threatened United States interests, Iraq’s violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions, and the presence of al Qaida members in Iraq.
[Last updated in December of 2020 by the Wex Definitions Team]