The 2003 war on Iraq : Purposes and Motivations, An Analytical View

Abstract: The Iraqi war represents a form of coercive diplomacy between words and war in the enforcement of international norms and is considered as a new and old notion at the same time. This holds true ever since the days of the Desert Storm: the war waged to liberate Kuwait. This mechanism was launched in 1990 under the title of the war to liberate Iraq or the punitive war, the core idea of which would correspond to the purposes and motivations of the 2003 war. This study begins with a review of the literature, both for background information and for the identification of variables of the events and factors in this issue. This war is analysed in relation to the US objectives in the region when it comes to maintaining its interests, ensuring security for its allies and dominating the whole region. This study investigates the controversy surrounding the case of 2003 war on Iraq, which is embodied in the plural reasons for the war. The situation in Iraq is of course still a subject for debate, as the country has experienced a stalemate for some years now. The study focuses on one chosen central research question; What was the real reason behind that war? The methodological triangulation approach adopted is about using different research methods to complement one another, in order for the findings to have validity and credibility. Relying upon conceptual analysis, critical review of relevant literature and concepts, political discourses analysis and also on primary data in the form of interviews with Iraqi elite experts of intelligence service and weapons experts, including the former top administrators who are linked to this issue, this thesis provides both facts and opinions which could be used as qualitative data. The aim of the variegated sources and material used for this study is to exemplify contending perspectives on the subject under study. The findings of this study suggest that since the war lacks a strong moral base, it remains suspicious as a legitimate policy instrument to solve the problematic issue in Iraq. While the war came about during the reign of the Republicans and the foreign policy then adopted, as this study demonstrates, the repercussions are severe to this day. Coercive diplomacy can ultimately lead the region into enormous chaos, which may have dire consequences for the whole region, not only within Iraq.