POLS 425 U.S. Foreign Policy

1. POLS 425 U.S. Foreign Policy Major Worldviews: Practice and Analytical Implications Behind the War in Iraq January 24, 2007

2. U.S. Foreign PolicyMajor Worldviews: Practice and Implications Behind the War in Iraq Logic of analysis: To understand the war, we need to begin with a basic recognition of how world capitalism shapesthe behavior of states, and, in particular, creates a framework in which state power is used to protect, secure, and enhance the interests of the dominant class

3. U.S. Foreign PolicyMajor Worldviews: Practice and Implications Behind the War in Iraq History of Iraq illustrates three basic and recurring themes: • Domination • Exclusion • Resistance Picture: British Major-General Stanley Maude enters Baghdad in March 11, 1917, capturing the province of Mesopotamia from the Ottoman Empire (NYT)

4. U.S. Foreign PolicyMajor Worldviews: Practice and Implications “IN BAGHDAD, an authoritarian regime, backed by military force, exercises a powerful grip over Iraq and poses a direct strategic threat to the interests of the major Western power in the region. A military expedition against the regime is mounted and, after a campaign that proves more difficult and costly than anticipated, Baghdad is captured and a new political order established under Western military and political control. But just as it seems that direct foreign rule is establishing the shape of the future for Iraq, rebellion breaks out …on the streets of Baghdad and throughout the Shi'ite centre and south of the country, putting the whole enterprise in jeopardy.” The description above is of event 80 years ago, when the British first moved to dominate Iraq and her rich oil fields

5. U.S. Foreign PolicyMajor Worldviews: Practice and Implications Behind the War in Iraq: Recurring Themes • Domination I: The “British Invasion” and the “Logic of Imperial Power” • Britain invaded Mesopotamia in 1914 • “Unification of Iraq” under British rule by 1918

6. U.S. Foreign PolicyMajor Worldviews: Practice and Implications Behind the War in Iraq: Recurring Themes • Exclusion I:Britain fought to keep exclusive control of the newly unified Iraq (which brought together three disparate provinces, including the Kurds) • Larger struggle for control of the collapsing Ottoman Empire led to compromise: British dominion over Iraq and French control over Syria and Lebanon • British kept near-exclusive control over Iraq for three decades

7. U.S. Foreign PolicyMajor Worldviews: Practice and Implications Behind the War in Iraq: Recurring Themes • Resistance I:Foreign domination naturally provokes a backlash among indigenous people; in Iraq, this took place from the very beginning of British domination • A particularly important aspect of resistance is the rise of nationalism • To combat nationalism, imperial powers typically adopt a “divide-and-rule” strategy, favoring one indigenous group over another. The British supported the Sunni over the urban-based nationalist movement

8. U.S. Foreign PolicyMajor Worldviews: Practice and Implications Behind the War in Iraq: Recurring Themes • Domination II:The Extension of American Power into the Middle East (Neo-Imperialism) • The end of British dominance did not mean the end of foreign intervention/imperialism • British decline left the door open for (gradual) American ascendance At first, the U.S. could regain power in Iraq, but it played an instrumental role in staging a “coup”--planned by the CIA--that toppled the government of Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadeq. In his place, the U.S. installed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, widely regarded as ruthless, but pro-American dictator.i

9. U.S. Foreign PolicyMajor Worldviews: Practice and Implications Behind the War in Iraq: Recurring Themes • Exclusion II:The Extension of American Power into the Middle East (Neo-Imperialism) • Cold war rivalry between the United States created new exclusionary dynamic: Western powers were now aligned with each other against the Soviet Union

10. U.S. Foreign PolicyMajor Worldviews: Practice and Implications Behind the War in Iraq: Recurring Themes • Resistance II:The Extension of American Power into the Middle East (Neo-Imperialism) • Indigenous resistance varied: overthrow of the Shah in Iran was particularly important • Dynamics of Cold War provided more room for anti-imperial efforts

11. U.S. Foreign PolicyMajor Worldviews: Practice and Implications Behind the War in Iraq: Recurring Themes • Domination III: Reassertion of American Power • The end of the Iran-Iraq War (and end of the Cold War) created conditions for U.S. to reassert and reestablish dominance • Key American goal: the permanent installation of U.S. military forces in West Asia, which would allow American control over West Asian oil reserves • “Neo-neo Imperialism”?

12. U.S. Foreign PolicyMajor Worldviews: Practice and Implications Behind the War in Iraq: Recurring Themes • Domination III: Reassertion of American Power • Each successive period of imperialism requires new tactics and strategies: outright invasion or proxy states no longer viable • Imperialism had to be (re-)“legitimized” • According to authors, this was accomplished by creating a pretext for massive American military intervention: Iraq was tricked into attacking Kuwait to justify Western counter-assault

13. U.S. Foreign PolicyMajor Worldviews: Practice and Implications Behind the War in Iraq: Recurring Themes • Domination III: Reassertion of American Power • Iraqi aggression used to justify American military presence in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait • American counter-attack used to “demonstrate” unassailable American power; designed to show the world that resistance to US was futile

14. U.S. Foreign PolicyMajor Worldviews: Practice and Implications Behind the War in Iraq: Recurring Themes • Domination III: Reassertion of American Power • Logic of American imperialism led to acts of “genocide” committed by U.S. government against the most innocent Iraqis: children There is much debate over the actual figures. The figure of 500,000 “excess deaths” as a result of sanctions is frequently cited as “fact.” Others dispute that there were any “excess deaths” as a result of sanctions, and instead place the blame on Saddam’s regime. The truth likely lies somewhere in the middle. Click here for a discussion of this topic.

15. The Price of Imperialism Question (Leslie Stahl): “We have heard that half a million children have died [as a result of U.S.-imposed sanctions against Iraq]. I mean, that’s more than died in Hiroshima. And, you know, is the price worth it?” Answer (Madeline Albright): “I think this is a very hard choice, but the price, we think the price is worth it” Click here to view clip from actual interview

16. U.S. Foreign PolicyMajor Worldviews: Practice and Implications Behind the War in Iraq: Recurring Themes • Exclusion III: Reassertion of American Power • Just as imperial domination requires new strategies, so does imperial exclusion • In post-Gulf War Iraq, the United States used sanctions as an instrument of exclusion • Sanctions help to ensure that pre-existing oil contracts between Saddam’s regime and Russia, China, and France could not be honored

17. U.S. Foreign PolicyMajor Worldviews: Practice and Implications Behind the War in Iraq: Recurring Themes • Resistance III: Reassertion of American Power • Ongoing insurgency • Emerging civil war • Revitalization of pan-Arab nationalism • 3,060 U.S. military deaths; 23,000-100,000 wounded • 60,000 - 650,000 Iraqi civilian deaths

18. U.S. Foreign PolicyMajor Worldviews: Practice and Implications Behind the War in Iraq: The Explanation • A “double-edged sword”: U.S.-imposed sanctions were effective in excluding other imperial power, but they also precluded American exploitation of Iraq’s oil (with an estimated value of $1 trillion) • The war against Saddam was intended to resolve this contradiction • Behind everything was the influence of the major oil companies: ultimately, the capitalists were running the show