Invasion of Iraq, Spring 2003

Anderson, Bush's Wars, pp. 60-71, 93-129

1) How was the U.S. decision to end the policy of containment and go to war against Iraq made from 2002 to 2003?

a) Who were the “neo-conservatives”?

Why did they push for an invasion of Iraq?

What “national interests” did they claim were involved?

b) Why were expert critics of an invasion, such as the U.S. Army War College’s Strategic Studies Institute, ignored (p. 125)?

2) What was the diplomatic strategy to gain international support for the war? How successful was it?

3) How did the Bush administration “market” the war to the public?

What roles did the media and congress play in evaluating the evidence for and against an invasion?

4) Why did George W. Bush decide to end the policy of containment and go to war against Iraq made from 2002 to 2003?

Is the “SOAR method” feasible for presidents and their top advisors?

“Rush to War”

Neoconservative or neocons

“[A]dvocated a tough military policy while using American power for ‘moral good’ in the world” (Anderson, p. 61)

Criticized George H. W. Bush for not removing Saddam Hussein

Neoconservative dominance of decision-making (Anderson, pp. 60-62)

U.S. National interests?

Iraq-al-Qaeda cooperation?

WMDs in Iraq?

*Cherry-picking of evidence

CIA manager quote in Jan. 2003 (Anderson, p. 120)

Middle East and military experts ignored

Lack of free debate in cabinet discussions

U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute (Anderson, p. 125)

Ethnocentric assumptions about Iraq (Anderson, p. 128)

Diplomacy downplayed

U.N. Security Council Resolution 1441 empowers weapons inspectors (p. 118)

Inspections never completed (p. 126)

No U.N. Security Council vote on war

No support of NATO, Germany, France, Saudi Arabia or Egypt

“Freedom Fries” (Anderson, p. 126)

Marketing of War

Scott McClennan quote (Anderson, p. 101)

U.S. Media generally uncritical (Anderson, p. 124)

False “Leaks”: New York Times reports “fake news” on page 1 (Anderson, p. 105)

Congress votes to authorize war “to defend the national security of the U.S. against the continuing threat posed by Iraq” on Oct. 11, 2002 (Anderson, p. 117)

Senate 77-23

House 296-133

Impediments to Effective Presidential Decision Making

U.S. Worldview (Group think)

*Isolationism (1920-40)

Cold War (1949-89)

“New World Order” or Pax Americana (1990-2000)

Economic stability

Humanitarian interventions

*“War on Terror” (2001-2008?)

al-Qaeda’s role in 9/11

Foreign policy based on emotion (Anderson, p. 124)

Giant federal government bureaucracy

2.65 million civilian employees

Walmart is next largest employer with 1.9 million employees

1.36 million active duty military personnel

800,000 military reservists

Bureaucratic information flow and competition

✓Vice President (Dick Cheney)

Secretary of State (Colin Powell)

State Department Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs

✓Secretary of Defense (Donald Rumsfeld)

✓Defense Department Intelligence

Joint Chiefs of Staff (Eric Shinseki, Army Chief of Staff)

U.S. Army War College

National Security Advisor (Condoleeza Rice)

Intelligence agencies

CIA

George Tenant: “Slam Dunk,” (Anderson, p. 119)

NSA

Distractions

Foreign

International hot spots

Afghanistan

al-Qaeda

Relations with Allies (Britain vs. Germany and France)

Domestic affairs

Economy, crime, education, etc.

Political pressures

Reelection of president and congress

Human fears and frailties of Presidents

Panic after 9/11?

Revenge for Saddam’s attempted assassination of George H. W. Bush?

Father-Son competition?

Under spell of Dick Cheney?

Texan Hubris?

Lyndon Johnson and George W. Bush

*“Realist” Bush vs. *“Neoconservative” Bush