Abstract:
The world community has had ample time by now to acknowledge that the US-led
invasion of Iraq carries significant implications for the international political scene,
especially that of the Middle East. The US and its allies, in March of 2003 launched an
ambitious war against the Baathist Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein, a declared claim of
which was an attempt to transform Iraq from a dictatorship into a democracy. The plan,
however, did not proceed as smoothly as they had expected it to. Instead, the US found
itself entangled on Iraqi soil for a variety of reasons, unable to entirely fulfill its intended
agenda. Nevertheless, a few achievements were recorded for the US administration, for
which it should receive the due credit these feats deserve. The purpose of this study is to emphasize the idea that although the United States is the
unilateral superpower of the world, it nevertheless still confronts considerable limitations
on the ability to impose its economic and political programs on other countries. Essential
factors, mainly domestic factors and geopolitics for instance, should not be ignored;
otherwise, even superpowers will undoubtedly suffer from a loss of credibility,
accountability, status and other unfavorable consequences. Thus, appropriating the Iraq war as a case-study, the fundamental aim of this thesis is to
convey the idea that superpowers indubitably have limitations, no matter how powerful
they appear or claim to be, and should therefore carefully weigh their political maneuvers
and foreign policies. An in-depth scrutiny of the possible consequences of their invasion
would have helped the United States to avoid the series of unfavorable events and
miscalculations which occurred in Iraq.
