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This article is about opposition to the 2003 Invasion Of Iraq and the Iraq War from outside Iraq. For opposition within Iraq, see Iraqi Insurgency . For more information see Views On The 2003 Invasion Of Iraq . There has been significant opposition to the Iraq War across the world. At least in the sheer size of protests, this has exceeded the Opposition To The Vietnam War in scale, even before military action had begun. Much of the early opposition to the war in 2002 was organised by anti-war coalitions or individuals who had already Protested Against The Invasion Of Afghanistan . The opposition to the war manifested itself most visibly in a series of global Protests Against The Iraq War during February 2003, just prior the Iraq Invasion beginning on March 20, 2003. REASONS FOR OPPOSITION See Also: Iraq War- Rationale Critics of the invasion claimed that it would kill thousands of American soldiers and Iraqi soldiers and civilians, that it would have a negative effect on the peace and stability of the surrounding region, and that it would fail to accomplish its stated goals. Some opposed the war on principled Pacifistic or Anti-imperialist grounds, while others, who supported a right for the United States and allied nations to intervene militarily in foreign countries in some circumstances, nevertheless opposed the invasion of Iraq on pragmatic grounds, or on the basis that without United Nations approval it was a violation of International Law {Link without Title} . Another mainstream reason for opposition was that some citizens believed that the United States should not intervene with another nation's government, and many people opposed the war simply because of the danger to the troops involved. Some observers, unimpressed with U.S. claims that Iraq's secular government had any links to Al-Qaeda , the terrorist group that allegedly attacked the U.S., expressed puzzlement that the U.S. would consider military action against Iraq and not against North Korea , which had claimed it already had nuclear weapons and had announced that it was willing to contemplate war with the U.S. Many critics of the American policy did not believe that military actions would help to end terror, and believed that they would actually increase the ranks and capabilities of terrorist groups; some believed that during the war and immediate post-war period there would be a greatly increased risk that Weapons Of Mass Destruction would fall into the wrong hands (including Al-Qaeda). Perhaps the most commonly heard criticism, at least outside of the U.S., was that the Bush Administration's reason for going to war with Saddam was to gain control over Iraqi natural resources (i.e. Petroleum ). Though few doubt that nuclear and WMD proliferation is a serious threat to stability and well-being, many felt that a war in Iraq would not aid in eliminating this threat and that the real reason was to secure control over the Iraqi oil fields (at a time when arguably links with Saudi Arabia were at risk). "No blood for oil" was a popular protest cry prior to the US invasion of Iraq in March 2003. OPPOSITION IN THE UNITED STATES Immediately before and after the 2003 invasion most Polls Within The United States showed a substantial majority supporting war, though since December 2004 polls have consistently shown that a majority now thinks the invasion was a mistake. As of 2006 , opinion on what the U.S. should do in Iraq is split, with a slight majority generally favoring setting a timetable for withdrawal, but against withdrawing immediately. However, in this area responses vary widely with the exact wording of the question. {Link without Title} Anti-war sentiment has led to a number of large protests in the U.S., and some reflection in electoral politics. A significant minority of politicians, mostly Democrats , opposed the invasion of Iraq. John Kerry , the Democratic nominee for President In 2004 , voted to authorize the invasion, and said during his campaign that he stood by his vote. Howard Dean , a rival for the nomination, ran on his anti-war position, but did not favor quick troop withdrawal. Dennis Kucinich , another candidate for the Democratic nomination, favored replacement of the U.S. occupation force with one sponsored by the U.N., as did Ralph Nader 's Independent Presidential candidacy. On November 17 , 2005 , Representative John Murtha introduced to the House a resolution calling for U.S. forces in Iraq to be "redeployed at the earliest practicable date" to stand as a quick-reaction force in U.S. bases in neighboring countries such as Kuwait . In response, Republicans proposed a resolution that "the deployment of United States forces in Iraq be terminated immediately," without any provision for redeployment, which was voted down 403-3. There has not been any reports of mass resistance to the Iraq war among U.S. soldiers, unlike Vietnam, though there have been several individual refusals to ship (e.g. that the invasion was worthwhile, though half described their units' morale as "low." {Link without Title} However, a Zogby poll in March 2006 found that 72% of US soldiers in Iraq say the war should be ended within a year, and a quarter say that all troops should be withdrawn immediately. {Link without Title} OPPOSITION IN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES On 9 September 2003, the European Parliament adopted a resolution stating that a war against Iraq without another UN Security Council Resolution would be illegal; a violation of the Charter of the United Nations. (EP Res. PS_TA(2003)0032) {Link without Title} Around the 2003 Invasion Of Iraq and subsequent Occupation Of Iraq , polling data indicated that opposition to military action against Iraq was widespread in Europe {Link without Title} . 