U.S. Foreign Policy And Imperialism Case study: The Iraqi War ( 2003)

Abstract

The United States foreign policy has undergone various shifts and developments over the years, but a broad summary of its overall approach would include principles such as promoting democracy, protecting national security, advancing economic interests, and maintaining global influence. In the case of Iraq, the U.S. foreign policy was shaped by several factors, including the concept of imperialism, which refers to the extension of a nation's power and influence over other countries or territories. This research is undertaken to investigate US foreign policy and imperialism especially during the Iraqi war 2003. In which the main question is what role did imperialism play in the U.S. engagement in Iraq? The research assumes that the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 was driven by a desire to gain control over Iraq's significant oil reserves , that the U.S. sought to establish a dominant military and political presence in the Middle East, with Iraq being a strategic stepping stone and that the U.S. invaded Iraq as a response to the 9/11 attacks, aiming to remove Saddam Hussein's regime, which was perceived as a threat due to its alleged links to terrorism. The research uses historical approach that involves gathering and critically evaluating primary and secondary sources aiming to find motives, actions, consequences, and lessons learned from U.S. foreign policy and imperialism in Iraq.