Iraq War: Background and Issues Overview [Updated March 24, 2003]   [open pdf - 459KB]

"The Background section of this report outlines the evolution of the current conflict with Iraq since September 11, 2001. This section is followed by a more detailed description and analysis of U.S. policy and a survey of congressional actions on Iraq. The report then reviews a range of issues that the Iraq situation has raised for Congress. These issue discussions have been written by CRS [Congressional Research Service] experts, and contact information is provided for congressional readers seeking additional information. In this section and elsewhere, text boxes list CRS products that provide in-depth information on the topics under discussion or on related topics. The final section links the reader to additional sources of information on the Iraq crisis."