Has the US overwritten UN policy with it's preemptive strike on Iraq? why or why not?

Question

Needed for research paper

Answer 1

The preemptive strike on Iraq by the United States was technically illegal because it was not approved by the UN and no weapons of mass destruction were found which was the main reason for the invasion. of Iraq.

Answer 2

First of all, the US does not need to seek permission from the UN if the US believes it's acting in the best interests of it's own national security.

One can debate what type of threat would legitimately violate a countries national security to the extent that it justifies a unilateral attack, nonetheless the UN does provides for this exemption. This basically comes down an argument over interpretations.

When the US goes to the UN, it does so for political reasons and to get support from the International community. Almost all major world powers have reserved the sovereign right to act in it's own interest if necessary: US, Russia, China, France and the UK. The US is not alone in this position.

The bottom line is, only the UN can determine if the US violated an International law it agreed to through a vote. The UN has no way to act against the US through the Security Council since the US holds veto power and could block any resolution. That leaves the General Assembly and such a vote would be symbolic.