Iraq Special Collection

Related link: CNS Media Contacts on Iraq.

Last Update: June 15, 2005

• Recent Articles

  • Leading Iraqi Nuclear Scientist, Once Imprisoned, Elected to Prominent Post
    A review of Hussein Shahristani's career, his rise as Iraq's leading nuclear chemist, fall from grace by refusing Saddam Hussein a nuclear weapon, decade long imprisonment and escape, to becoming one of Iraq's most respected politicians.
    CNS Research Story by Sammy Salama and Cameron Hunter.
    Created: June 15, 2005

  • Possible Suspects and Motives for the Suicide Bombings In Iraq
    Suicide bombing attacks are becoming a weekly if not daily fixture in post-war Iraq. To date, there have been more than 40 suicide bombing attacks.
    Research Story of the Week by Sammy Salama.
    Created: March 30, 2004

  • In Post-War Iraq, Placating the Shi'a is Paramount
    Leading figures among the Iraqi Shi'a majority reject the plan to postpone transfer of Iraqi governance to a provisional government, and are demanding direct and open elections prior to the July 1st deadline.
    Research Story of the Week by Sammy Salama, Kathleen Thompson, and Jennifer Chalmers.
    Created: January 30, 2004

  • North Korean Cruise Missile Tests--and Iraqi Cruise Missile Attacks--Raise Troubling Questions for Missile Defenses
    "In the end, hedging against the cruise missile threat depends as much on developing more effective nonproliferation policies as it does on planning for more versatile missile defenses."
    Research Story of the Week by Dennis Gormley.
    Created: April 8, 2003

  • Turkey's Position in the Iraq Operation: Bridge or Barrier?
    "The underlying reason for Turkey's ambivalence is that it is caught between its political priorities and strategic relationship with the United States."
    A report by Sebnem Udum.
    Created: March 26, 2003

  • Just Following (Saddam Hussein's) Orders
    "Documents taken in Iraq after the first Persian Gulf war showed the extent to which Saddam Hussein hoped to have his soldiers and even civilians exploit prisoners of war, particularly downed pilots."
    An op-ed by Ibrahim al-Marashi for the New York Times.
    Created: March 25, 2003

  • Will Kirkuk's Oil Fields Burn?
    "It seems likely that any agreement between the Kurds and a post-Saddam government will hinge on the issue of Kirkuk. The question remains, 'what will be left of the Kirkuk oil fields after the war?'"
    Research Story of the Week by Ibrahim Al-Marashi.
    Week of March 21, 2003

  • Iraq Missile Profile: Scud Missile Preparation and Launch
    A profile by Tim McCarthy for the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI).
    Created: March 16, 2003

  • CNS Iraq Inspections Database
    Created: March 10, 2003

  • Disarming Iraq by Force: WMD Stakes and Scenarios
    While a U.S.-led war to disarm Iraq appears increasingly probable, anticipating the consequences of the coming conflict is not a simple matter. The stakes in the coming clash include a wide range of possible positive and negative consequences.
    Research Story of the Week by Michael Barletta.
    Week of March 7, 2003

  • The Al Samoud Missile
    A description and technical evaluation of the Al Samoud missile, by Dr. Robert Schmucker, Schmucker Technologie for the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI).
    Created: March 4, 2003

  • To Comply or Not to Comply: Outline of the UN Inspections Mechanism in Iraq
    Twelve years after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait and the subsequent U.S.-led Desert Storm operation, the United Nations continues to persevere in the process of disarming Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) through inspections and monitoring.
    An issue brief by Victor Mizin for the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI).
    Created: March 2003

  • Russia's Views On the Crisis in Iraq
    In the wake of U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell's U.N. address on February 5, 2003, it quickly became evident that his presentation did not have an immediate effect on Russia's position.
    Research Story of the Week by Michael Jasinski.
    Week of February 17, 2003

  • Dusty Agents and the Iraqi Chemical Weapons Arsenal
    The New York Times recently reported that, according to an Iraqi defector, Iraq has devised and produced a solid VX formulation that could be described as a "dusty" agent. The properties of this agent include the ability to adhere and penetrate gaps in chemical-protective garments.
    An issue brief by Eric Croddy for the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI).
    Created: October 2002

  • Biological Weapons Facilities
    The following maps and associated text provide locations and detailed descriptions of Iraq's biological weapon (BW) sites and facilities.
    By CNS staff for the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI).
    Created: October 11, 2002

  • Saddam's Security and Intelligence Network
    "Iraq's security apparatus is the most important instrument of state control in Saddam's regime and has been fundamental in the preservation of his rule. "
    A report by Ibrahim Al-Marashi. It includes a chart outlining the Iraqi security apparatus.
    Created: September 30, 2002

  • Invade and Unleash?
    "Saddam Hussein might see his biological weapons as an asset to be used only if he is on the brink of destruction."
    An op-ed by William C. Potter for the Washington Post, September 22, 2002.

