The Iraq War and Globalism
Several theories have been advanced by political commentators aroundthe world about the real reasons behind the United States' war with Iraq.These include the Bush administration's "official" version[1] aboutpreventing the "Weapons of Mass Destruction" (WMDs) from falling into theterrorists' hands, the supposed connection between Saddam and Al-Qaeda,liberation of Iraq from the clutches of a cruel tyrant, and the neo-conservative agenda of creating a "model democracy" in Iraq for the Arabworld to follow. Although some of these reasons may be valid to an extent,the more plausible explanation for the US war in Iraq lies in theimperatives of globalization. This is because economics have always beenand remain the driving force behind international relations. This paperlooks at the current Iraq war from the perspective of the GlobalismInternational Relations theory besides reviewing the historical backgroundof the conflict and its possible outcomes. Historical Background of the Conflict Modern Iraq was created by the British colonialists out of threeOttoman provinces after the fall of the Ottoman Empire at the end of WorldWar I in 1918. A pro-British monarch was installed i
n the country tosafeguard Western interests and to ensure that the Iraq Petroleum Company,which enjoyed monopoly control over the Iraqi oil industry, would beallowed to follow the cartel interests of the international Anglo-Americanoil companies. Possible Outcomes This was the theory behind the US war on Iraq; what about thepossible outcomes' Although predicting the future in a fast changing worldis always a hazardous occupation, the current situation in Iraq indicatesthat things have gone horribly wrong. The optimistic scenario thatthe US forces would be able to withdraw from Iraq after installing arepresentative, pro-American regime in the country is just that-highlyoptimistic and unlikely. (Clark 2003) Such aneventuality, if it were to materialize, would have been disastrous for analready weak dollar-a nightmarish situation for the US economy. ("History of Oil in Iraq") Saddam Hussein, the hated tyrant who was declared the enemy # 1 by theUS in later years was not always in the anti-American camp. M/s Bush and Rumsfeld still insistthat the US is winning the war in Iraq but the fact is that by not "losing"so far, the insurgents in Iraq who oppose the US occupation in Iraq arewinning the war. [3] Including opposition from most of its European allies including Franceand Germany[4] The connection of several members of the Bush administration with theoil companies is well known[5] Letter to W. The United States even turned a blindeye to the use of chemical weapons by the Iraqi forces in the war. The Iraqis were roundly defeated by a US-led Western coalition andKuwait was liberated. On the other hand, it is hard to believe that Iraq would have meritedeven a fraction of the attention it has got from the United States if thecountry had not been sitting atop the second largest proven reserves of oilin the world. Then came the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the UnitedStates in 2001 and America's "War on Terror. The UnitedNations-mandated economic sanctions imposed on Iraq in the next decadebrought widespread misery to the country during which the ordinary Iraqissuffered immensely. (Sale 2003) Some ex-CIA officialshave even suggested that the agency was involved in the 1963 coup in whichQasim was assassinated and brought Saddam's Ba'ath party to power. Bush and Tony Blair have alreadybeen discredited. The United States has taken a big gamble by attempting to bring a majorpart of the "Gap"-the Middle Eastern Islamic countries-into the fold ofGlobalization by invading Iraq.
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