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Confronting Saddam Hussein: George W. Bush and the Invasion of Iraq

Online ISBN:
9780197610800
Print ISBN:
9780197610770
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
Book

Confronting Saddam Hussein: George W. Bush and the Invasion of Iraq

Melvyn P. Leffler
Melvyn P. Leffler
Edward Stettinius Professor of History Emeritus, University of Virginia
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Published online:
15 December 2022
Published in print:
23 March 2023
Online ISBN:
9780197610800
Print ISBN:
9780197610770
Publisher:
Oxford University Press

Abstract

Based on a unique set of interviews and British and American documents, this book examines the motives for the American invasion of Iraq in 2003, examines the decision-making inside the George W. Bush administration, and assesses the reasons for the chaotic, bloody, and costly occupation. The attack on America on 9/11 by al Qaeda terrorists transformed the thinking and actions of Bush and his top advisers. Bush conceived the administration’s response. Fear, power, and hubris shaped his approach—fear of another attack; pride in American values; and confidence in America’s ability to effectuate change. Worried about another attack on American soil—this time with biological or chemical weapons—Bush turned his attention to Iraq because of Saddam Hussein’s history with weapons of mass destruction and because of his record of aggression, brutality, and duplicity. To achieve his goals, the American president embraced a strategy of coercive diplomacy. If Iraq faced a military threat, Bush hoped Hussein would open his country to inspections, relinquish his alleged weapons of mass destruction, flee, or be toppled. When Hussein admitted inspectors yet remained obstructive, Bush denounced the dictator’s defiance and believed America’s credibility was at stake. Without resolving the ambiguities and inconsistencies in his strategy of coercive diplomacy and failing to assess the consequences of an invasion or to plan effectively for its many contingencies, Bush ordered US troops to invade Iraq. Friction and acrimony within the administration turned the occupation into a tragedy, the consequences of which we are still living with.

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