U S Policy Toward Iraq

The last six years have witnessed a virtually unending debate over U.S. policy toward Iraq, a debate that is likely to continue well into the new administration and perhaps the next, notwithstanding recent improvements on the ground. Too often, however, the debate has been narrowly framed in terms of the situation in Iraq and what steps the United States should take there next, leaving the broader impact of the war on American interests largely overlooked. Ultimately, though, the success and failure of the war will have to be judged in terms of its overall contribution to U.S. national security, including those repercussions that extend far beyond the borders of Iraq. This book addresses this gap by providing a comprehensive evaluation of the consequences of the Iraq war for the national security of the United States. It is aimed at both those who have not yet made up their minds about the merits of the war and those who wish to ground their opinions in a clearer understanding of what effects the war has actually had. Balance Sheet examines both how the war has advanced or retarded the achievement of other important goals of U.S. national security policy and its impact on the ability of the United States to pursue its security interests now and in the future. Individual chapters by expert authors address such key issues as the war on terror, nuclear non-proliferation, stability in the Middle East, the health of the U.S. military, America's standing in the world, and U.S. public opinion. By doing justice to the full range of stakes involved, this book not only reframes the debate over the Iraq war but provides a necessary foundation for future U.S. policymaking toward Iraq and beyond.

Dr. F. Gregory Gause III has been Associate Professor of Political Science at the Department of Political Science, University of Vermont, since 1995. In 1998, he was appointed Director of Vermont’s Middle East Studies Program. His research focuses on political and social change in the Middle East, particularly the GCC countries and the countries of the Arabian Peninsula. Dr. Gause was Assistant Professor of Political Science at Columbia University from 1987 to 1992, and Associate Professor from 1992 to 1995. He acquired academic and research experience in Syria, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Israel, the Occupied Territories, Egypt and Morocco. He is proficient in Arabic. Dr. Gause has numerous publications to his credit. He contributed to various edited volumes, and his articles have been published in the Middle East Report, Foreign Affairs, the Journal of Arab Affairs, the Middle East Journal, the Journal of International Affairs and the Review of International Studies. He has published two books, Oil Monarchies: Domestic and Security Challenges in the Arab Gulf States (1994), and Saudi-Yemeni Relations: Domestic Structures and Foreign Influence (1990). The latter was translated into Arabic in 1993. From 1993 to 1994, Dr. Gause was Fellow for Arabic and Islamic Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. He obtained a Ph.D. in Political Science from Harvard University in 1987.

This thesis is an analysis of U.S. policy toward Iraq since the Gulf War. UN Security Council Resolution 687 was the formal cease-fire agreement ending the Gulf War, the resolution requiring the elimination of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction and created the UN Special Commission (UNSCOM). Attempts to gain Iraqi compliance with Resolution 687 consumed U.S. Iraq policy for nine years. In 1999, UNSCOM was disestablished without fulfilling its mandate. The Security Council then adopted Resolution 1284 in attempt to introduce a new inspection regime into Iraq. This thesis examines the factors required to successfully compel Iraqi compliance with Resolution 687 and now Resolution 1284. The findings of this research conclude that current U.S. policy toward Iraq does not contain elements needed to successfully compel Iraqi compliance. The thesis then offers three policy options to deal with Iraq. The advantages and disadvantages of each are discussed. The thesis concludes that although current policy does not support the re-entry of a viable inspection regime, current policy does support the overall U.S. objective of containing Iraq. It is argued that this policy should be maintained in the near-term while the United States fully develops regime change as a long-term strategy.

This book analyzes the ways in which US policy toward Iraq was dictated by America's broader Cold War strategy between 1958 and 1975. While most historians have focused on “hot” Cold War conflicts such as Cuba, Vietnam, and Afghanistan, few have recognized Iraq's significance as a Cold War battleground. This book argues that US decisions and actions were designed to deny the Soviet Union influence over Iraq and to create a strategic base in the oil-rich Gulf region. Using newly available primary sources and interviews, this book reveals new details on America's decision-making toward and actions against Iraq during the height of the Cold War and shows where Iraq fits into the broader historiography of the Cold War in the Middle East. Further, it raises important questions about widely held misconceptions of US-Iraqi relations, such as the CIA's alleged involvement in the 1963 Ba'thist coup and the theory that the US sold out the Kurds in 1975.

The volume analyzes the political and economic effects of the Iran-Iraq war upon Iraq, focusing on whether the war has united Iraqi society in a way that has not happened since the country was established in 1920. It opens with an examination of Iraqi political development and U.S. policy toward Iraq. Following is a discussion of the various means of political consolidation of Iraq. The next chapter investigates the growth of Iraqi foreign policy in relation to both the Arab state and the superpowers. The book also predicts the country's ability to hold together under current military and economic pressure. Finally, the author discusses the future of U.S. policy toward Iraq. Policy makers, policy analysts, and scholars in Middle East studies will find this volume to be timely, well reasoned, and informative.