The Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) was a multinational governing body formed to rebuild Iraq in the wake of the 2003 invasion by a coalition led by the United States. Citing UN Security Council [Page 339]Resolution (UNSCR) 1483, and the laws of war, the CPA assumed a mission as the de facto government within Iraq to restore conditions of security and stability, to create conditions in which the Iraqi people could freely determine their own political future, and to facilitate economic recovery, sustainable reconstruction, and development. It vested itself with executive, legislative, and judicial authority over the Iraqi government to provide for the effective administration of Iraq during the period of transitional administration. This entry discusses the background and history of the CPA from its beginning ...