Encountering the Abyss: Deconstructing the Political Philosophy of Leo Strauss and the Straussian Interventions Relating to the Invasion of Iraq A thesis submitted to the University of Manchester for the degree of Ph.D. in the Faculty of Humanities 2010 Agnes Hirst School of Social Sciences Table of Contents List of Abbreviations 5 Abstract 6 Declaration 7 Copyright Statement 8 Acknowledgements 9 Introduction.................................................................................10 Strauss and International Relations 12 Confronting the Abyss 18 Tracing the Abyss: Nietzsche and Heidegger 20 Strauss‘ Response to the Abyss 25 Derrida‘s Response to the Abyss 28 Part I Chapter One: The Political Philosophy of Leo Strauss...................32 Introduction 32 The Crisis of the West: Exposing the Abyss in Society, Social Science, and Philosophy 32 Countering the Abyss: The Invocation of Ancient Philosophy 45 The Generation and Preservation of Salutary Social Opinions 51 Three Dimensions of the Generation of Meaning: The Schmittean Friend/Enemy Dichotomy, The Tyrannous Regime, and Justice 55 Chapter Two: The Straussians.......................................................70 Introduction 70 The Straussians 71 2 The Signifier ‗Straussian‘ 77 The Politics of Straussianism 83 Following Strauss to the Ancient 89 The Generation and Preservation of Salutary Social Opinions: the Schmittean friend/Enemy Dichotomy, the Tyrannous Regime, and Justice 92 Chapter Three: The Straussian Interventions and the Invasion of Iraq.............................................................................100 Introduction 100 The Straussian Intervention in the Realm of Intelligence Production 100 The Straussian Intervention in the Realm of Intelligence and the Invasion of Iraq 106 The Straussian Intervention in the Realm of the Think Tanks and the Invasion of Iraq 116 The Straussian Intervention in Realm of the Media and the Invasion of Iraq 122 Conclusion to Part I......................................................................134 Part II Chapter Four: Challenging the Straussian Interventions..............137 Introduction 137 Challenging the Creation of Salutary Opinions 139 - ‗Terrorism‘ and the Event ‗9/11‘ 141 - ‗Rogues‘ and ‗Tyrants‘ 145 - Problematising ‗Iraq‘ 148 - The Temptation of the Media 151 The Productive Effects of the Abyss 155 - The Undecidable Decision 158 3 - Deconstruction and/as Resistance 163 Chapter Five: Deconstructing the Straussian Project................... 169 Introduction 169 Deconstructing the Schmittean Friend/Enemy Binary 170 Deconstructing the ‗Tyrannous Regime‘ 179 Deconstructing Justice as the Reason of the Strongest 186 Straussianism as Securitisation against the Abyss 193 Chapter Six: Challenging Ontological Foreclosure in Derridean Thought.................................................................. 199 Introduction 199 Deconstructing the ‗Worst‘ 199 The Closure of a Levinasian Supplement 203 Teleology and the Regulative Idea 207 Time and the Political 211 Openness 213 Conclusion.................................................................................. 216 Bibliography............................................................................... 223 Word Count: 84, 128 4 List of Abbreviations AEI American Enterprise Institute AVOT Americans for Victory Over Terrorism CIA Central Intelligence Agency DIA Defense Intelligence Agency DoD Department of Defense FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency INC Iraqi National Congress INR Bureau of Intelligence and Research JINSA Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs NESA Near East and South Asian Affairs Group NSIC National Strategy Information Centre NSS National Security Strategy of the United States of America, 2002 OSP Office of Special Plans PCEG Policy Counterterrorism Evaluation Group PNAC Project for the New American Century WINEP Washington Institute for Near East Policy 5 Abstract The University of Manchester Agnes Hirst Ph.D. Thesis ‗Encountering the Abyss: Deconstructing the Political Philosophy of Leo Strauss and the Straussian Interventions relating to the Invasion of Iraq‘ 7th September 2010 This thesis focuses on the figure of an abyss residing at the heart of metaphysics, and argues that thinking in light of its destabilising connotations opens up the possibility of attempting to take responsibility for the violence immanent to any and all politico-philosophical positions. It argues that this abyss represents a void or lack always already underpinning the attempt to posit universal or essential premises, and that it is precisely this lack which may be mobilised to unsettle the totalising claims of ontology. It demonstrates that the abyss occupies a central space in the political philosophy of Leo