On March 19, 2003, the United States, under the leadership of former President George W. Bush launched the invasion of Iraq1. For many people, this was a vital strategy in the United States' "war against terror." The terrorist attack in New York City on the morning of September 11, 2001 was the instigating event that prompted the United States government to create a policy for homeland defense and war against terror that has resulted in two ongoing wars in the Middle East2. Contrary to the popular perception, the U.S. invasion of Iraq had a deeper, more profound political and socio-economical motivation behind it that can be explained using Machiavelli's liberal imperialism model as well as Kant's liberal internationalism model.
First of all, from the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in 2001 to the Iraqi invasion of 2003, the United States was under a perceived threat from Islamic terrorists 3. In response to this threat, the president of the United States rightly declared war on those who threatened the safety of the United States of America4. In the weeks and months that followed the September 11 attacks, the U.S. government engaged in the hunt for members of the al Qaeda terrorist network and their leader, Osama bin Laden.
[...] invasion and continued occupation of Iraq is an example of liberal imperialism as described by Machiavelli. Evidence from the events that led to the attack by American forces on Baghdad demonstrate that liberal imperialist reasoning was behind the United States' primary reason for attacking Iraq as well as its basic motive for remaining in Iraq long after the invasion was declared over by the U.S. president at that time. By reasoning that Iraq was a threat to American national security and rationalizing their actions were for the benefit of the Iraqi people, America used two basic principles of liberal imperialism as stated by Machiavelli, namely, expansion as a way to prevent oppression and attacking a state with dissimilar political views to disseminate liberal democracy. [...]
[...] Invasion of Iraq, Free Markets, and the Twilight of Democracy. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama, 2006. Largio, D. M. “Uncovering the Rationales for the War on Iraq: The Words of the Bush Administration, Congress, and the Media from September 12, 2001 to October 11, 2002” (BA Thesis, University of Illinois, 2004). Laffer, S. “From “Mastering Inactivity” to Limited Autonomy: Afghanistan as a Catalyst for Liberal Imperialism.” (MA Thesis, Florida State University, 2005). Plapper, Sebastian. Why Did the US Invade Iraq? Norderstedt: Grin Verlag, 2008. [...]
[...] The invasion of Iraq: An example of liberal imperialism On March 19, 2003, the United States, under the leadership of former President George W. Bush launched the invasion of Iraq1. For many people, this was a vital strategy in the United States' “war against terror.” The terrorist attack in New York City on the morning of September 11, 2001 was the instigating event that prompted the United States government to create a policy for homeland defense and war against terror that has resulted in two ongoing wars in the Middle East2. [...]
APA Style reference
For your bibliographyOnline reading
with our online readerContent validated
by our reading committee
