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US' Failure in Political and Economic Restructure of Iraq

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US' Failure in Political and Economic Restructure of Iraq ISSN 2522-9842 Social Development and Security, Vol. 10, No. 5, – 2020 Post 2003’s War: US' Failure in Political and Economic Restructure of Iraq Enas AL.Yasiry * A A University of Warsaw, Poland Received: October 01, 2020 | Revised: October 24, 2020 | Accepted: October 31, 2020 DOI: 10.33445/sds.2020.10.5.1 Abstract The key purpose of this article is to understand the proclaimed purpose of the US invasion of Iraq and subsequently analyze Americans promises to build new infrastructure and develop a new economy of the country. By discussing the steps taken by the US government after the invasion of Iraq towards restructuring and reconstruction of the country, the author defined reasons for the American failure in restructuring of the state. The qualitative methods of research was employed to analyze the failure of the United States in the political and economic restructuring of Iraq. The data was collected from different sources including scientific journals, research papers and articles published by the different websites. This paper concludes that war cannot be summarized as a humanitarian intervention. Especially invasion of a country without UN’s Security Council’s approval itself creates doubt on the legitimacy of the political reforms and economic restructure of the invaded country. Author verified that beside the post 2003 complex political situation in Iraq, the American intervention brought the country’s economy back to the zero point. Key words: US, Iraq, intervention, political, economic, infrastructure. Introduction United States occupied Iraq in order to topple took place between US and its allies on one side the Saddam’s regime in 2003. Additionally, and Islamist militant forces on other side after apparently declared aim of the invasion which invasion of Iraq in 2004-2010. Even though the took place under the excuse of weapons of mass United States conquered the radicals in the west destruction, was to make political reforms and of Iraq with the assistance of Iraqi Sunni rebuild the economic infrastructure of Iraq. It prevalent militaries, it remained unsuccessful to was seemingly planned to introduce modern create a strong economy and a stable democratic system and develop a new economy government in Iraq. Eventually the US had to in the country, but the declared intentions were abandon its efforts in mid-way of Iraqi state- not fulfilled in the war turned land. In spite of building in post 2009 period and extracted its enormous military success, US failed to troops from Iraq after 2011. This created a implement its entire plan of development of Iraq vacuum of control that exposed Iraq to radical after dissolution of the Saddam’s regime. The forces like Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). invasion had diversely outcome, such as In this entire period, the US could not create any crippling of military forces of Iraq, massive dynamic plan to handle the civil war and religious encounters, religious and cultural stabilize Iraq but instability encourage ISIS – partitions between different segments of the trusting deeply on Kurds from Syria in the route society particularly different sects of the and in 2016-2018 scored added success by Muslims, creation of Sunni militancy, and the terminating the caliphate of ISIS (Ishiguro, K., formation of continued warfare. Even, the fights 2017). * Corresponding author: Doctoral Candidate, Faculty of Political Science and International Studies, e-mail: [email protected] 3 ISSN 2522-9842 Social Development and Security, Vol. 10, No. 5, – 2020 The main purpose of this study is to first legitimacy of the political reforms and economic understand the proclaimed determination of restructure of the invaded country. Secondly, the US invasion of Iraq and secondly to define the claim of US’ intelligence was incorrect as reasons for its failure in political and economic there were never weapons of mass destruction developments of the country. This paper in Iraq. discusses the key steps and development The basic excuse exploited by the US for initiatives adopted by US in Iraq in order to invasion of Iraq was to abolish weapons of mass rebuild infrastructure and develop a new destruction and as well as to cease the Saddam economy and improve the capability of security Hussein’s regime in order free the Iraqi people force. In light of such claims, a question arose from his authoritarian rule. The importance of that whether the invasion can be called a this topic is clear from the fact that the world has humanitarian intervention, or it was an changed since the Iraq’s invasion. On March 20, intentional war for oil? By analyzing the 2003, the so-called Iraqi freedom process incidents took place after the US invasion of Iraq formally initiated but it is the most questionable in March 2003, the article identifies post endeavor today. The US positioned thousands of invasion American failure in political and Marines to topple the Saddam’s government economic restructure of Iraq. and