• Special Reports on the War in Iraq
  A collection of reports including:
  • The Significance of the "Death" of Ali Hassan al-Majid
  • The Republican Guard [Al-Haris Al-Jamhuri]
  • The Battle for Basra
  • The Iraqi Actors in the North of Iraq
  • American POWs
  • Command and Control of Iraq's CW Arsenal
  • Key Figures in Saddam's Government
  • Who are Saddam's Fidayin?
  Updated: April 9, 2003
  Created: March 26, 2003

• CNS Research on Iraq's WMD and Missile Programs
  • Iraq: Weapons of Mass Destruction Capabilities and Programs - summary chart
  • Foreign Suppliers to Iraq's Biological Weapons Program - clickable flowchart
  • Profile of a Proliferator: Iraq's Biological Weapons Program
    Washington D.C. Office 2002 Briefing Series, February 2, 2001.
  • Iraqi Purchase of Missile Gyroscopes from Russia - special investigation
  • Iraq Country Overview
  • Weapons of Mass Destruction in the Middle East
  • Overview of Weapons of Mass Destruction Capabilities in the Middle East and South Asia

• Developments in Iraq in Light of September 11: Washington D.C. Round Table
  On January 17, 2002, the Monterey Institute Center for Nonproliferation Studies hosted one of a series of conference calls with U.S. and European experts to review the impacts of the events of September 11 on arms control and nonproliferation.

  
  

• Articles on Iraq from The Nonproliferation Review
  • The Iraqi Maze: Searching for a Way Out
    An article by David Albright and Kevin O'Neill, Vol. 8.3.
  • An Analysis of Iraqi WMD Strategy (PDF)
    An article by Amatzia Baram, Vol. 8.2.
  • Evidence Iraq Used Chemical Weapons During the 1991 Persian Gulf War (PDF)
    A report by Jonathan B. Tucker, Vol. 4.3.
  • Monitoring and Verification in a Noncooperative Environment: Lessons From the U.N. Experience in Iraq (PDF)
    An article by Jonathan B. Tucker, Vol. 3.3.

  
  

• Future of UN disarmament activities in Iraq
  • Proposed new UN Iraq monitoring body
  • Reinstitute Iraq Weapons Inspections
    An Op-Ed for the Boston Globe by Leonard S. Spector and Jonathan B. Tucker, September 2001.

  
  

• UNSCOM
  • Comprehensive Review
    • UNSCOM's Comprehensive Review, Delivered to the Security Council 25 January 1999.
    • Brief History of the Comprehensive Review.
  • UNSCOM Documents
    • UNSCOM report on Iraqi VX warheads, October 1998.
      Includes unique diagrams of VX warhead analysis.
    • "UNSCOM and the Iraqi Challenge," 3 December 1998.
      A CNS special briefing by Rolf Ekeus, Executive Chairman of UNSCOM, 1991-1997.
    • UNSCOM report on its activities, 17 November - 2 December 1998.
      Details Iraqi non-cooperation with inspections.
    • IAEA and UNSCOM reports to UN Security Council, 15 December 1998.
      Iraqi cooperation with IAEA, non-cooperation with UNSCOM.
    • UNSCOM letter to UN Security Council, 30 November 1998.
      Butler letters to Aziz regarding "special" Iraqi warheads.
    • UNSCOM-Iraq exchange on biological weapons, November 1998.
      Dispute over documents regarding Iraqi biological weapons program.
    • Resignation letter of inspector William S. Ritter, Jr., 26 August 1998.
  • CNS/UNSCOM Photo Gallery
    • Photos of Iraqi weapons and sites taken by UNSCOM inspectors,
      with enhanced size/resolution and detailed captions by CNS analysts.
  • Earlier UNSCOM Reports
    • Report to UN Security Council, October 1998.
      Details relations between Iraq and UNSCOM; identifies remaining questions, especially regarding biological weapons program.
    • Chronology of UNSCOM Inspections in Iraq, October 1998.
      (Revised and edited by CNS).
    • Briefings to UN Security Council, 3-4 June 1998.
      Details Iraqi concealment policies and tactics. Includes introduction by Butler, UNSCOM staff presentations on unilateral destruction, missiles, chemical weapons, biological weapons, documents, and concealment.
    • UN-Iraq Memorandum of Understanding, 25 February 1998.
      On IAEA and UNSCOM verification to implement UN Security Council resolutions 687 and 715 regarding Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.
    • Excerpt of the Report to UN Security Council, October 1995.
      First detailed public accounting of Iraqi official declarations regarding its biological and chemical weapons programs.

  
  

• International Reactions to Operation Desert Fox
  • "Chinese Reactions to the US Strike on Iraq," 17 December 1998.
  • "French Position on the Current Iraq Crisis," 17 December 1998,
    by Sonia Ben Ouagrham.
  • "Russian Reaction: What's Behind the Opposition," 17 December 1998,
    by Nikolai Sokov.
  • "Russian Reaction, Day Two: Recalling the Ambassador," 18 December 1998,
    by Nikolai Sokov.
  • World Survey of Reactions to US Strike on Iraq, 17 December 1998.

  
  

• Iraqi Procurement of Proscribed Weapons and Technologies
  • "The Mystery of the Sunken Gyros"
    Vladimir Orlov & William C. Potter, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (November/December 1998).
  • "The Case Russia Forgot"
    William C. Potter, New York Times, 3 April 1998.
  • Initial report (translation by CNS) or more detailed second version of Moscow PIR Center investigation into 1995 Iraqi purchase of missile guidance components from Russia.
  • CNS Summary of the "Bill of Indictment"
    by German court in 1992, regarding Iraqi procurement for nuclear, missile, and chemical weapon programs. The full-text translation is also available (PDF, size: 270kb, 64 pages).

  
  

• CNS Databases
  CNS databases include abstracts of 24,000+ articles. A small subset is presented here; access to the full databases available through the Research Library of the Nuclear Threat Initiative web site.
  • Iraqi disputes with UNSCOM - 1998.

  
  

• Other Online Resources.