In the lead-up to war, various reasons were put forward to justify the invasion of Iraq.
The government argued that Saddam Hussein needed to be ousted because he was a dangerous dictator who supported terrorism and allegedly possessed weapons of mass destruction. The war was just because the Iraqi people would be liberated, establishing a bridgehead for democracy in the Middle East.
Critics rejected these arguments, claiming that the primary cause was a struggle for control of the world's oil supply. Cartoonists cast a sceptical eye over the case for war.
![Political cartoon of George Bush and John Howard approaching a hole in the wall, carrying clubs. Sticking out of the hole they see a puppet of Saddam Hussein. Holding this puppet, on the other side of the wall, is a large creature with long claws and a skull head. - click to view larger image](https://www.nma.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0010/689689/MA56866925-Mousetrap-1200w.jpg)
![Political cartoon of John Howard and George Bush in a doctors office. They both sit shirtless on a bed. The doctor tells them 'The pathology results are back. You've got blood in your oil.' - click to view larger image](https://www.nma.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0011/689690/MA56864908-Pathology-1200w.jpg)
![Political cartoon depicting a group of 'big' tourist attractions. The Big Sheep, the Big Pineapple, the Big Banana. Among them is a stature of a man with a gun wearing camouflage. His head is out of frame. This statue is labelled the Big Terrorist Threat. - click to view larger image](https://www.nma.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0012/689691/MA56866620-big-terrorist-threat-1200w.jpg)
![Political cartoon of the Statue of Liberty lying on a couch speaking to a therapist, who says 'So...you have the French, who happen to be your parents, you feel a compulsion to liberate, & you think because of my facial hair I might be a terrorist.'. - click to view larger image](https://www.nma.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0004/689692/MA56864969-Liberty-in-psychotherapy-1200w.jpg)
![Political cartoon of a bald man in a blue suit, pointing at a poster behind him, blank, except for the title along the top 'The Enemy'. He has an angry expression, and says 'Make no mistake, this evil tyrant is a threat to us all. Me must rid ourselves of this monster before it is too late...](https://www.nma.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0005/689693/MA56862952-Our-enemy-1200w.jpg)
![Political cartoon of two diagrams, both with arrows linking three test groups in a circle. The first, labelled 'The Axis of Evil' has the words 'Iraq', 'Iran', and 'North Korea'. The second, labelled 'The Axis of Evidence', with the words 'Aust.', 'USA', and 'Disneyland'. - click to view larger image](https://www.nma.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0006/689694/MA56868329-Axis-of-evidence-1200w.jpg)
![Political cartoon of a bookshop with two display tables. One labelled 'Fiction' has a sign that say 'Sexed up!', and a booked titled 'Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction'. The other table is labeled 'Fantasy', and has a book titled ' It's Not All About Oil'. - click to view larger image](https://www.nma.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0007/689695/MA56867962-Sexed-up-1200w.jpg)
![Political cartoon of a bookshop. An employee is telling a child 'We've sold out of Harry Potter, but we still have copies of the government's report on it's justification for war.](https://www.nma.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0008/689696/MA56868758-Justification-for-war-1200w.jpg)
![Political cartoon of Uncle Sam speaking to a group of people siting in folding chairs. He says 'Uh. Hello...I'm Uncle Sam and I'm an...oilaholic!'. - click to view larger image](https://www.nma.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0009/689697/MA56864112-Uncle-oilaholic-1200w.jpg)
![Political cartoon of a man in a suit drinking red wine. He offers a toast to three military jets flying overhead, 'Thank you! You've saved my lifestyle!'. - click to view larger image](https://www.nma.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0010/689698/MA56863441-Youve-saved-my-lifestyle-1200w.jpg)
![Political cartoon of two men moving a large bomb on a trolley. The one at the back asks 'What's in this one?', and the man in front replies 'It's full of Barbie dolls, Big Macs, and evangelists!' - click to view larger image](https://www.nma.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0011/689699/MA56862583-Whats-in-this-one-1200w.jpg)
![Political cartoon of two men wearing bandoleers and balaclavas. One says ' We must smash the U.S. infidels and their evil culture...', and the other replies 'Although 'Buffy' isn't bad...'. - click to view larger image](https://www.nma.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0003/689700/MA56864784-Buffy-1200h.jpg)
![Political cartoon of a toppled statue of Saddam Hussein replace with a statue of Ronald McDonald. In the background is a ruined city. - click to view larger image](https://www.nma.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0004/689701/MA56865152-Regime-change-1200w.jpg)
![Political cartoon of a briefcase, labelled 'case for war' going though an airport security scanner. One security officer says to another, 'It's ok. It's empty'. The owner of the case, an man in a suit, says 'There must be some mistake officer'. - click to view larger image](https://www.nma.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0005/689702/MA56866069-Empty-case-1200w.jpg)
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