Iraq was subject to fairly intrusive US-lobbied inspection for much of the 1990s [1]. Inspectors were looking for WMDs (chemical and biological in that case), a

Iraq was subject to fairly intrusive US-lobbied inspection for much of the 1990s [1]. Inspectors were looking for WMDs (chemical and biological in that case), and did in fact find and destroy (at least some of) them. Iraq went through the trouble of accommodating the US. That didn't help them in 2003. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Special_Commission https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Special_Commiss...