Strategic Preemption: US Foreign Policy and the Second Iraq War

US Foreign Policy and Conflict in the Islamic World

by Robert J. Pauly Jr., Tom Lansford

Placing the second US-Iraq conflict in the context of emerging trends in international relations, this exceptional, timely volume examines the broad framework of US policy toward Iraq under the administration of George W. Bush. The Second Iraq War marks the third time since 1991 that the United States has invaded a Muslim country, and this book details not only the specifics of the conflict, but the war's broad impact on US relations with Muslim states, both in a regional and global context. It analyzes the development of the previous US policy of containment to the new doctrine of preemption. The volume also: Examines the linkages between Al Qaeda's attacks on the United States on 11 September 2001 and the prosecution of the Second Iraq War; Explores the diplomatic manoeuvring of Washington and the international community during the war's prologue; Details the Bush administration's nation-building operations to reconstruct Iraq as a democratic model for other Muslim majority states across the Greater Middle East; An excellent supplementary text for courses on conflict and security, foreign policy, Middle East studies and international relations more generally.

182 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2004