News Release

March 19, 2003

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History Will Judge Wisdom of Iraq Invasion
Cato scholar hopes for quick U.S. victory with minimum number of casualties

WASHINGTON-Upon hearing the Bush administration's announcement of the commencement of military operations in Iraq, Christopher Preble, Cato Institute director of foreign policy studies, issued the following comments:

Under the Constitution, the sole legitimate justification for the use of military force is the defense of vital U.S. security interests. This authority is vested jointly in the legislative and executive branches of government. Under international law, leaders are entitled to take military action if they believe that a threat to their nation is imminent. President Bush believes that Saddam Hussein poses such a threat. The failure to win the support of a majority of the member states on the United Nations Security Council does not necessarily mean that the United States has embarked on an unjust war; it does mean, however, that the evidence presented by the Bush administration was not sufficiently compelling to convince people around the globe that the threat posed by Saddam Hussein's Iraq justifies a preemptive war. History will judge who was right. In the meantime, we hope and pray for a swift end to this war, with a minimum of casualties on both sides, followed by a quick transition to Iraqi control over their country, and an evacuation of our forces from the Middle East, where they have already been for too long.