The US in Iraq. (c2008)

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.