'Anti-Bush' and anti-war sentiments were reflected in many western European countries, generally with the populace less sympathetic to the U.S. stance even when politicians in a given country (e.g. the and Germany were opposed to the war and it would have been difficult for their governments had they failed to reflect those sentiments in policy. After the first UN resolution, the US and the UK pushed for a second resolution. The French and German governments, amongst others, took the position that the UN inspection process should be allowed to be completed. France's then-Foreign Minister, Dominique De Villepin received loud applause for his speech against the Iraq War at the United Nations on February 14, 2003. Neither of these countries has sent troops to Iraq. However, despite popular opinion in their countries, the governments of Italy and Spain supported the war politically and militarily, although Spain ceased to do so after the election of a Socialist government in 2004 partly due to anger about the war in Iraq. OPPOSITION THROUGHOUT THE WORLD ]] protests in France]] Opinion polls showed that the population of nearly all countries opposed a war without UN mandate, and that the view of the United States as a danger to world peace had significantly increased. [http://english.people.com.cn/200306/18/eng20030618_118439.shtml [http://people-press.org/reports/pdf/185.pdf] RELIGIOUS OPPOSITION On September 13 , 2002 , US Catholic bishops signed a letter to President Bush stating that any "pre-emptive, unilateral use of military force to overthrow the government of Iraq" could not be justified at the time. They came to this position by evaluating whether an attack against Iraq would satisfy the criteria for a Just War as defined by Catholic theology. {Link without Title} The Vatican also came out against war in Iraq. Archbishop Renato Martino , a former U.N. envoy and current prefect of the Council for Justice and Peace, told reporters that war against Iraq was a "preventative" War and constituted a "war of aggression", and thus did not constitute a just war. The foreign minister, Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran, expressed concerns that a war in Iraq would inflame anti-Christian feelings in the Islamic world. On February 8 , 2003 , Pope John Paul II said "we should never resign ourselves, almost as if war is inevitable." {Link without Title} Both the outgoing Archbishop Of Canterbury , George Carey , and his successor, Rowan Williams , spoke out against war with Iraq. The executive committee of World Council Of Churches , an organization joined by churches with a combined membership of between 350 million and 450 million Christians from over 100 countries, issued a statement in opposition to war with Iraq, stating that "War against Iraq would be immoral, unwise, and in breach of the principles of the United Nations Charter." [http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/international/exco03-iraq.html PROTESTS AGAINST WAR ON IRAQ See Also: Protests against the Iraq war Across the world popular opposition to the Iraq war has led to thousands of protests since and World public opinion. The February 15 , 2003 , worldwide protests drew millions of people across the world. It is generally estimated that over 3 million people marched in Rome , between one and two million in London , more than 600,000 in Madrid , 300,000 in Berlin, as well as in Damascus , Paris , New York , Oslo , Stockholm , Brussels , Johannesburg , Montreal - more than 600 cities in all, worldwide. This demonstration was listed by the 2004 Guinness Book Of Records as the largest mass protest movement in history. SUPPORT FOR IRAQI RESISTANCE There has been a debate among those opposed to the U.S. invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq in developed countries about how to relate to forces within Iraq. Prior to the invasion, while it was common to accuse opponents of providing objective, if not intentional, support to Saddam, none of the major antiwar organizations declared any support for him, however limited.[http://www.icl-fi.org/english/leaflets/oldsite/2003/SLB-800.HTM After the invasion and the toppling of Saddam's regime, many who had opposed it now supported continuing U.S. occupation, arguing that the U.S.' intervention had given it an obligation to stabilize the country. However, those who remained opposed to the U.S. presence had to determine their approach to the developing armed Insurgency and peaceful opposition to the occupation carried out by groups like the Worker-Communist Party Of Iraq (WCPI). The most virulent divide has been about whether to support the insurgency. None of the major Western antiwar organizations, such as United For Peace And Justice , Act Now To Stop War And End Racism , and the Stop The War Coalition , have officially taken a stance on this subject. However, many of the smaller groups which participate in these coalitions have. None support Suicide Bombings of Iraqi civilians, but some support violence against Coalition Soldiers . Representatives of some of these groups debated the issue at a 2004 conference in Japan. Eric Ruder, of the U.S.-based precludes Western opponents of the occupation placing conditions on their support of the Iraqi resistance, and argues that, "If the Iraqi resistance drives the U.S. out of Iraq, it would be a major setback for Bush 's agenda and the agenda of the U.S. Imperialism . This would be a tremendous victory for our side -- making it much more difficult for the U.S. to choose a new target in the Middle East or elsewhere in trying to impose its will." {Link without Title} Sato Kazuyoshi, President of the Japanese Movement For Democratic Socialism , argues otherwise. Reporting on the discussion at the 2004 conference, he writes that, "We cannot support, nor extend our solidarity to, them on the grounds that their strategy excludes many Iraqi citizens -- above all, women -- and do great harm on the civilians, and will bring the Iraqi future society under an Islamic dictatorship." He cites in turn Mahmood Ketabchi of the WCPI, who criticizes Iraqi guerrilla groups for Baathist and Islamist connections, and attacks Ruder's view as a " Left Nationalism " which ignores divisions within Iraq. Countering the response that the best way to ensure that progressive forces, not reactionary ones, dominate post-occupation Iraq would be for progressives to take the lead in fighting the occupation, Ketabchi argues that this is not possible due to the present situation in Iraq. Nevertheless, he claims, "We do not have to choose between the US and Iraqi reactionary forces. Opposition to the US is not a progressive stand per se. What matters is the kind of future that this opposition represents and objectives it pursues." A third alternative is represented by what Kazuyoshi calls the " Civil Resistance." {Link without Title} OFFICIAL CONDEMNATION The following countries have protested formally and officially to the conduct of this war. They do not support the Iraq War in principle, citing in some cases that they believe it is illegal, and in others that it required an affirmative United Nations mandate.
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