In 2002 the United States government began to argue for the necessity of invading Iraq. This formally began with a speech by US President George W. Bush to the United Nations General Assembly on September 12, 2002 which argued that the Iraqi government of Saddam Hussein was violating UN resolutions, primarily on weapons of mass destruction.

Anti-war demonstartions rallied millions of people in approximately 800 cities around the world against the imminent invasion of Iraq. The proposed war was controversial with many people questioning the motives of the US government and its rationale. International protests were unprecedented not only in terms of the size of the demonstrations but also in terms of the international co-ordination involved.The invasion of Iraq began on March 20, 2003.

Anti-war protests were given up as soon as the war against Iraq started.