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The United States and its allies based their legal basis for the 2003 war against Iraq on Security Council authorisation. Over time, the principal justifications originally given for the war have lost much of their force. The United States and their allies have toyed with the idea of other possible factors on which this war could be justified. They are: self-defence, the war on terrorism and Humanitarian Intervention. It is important to note that as the allies justification is based on United Nations Security Council authorisation, and not the other issues discussed below, they cannot be held legally liable under any of the below . The dispute about the legitimacy of the Iraq war is not just an academic issue. It is quite possible that serious political problems could emerge for a number of Governments. This analysis will seek to elucidate and weight up all the salient issues and arrive at a rational and objective view.