free the people of Iraq from his dictatorship. This article discusses whether the US was This article provides a comparative review of successful in its efforts to rebuild the economy the literature of pre-war, middle of war and of the country. The author explains the steps post-war Iraq in order to highlight the taken by the US government after the invasion significance of the topic. The U.S. in the initial towards restructuring and reconstruction of Iraq initiative established an expressive strategy and as well as reasons of the failure have been overtime to deal with the economic and political also discussed by the author. The article emergencies in Iraq and later it also adopted a endeavors to answer the question that what plan to tackle the violent group Islamic State of were the consequences of this invasion and why Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and other related the target of rebuilding the economy and a challenges. In this advancement, it cracked Syria democratic system in Iraq could not achieved? to Iran, Hezbollah, and Russia. Though, the U.S. At the end, the article gives conclusions that was capable to reconstruct moderately official the war missed most of the presumptions that it militaries in Iraq, it even permitted Iran in could have been a humanitarian intervention. In creating an influential Popular Mobilization essence the UN Security Council was never Force (PMF) tied to Iranian inspiration but consulted, while making the intervention in Iraq. finally, the United States was unsuccessful in It can perhaps be concluded that overthrowing transpiring any real political and economic the Saddam rule of Iraq was perceived as having development in Iraq or in ensuring that the war done some good but the war cannot be affected regions of the country could be summarized as a humanitarian intervention. reconstructed or gained any considerable Invasion of a country without UN’s Security support (Salmon, A., 2010). Council’s approval itself creates doubt on the Material and methods The following research questions were 1. Was liberal project proposed by United generated in order to find answers about real State failed in Iraq after 2003 era? purpose of the U.S. invasion of Iraq and reasons 2. Were the U.S. motives behind the for the American failure in political and military intervention in Iraq in 2003 more than economic restructure of Iraq: what was apparently proclaimed? 4 ISSN 2522-9842 Social Development and Security, Vol. 10, No. 5, – 2020 3. Was the liberal project really aimed to The comparative method was employed to set up democratic and pluralistic political system compare the developments in the different and market economy? periods after the Iraq invasion. Primary and 4. Was the larger objective to break down secondary data were used in this article. Saddam Hussein’s rule and as well as control the Invasion of Iraq by the United States can be militant group Al Qaeda? understood through the rational choice 5. What was the prime intention of approach, according to which an individual controlling Iraq to take control of the world’s behavior is motivated by self-interest, utility second-largest oil reserves existed in the maximization, or, more simply put, goal country? fulfillment. The approach of “political change” 6. Had U.S. also wanted to demonstrate its which means the change in governmental setup, power to its opponents in the regional scenario? can be also understood much broader – then it These above questions were helpful in is also about the developments of different verifying following main hypotheses formulated political processes – in the case of this research in the study: change of regime in Iraq through invasion of the i. US failed in political and economic country and its impact on the political and rebuilding of post war Iraq because real economic structure of the state. Through this attention of U.S. invasion was to control Iraq action, U.S. engaged its military power against having world’s second-largest oil reserves. the Saddam’s regime and the religious militant ii. Constant complex security situation groups such as Alqaeda and ‘ISIS’, in light of the including challenges like Alqaeda and ISIS in the realist concept of states maintaining their post Saddam’s era caused hurdles in political national security and economic interests by use and economic rebuilding of Iraq. of force in order to protect their security To arrive at a wise conclusion, the issue was influence and material interests. The neorealist probed from different political, legal and assumption of military actions of the states economic dimensions. The qualitative methods seeking at least their survival is also a key including process-tracing method and motivation behind the US’ offensive behavior in comparative method, were employed. The Iraq for safeguarding its national political, process-tracing method is used to analyze the military and economic interests from the threats process of developments causing invasion of of Saddam’s regime to its interests in the region Iraq and chains of the events after the invasion and as well threats from religious militancy of Iraq.
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