Australasian
Political Studies Association Conference 2003
Hosted
by the School of Government
University of Tasmania
International Politics Stream
U.S. Iraqi Policy
Mr Edward Lock
University of Queensland
Abstract:
This paper argues that Washington’s Iraqi policy between 1997 and
2000 was influenced by two distinct strategic cultures, which I label
as multilateralism and unilateralism. In order to demonstrate this it
examines the rhetoric of key foreign policy makers within the administration
as a means of identifying and capturing the influence of American strategic
culture. The concept of strategic culture describes an ideational system
of symbols that influence policy makers’ understandings of and approaches
to security policy. Strategic culture constrains security policy makers’
understandings of the identity and attributes of the state, the nature
of the security environment and the logical or ‘appropriate’
means through which ‘security’ should be pursued. The rhetoric
of policy makers and other influential actors within the U.S. is assessed
so as to draw out the Clinton administration’s understanding of the
three issues raised above.
Iraqi policy is analysed because it allows one to assess a range of more
specific issues that are informed by a state’s strategic culture.
These issues include: what is the nature of state interaction in the international
system?; how are ‘enemies’ or ‘threats’ characterised?;
how are ‘friends’ or ‘allies’ characterised?; how
is the identity of the U.S. characterised?; what is the ‘role’
of the U.S. in the international system?; what does America’s ‘ideal
security’ look like?, and; how should that security be pursued?
This paper concludes that U.S.-Iraqi policy during this period represents
a product of the political debate that occurs within the constraints of
these two influential ideational structures. As such, neither of the two
strategic cultures mentioned above is independently responsible for shaping
American security policy. Instead, that policy is influenced by both.