The Domestic Politics of War - The Iraq War Debate as Viewed Through Three Different Perspectives: Diversionary Theory of War, Coercive Diplomacy, and the Invitation to Struggle Theory
Abstract
Carl von Clausewitz wrote, War is merely a continuation of policy by other means ... The political object is the goal, war is a means of reaching it, and means can never be considered in isolation from their purpose. Most academics, military strategists, and leaders understand this to mean using war to coerce adversary states. Rarely do strategists interpret the passage to mean gaining domestic influence or political clout. This study examines the context of the 2002 Iraq war debate through three theoretical perspectives: diversionary theory of war, coercive diplomacy, and the invitation to struggle. Proponents of diversionary theory would interpret the debate as a means by which the Bush administration diverted attention from the country's economic problems in order to gain momentum leading up to the November 2002 midterm elections. Proponents of coercive diplomacy theory would commend the Bush administration for pressing Congress to vote on the Iraq war resolution prior to the midterm elections. Doing so limited opposition and guaranteed overwhelming bipartisan support for the resolution. Support from the political opposition signaled Saddam Hussein and the United Nations that the President had the domestic political capital to follow through on his threat of regime change in Iraq. Advocates of invitation to struggle would argue that the debate that ensued and the vocal opposition to the Presidents Iraq policy emboldened Saddam Hussein to attempt to shape the debate in the United States and the United Nations to make it difficult for the President to gain consensus over his policy. The thesis uses the theories to help provide strategists a means by which to understand the domestic political context of military policy debates, thus enabling them to influence and shape the debate to achieve favorable political objectives in the domestic and international arenas.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2010
- Accession Number
- AD1019225
Entities
People
- Jose E. Sumangil
Organizations
- Air University