THE US/UK - IRAQ WAR, 1991-2003 THE US/UK - IRAQ WAR, 1991-2003: HOW A PROCESS MODEL OF VIOLENCE ILLUMINATES WAR By RICHARD MCCUTCHEON, B.A. (SPEC.), M.A. A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy McMaster University © Richard McCutcheon, January 2009 DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (2009) McMASTER UNNERSITY (Anthropology) Hamilton, Ontario TITLE: The US/UK - IRAQ War, 1991-2003: How a Process Model of Violence Illuminates War AUTHOR: RichardMcCutcheon, B.A. (Spec.), M.A. ADVISOR: Dr. Richard Preston PAGES: xii+223 ii ABSTRACT A conventional view of events in contemporary Iraq since 1990 suggests that there were two wars in 1991and2003 between Iraq and a US/UK led cohort of countries separated by an interval of relative peace marked by the imposition ofeconomic sanctions on the country. This dissertation proposes an alternative view, arguing that the war with Iraq was one continuous war that began in 1991 and ended in 2003, followed by what is correctly called "belligerent occupation". A process oriented model ofviolence bridges two divergent literatures in the field of Anthropology-the anthropology ofwar and the ethnography ofviolence-and acts as a lens with which to see war with greater definition; and subsequently, to see that there was but one war with Iraq. The understanding ofviolence I propose illuminates the substance and process ofwar and is articulated through a careful analysis of three realms ofviolence. The Physical Realm is where harm is done to the bodies of individuals. This realm exists in the immediate context of the Network Realm, where violence is embedded in social institutions and processes. The Network Realm is in turn sustained by the Symbolic Realm, where violence is enmeshed in broader cultural symbol systems that have the power to create and sustain an ethos in which harm towards others is enabled. Each of these realms contributes to the creation and sustenance ofwar, yet the symbolic realm remains the primary key to enabling violence in both network and physical realms. Each realm of violence is illustrated in this dissertation by examples from the US/UK - IRAQWar, 1991-2003, drawn from my experience ofliving in the country and extensive historical research. The argument of this dissertation imposes a different structure on how the course of events now unfolding in the geographical region of Southwest Asia is understood. In this narrative there is a series of escalating stages. A long-standing conflict between the governments of Iraq and Kuwait was escalated when the Government of Iraq occupied the country of Kuwait in 1990. When a cohort of countries led by the US government intervened in the occupation of Kuwait, the conflict escalated into a state of war which lasted until 2003. Eventually that war was ended by yet another occupation; this time, however, it was the country of Iraq that was occupied. At the time of completing this dissertation there is a great deal of internal resistance to the occupation of the country-the contours ofhow it will finally unfold remain uncertain. iii Dedicated to Eva McCutcheon & Tamara Fleming iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This project has spanned almost two decades, accumulating many debts along the way. To all those who have been patiently watching me wade through this valley of bones, I thank you sincerely. I apologize ifyou are looking for your name and it does not appear here because I have forgotten that kind word, the encouraging gesture, a simple touch on the shoulder after some talk or other along the way. In my heart these gestures are cumulative and not forgotten. At different times, at different points in their own journeys, a variety offriends, colleagues, and relatives have accompanied me for shorter or longer parts of this journey. I thank in particular Janet Sommerville, Anne Pearson, Graeme MacQueen, Helena Cobban, Jasmin Habib, Rama Singh, Paul Dekar, Mazen Chouib, Ellen Judd, T areq el­ Bakri, Suzanne Hammad, Tim and Prue Sutton, Peter Lems, George Fulford, Dale Hildebrand, Judith Harris, Melanie Unrau, Jim Matlack, Rania Masri, Andrew Ignatieff, Wanda Kraybill, David Falk, Raymond Weist, my brother Gerald and my sister Thelma, and the late Irma Parhad, Vadim Ogoev, and Misty Gerner. For many years I have had the pleasure ofworking with good people-students, staff and faculty-at Menno Simons College, a college of Canadian Mennonite University that is also physically located on the campus of and affiliated with the University ofWinnipeg. I appreciate support that they have given to me while I have been carrying full-time duties and working part-time on this thesis. I thank in particular John Derksen, Lois Edmund, and Dean Peachey for conversation, kindness, support, and understanding offered freely over the past several years. Students have engaged me in lively conversations over the years about my ideas, and I thank them for it, for these ideas are