The Iraq War: European Perspectives on Politics, Strategy and Operations

by Hallenberg; Jan

• ISBN13: 9780415362931
• ISBN10: 0415362938
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-09-22
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

We are living amidst the fallout of the most controversial conflict of our times. This book is a tough examination of how and why it was fought and of its continuing effects. With analysis of the Iraq War from several different academic, as well as military perspectives, this is a major new work. Its emphasis is on the links between US foreign policy, US strategy and the US conduct of war and it also covers Iraqi grand strategies, the consequences of the War for transatlantic relations, and includes a chapter on the International Law dimension. In uncovering the War and the behavior of its main parties, the editors draw upon international relations, political science, strategic thought and military theory, plus international law and media studies. For those wishing to understand Iraq war from a very wide range of rigorous perspectives, this is a must-read.

Table of Contents

Notes on contributors	vii
Preface	xi
List of abbreviations	xiii
Puzzles and propositions of the Iraq War	1	(18)
Jan Angstrom
PART I Politics and strategy before the war	19	(122)
What were the Bush administration's goals in invading Iraq?	21	(17)
Jan Hallenberg
The Iraq War and the transatlantic relationship	38	(23)
Bo Huldt
Russia's choice: preserve the status quo	61	(16)
Charlotte Wagnsson
Iraq's political strategy before and during the war	77	(21)
Roger Karlsson
Sweden, the Western world and the war that saw the birth of Iraq: implications of the events in 1914--1921 for the present conflict	98	(20)
Lars Ericson
The Iraq War and international law: from Hugo Grotius to George W. Bush	118	(23)
Ove Bring
Per Brostrom
PART II Theory and strategy during the war	141	(104)
Brute force or coercion: two perspectives on conflict management	143	(24)
Stefan Ring
Doctrine, expertise and arms in combination: a reflection on the Iraq War	167	(21)
Anders Cedergren
The Iraq air war in 2003: back to the future?	188	(22)
Magnus Bengtsson
Claes Bergstrom
Nils-Goran Bernebring
Roland Jostrup
Richard Lindborg
Lars-Johan Nordlund
Jan Reuterdahl
Johan Wiktorin
The struggle for credibility during the Iraq War	210	(19)
Kristina Riegert
Anders Johansson
Conclusions	229	(16)
Jan Hallenberg
Hakan Karlsson
Index	245