The removal of Saddam Hussein has become a major objective of the United States, even though there is no clear evidence that Iraq has been linked to al-Qaeda.
The ruling Ba’ath party, although militantly anti-American, is secular. However, President Bush’s strategic aims now include the containment and potentially the removal of governments which might constitute a future threat.
With Iran and North Korean, Iraq was named by Mr Bush as one of the states in an “axis of evil” and potential sources of weapons of mass destruction to worldwide terrorist groups.
