Degree

BS (Social Sciences & Liberal Arts)

Faculty / School

School of Economics and Social Sciences (SESS)

Department

Department of Social Sciences & Liberal Arts

Date of Award

Spring 2024

Date of Submission

2024-09-04

Advisor

Dr. Sajjad Ahmad, Assistant Professor, Department of Social Sciences

Committee

Dr. Farhan Hanif Siddiqui, Assistant Professor, Department of International Relations, University of Karachi

Project Type

SSLA Culminating Experience

Access Type

Restricted Access

Keywords

US foreign policy, Iraq, Cold War, Interventions

Abstract

My research attempts to uncover the motivations behind the United States of America’s interventions in Iraq over the years, from the Cold War to the 2003 invasion. I will examine how these motivations shaped US policy towards Iraq. I begin this journey in Iraq in 1968, when a group of Iraqi nationalist officers led by Abdel Karim Qasim and inspired by Gamal Abdel Nasser overthrew the pro-West Hashemite monarchy. My research continues through the Cold War and unearths the US’s priorities and how they changed over time. What motivates the US to intervene covertly or overtly in a foreign state? What fears or anxieties caused the US to take covert action against Qasim’s regime? Why did the US first support Saddam Hussein’s regime during the Iran-Iraq war, only to turn against him so viciously afterwards? Why was the US so hellbent on overthrowing Saddam? What were the US’s priorities and how did they change over time?

Contextually, my research situates Iraq’s strategic importance within the broader geopolitical landscape, highlighting the interests and anxieties that shape US foreign policy. These include ideological, economic and strategic factors, particularly the role of Communism, oil interests, regional stability, and the dangers of a superpower’s unchecked ego. I utilize declassified government documents, scholarly articles and literature from scholars in the field. These sources have considerably helped shape my understanding of the factors that have motivated US policy towards Iraq.

Pages

54

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