Lew Waters
GREAT FIND!!
Sunday, April 29, 2007 3:00 AM
Hat-tip to Lew Waters for this GREAT article!!
The article can be viewed here and can be viewed as a web page and can be downloaded. It is 22 pages in length in pdf format.
A teaser:
Abstract
The least understood aspect of the ongoing war in Iraq is what caused America to invade the country in the first place. The Bush administration’s reasons for going to war are still subject to intense controversy. Popular explanations for the war, stressing America’s need for dominance or its desire for Iraq’s oil, are erroneous or secondary. This article argues that a careful reading of accounts of White House decision-making point to one overriding rationale: the war on terrorism. The single most important factor in the decision to go to war was the change in President Bush’s position towards Iraq after September 11. This convinced the administration that toppling Saddam Hussein was essential for three basic reasons: a military rationale of eliminating Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, based on the assumption that Saddam Hussein could pass his presumed WMD to terrorists; a psychological rationale of demonstrating American resolve and discrediting perceptions of American weakness; and most importantly an ideological rationale of transforming the political culture of the Middle East, beginning with a democratic regime in Baghdad to serve as a model for other Arab countries and Iran. The specific nature of these factors reinforces the uniqueness of the Iraq war. It is highly unlikely that the US will undertake similar action against other foes such as Iran, North Korea or Syria in the foreseeable future.
I have read this article and it is well written with good credentials and sources.
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