U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, 2003-2008. (c2012)

Abstract

U.S. foreign policy under George W. Bush went from distancing itself from nation-building efforts to embrace a full-scale nation-building adventure in Iraq. The “Bush Doctrine,” developed by neoconservatives in the Bush administration, pushed for preemptive wars against imminent threats, using its democracy agenda as a cover for other agendas and objective. This thesis investigates US policy in the Middle East during Bush's presidency and the geopolitical consequences it had on the region. To this end, it examines, among other factors, how the neoconservatives’ ideology and commitment to Israel shaped America’s foreign policy objectives toward Iraq and Lebanon. The thesis uses these two case studies to contrast the Bush administration’s geopolitical objectives in the Middle East after the 9/11 terrorist attacks against its democratization discourse.