stronger for having been tested by intelligent inquiring minds in many classrooms. My involvement with this project has been facilitated by a variety ofgroups of people and organizations. People who lived and worked in Iraq welcomed me into their lives in a variety ofways during difficult times. For their generosity I am ever grateful: sincere thanks goes out to Adnan, Safah, Ghassan, W alid Khaled al-Mashadani (Abu Khaldun), Edward and Elizabeth Esho, Abdul Salaam K-Abed, Lawen Zaa, Khaled Ahmad al-Sudani, Salah al-Din al-Azzawi, Joseph Abdul Ahad Yousif, Mustafa Saade, Mahmood Abdul Hameed, Nabil Zeir Jamal Zeir, Adel Hassan Rahmatllah, Samir Asa' ad, Qutaiba al-Alousi, Thamir Slewah, Dr. Amir Rachad, Dr. Hisham Salman al­ Sadoon, and especially Dr. Raghad Issa Sarsam, with whom I had frequent stimulating conversations. In 1991 as a relief worker I photographed a young girl, perhaps three years old at the time, sitting in the rubble ofher home. Because ofthe circumstances I could not get her name, and numerous efforts since then have not found her. Her picture has been an inspiration-it has remained on my wall since 1991. v Along the way the Quaker community of which I am a part, especially Friends at Hamilton Monthly Meeting, has consistently provided me with communal support and company through hard times when it felt like the ocean of darkness was overwhelming, and joyful times when Light finally found its way through the darkness. As well, the broader movement aligned against the violence directed at Iraq was my activist home, but the people attached to it are far too numerous to single out here.Je me souvien. Three non-governmental organizations deserve special mention for their help with traveling to Iraq at different points in my life. To the Canadian Friends Service Committee (Toronto), the American Friends Service Committee (Philadelphia) and Mennonite Central Committee (Akron and Winnipeg) I offer my sincere thanks. Finally, the government of Canada through its Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council provided me with substantial financial support by awarding me a Doctoral SSHRC scholarship at a crucial time in my intellectual development. I tender my thanks for that support with sincere appreciation. One group of scholars has provided me with guidance and direction in the form ofcommentary and critique throughout my doctoral program and the writing of this dissertation. Dr. Atif Kubursi has been an unfailing supporter and cherished mentor, challenging me with insightful comments, encouraging me to get these ideas out to a wider public, and connecting me at various times to parts of the Arab speaking world in Canada and overseas. Thank you Atif. At a crucial moment as I was bringing my thesis to fruition, Dr. Wayne Warry provided me with remarkably insightful, penetrating comments and practical suggestions that significantly improved this thesis. My appreciation for Wayne's contribution to this document and my intellectual development is much larger than the actual time we spent working together might indicate. It is also Wayne who said while sitting in his office some ten years ago when I first started the dissertation part of my program, that he expected to see me in about ten years, because I would inevitably do this the hard way. He was right. And his ability to see me even at that point continues to surprise me. Dr. Mark Vorobej has the distinction of being both a true friend and a formidable intellectual contributor to my academic growth. He has both challenged me to be more precise in my argument and encouraged the direction of my inquiry as worthy and timely. His probing questions have substantially altered the foundations of my thinking in a definitive and positive manner. And his friendship, actualized through dozens oflong phone calls and visits throughout the process ofdeveloping, writing and eventually defending this thesis has been invaluable. Thank you Mark for such an exceptional gift. It will not be forgotten. At a time when I did not expect to return to doctoral studies Dr. Richard Preston encouraged me otherwise. He brought me into the Department of Anthropology at vi McMaster University, agreed to supervise my work, shepherded me through the coursework and comprehensive examinations, read copious notes and ideas as I developed a thesis, and then, most importantly, waited for me to get my act together and finally finish writing the thesis. His generosity was matched by the consistent welcome Betty Preston afforded me as I slept in their basement, at times for days on end, writing and exploring ideas with Dick. I suspect that many other students have had the misfortune of losing their advisor upon their retirement; in many ways I found mine. Together we persevered through the good times and the not so good times; eventually it was with tremendous pleasure that I was able to defend this thesis under his tutelage as his last doctoral student.