This article discusses the underlying reasons for the start of the U.S. military operation in Iraq in 2003. It analyzes the key ideological, energy, economic, and political aspects that led the Bush Jr. administration to decide to invade the Iraqi state. The authors examine the influence of neoconservative figures, the role of oil, and the official motives of the White House. The article concludes the discrepancy between the declared American reasons for overthrowing Saddam Hussein's regime and the most likely drivers of the military operation.