Strauss and Jacques Derrida, positing that the attempt to secure against it, qua Strauss, precludes the possibility of gesturing towards the taking of responsibility for the violence inherent to politico- philosophical projects. It traces the ethico-political implications of this response through a series of interventions enacted by eight followers of Strauss surrounding the recent Bush administration in the spheres of intelligence production, think tanks, and the media in the context of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, arguing that this securitising logic reflects an ontological totalisation which underpins the totalising politics they propound. It then shows that operating in light of the implications of the abyss, following Derrida, creates a space within which the imposition of totalising ontological claims may be resisted. Mobilising a conceptualisation of ‗Deconstruction and/as Resistance‘, it exposes three assumptions underpinning the Straussian response, the Schmittean friend/enemy binary, the notion of the ‗regime‘, specifically in terms of the opposition of ‗tyranny‘ and democracy residing at its core, and the concept of justice as amounting to the ‗reason of the strongest‘. It is the intention of this thesis to call for an endless resistance to the imposition of totalising narratives and principles in the hope that the violence of these may be subverted, and the violence which inheres in any and all projects be taken responsibility for. 6 Declaration No portion of the work referred to in the thesis has been submitted in support of an application for another degree or qualification at this or any other university or other institute of learning. 7 Copyright Statement The author of this thesis (including any appendices and/or schedules to this thesis) owns certain copyright or related rights in it (the ‗Copyright‘) and s/he has given The University of Manchester certain rights to use such Copyright, including for administrative purposes. Copies of the thesis, either in full or in extracts and whether in hard or electronic copy, may be made only in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents act 1988 (as amended) and regulations issued under it or, where appropriate, in accordance with licensing agreements which the university has from time to time. This page must form part of any such copies made. The ownership of certain Copyright, patents, trade marks and other intellectual property (the ‗Intellectual Property‘) and any reproductions of copyright works in the thesis, for example graphs and tables (‗Reproductions‘), which may be described in this thesis, may not be owned by the author and may be owned by third parties. Such Intellectual Property and Reproductions cannot and must not be made available for use without the prior written permission of the owner(s) of the relevant Intellectual Property and/or Reproductions. Further information on the conditions under which disclosure, publication and commercialisation of this thesis, the Copyright and any Intellectual Property and/or Reproduction described in it may take place is available in the University IP Policy (see http://www.campus.manchester.ac.uk/medialibrary/politices/intellectual-property.pdf), in any relevant Thesis restriction declarations deposited in the University Library, The University Library‘s regulations (see http://manchester.ac.uk/library/aboutus/regulations) and in The University‘s policy on presentation of Theses. 8 Acknowledgements I would like to sincerely thank all those whose patience and support have been so invaluable during this process. My supervisors Maja Zehfuss and Angie Wilson have provided generous engagement and encouragement, as well as having taught me the importance of self- discipline, without which the thesis would never have been completed. I also very much appreciate the input of other staff members, past and present, at the Politics Department at the University of Manchester, who have been generous with their time and advice. Heartfelt thanks also goes to my friends and Ph.D. colleagues in the Department, especially Tom Houseman, Japhy Wilson, and Andrew Slack. I am also grateful for the E.S.R.C. funding without which this would not have been possible. Finally, my thanks go to Chris Rossdale for both his unreserved support and facilitation of welcome distractions. 9 Introduction The influences and interventions which made possible the 2003 invasion of Iraq have prompted extensive interest and debate in the discipline of International Relations (IR) and beyond. During the years immediately preceding the US-led intervention, a wide variety of issues were invoked in order to demonstrate its necessity, perhaps foremost the 9/11 attacks and the question of weapons of mass destruction. It has