The Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait: Religion, Identity and Otherness in the Analysis OPluto Press, 1999 M09 20 - 278 pages The purpose of this book is to understand and explain the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait: to understand the motivation of the Iraqi polity, and the conditions, in particular the Arabic discourse, which accelerated and facilitated the decision. Western accounts of the invasion have tended to ignore the Arabic discourse, despite the facts that this was the actors' world view. Much of the literature has tended to focus on Saddam Hussein's personality and leadership, demonizing the man, and few have viewed the invasion more calmly through the social and political context of history and political science. Few have examined the Sate, outside pressures, the impact of history, the exposure to colonialism which would have provided a balanced view, as this book attempts to do. During the Gulf crisis the literature and media coverage linked the behaviour of Arab political leaders directly to Islamic theology, as if this alone was enough to explain the invasion. This book discusses three perspectives. Firstly, the realist perspective of "Realpolitik": how Saddam Hussein reasoned and calculated the various alternatives, including the US's and Israel's intentions; the miscalculated response of the other Arab States, the Pan Arab framework; and the unprecedented support from grass roots and main-stream Arabs as the Iraq leadership introduced itself as the champion of the common Arab Nation. Secondly, the institutionalist perspective: the Iraqi domestic environment and its crisis of legitimacy, which disposed the regime to violent foreign behaviour; the social structure of Iraqi society, families, clans and regional alliances; and the modern political structure of the society, and of Ba'athism. Thirdly, the sociological perspective: the relating of the identity of Arabism (mainly the religion and language, which is associated closely with the Pan Arabist ideals) to foreign policy behaviour, as an additional explanation of the invasion. -- Publisher description. |
Contents
Understanding the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait | 1 |
The Realist Perspective | 13 |
The Institutional Perspective | 55 |
The Reflective Perspective | 113 |
The Genealogy of a Discursive Regime | 119 |
The Arabic Political Discourse and the Invasion of Kuwait | 137 |
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Al-Khalil Allah American analysis approach Arab leaders Arab League Arab nation Arab societies Arab world Arabic language Arabic political discourse argues Ba'ath Party Ba'athist billion Cairo cited claim concept conflict context cultural decision-makers deterrence domestic dominated economic Egypt Egyptian elites ethnic factors forces foreign policy framework grass-roots groups Gulf crisis Gulf War human Ibrahim identity implication individual inter-Arab interest international system invade Kuwait invasion of Kuwait Iran Iraq's Iraqi invasion Iraqi leadership Iraqi polity Iraqi president Islam Israel Israeli Jordan Karsh and Rautsi Keohane language legitimacy London Middle East Middle Eastern military modern Arab Moreover Muslim norms objective organization Palestinians pan-Arab political behaviour political institutions political process Qur'an realist regional relations religion religious role rule Saddam Hussein Saudi Arabia sense Sluglett sovereignty strategy structure symbols Syria territorial threat tradition tribal tribes umma understand United University Press West Western world politics Zionism
References to this book
The Politics of the Global Oil Industry: An Introduction Toyin Falola,Ann Genova No preview available - 2005 |