Mémoire le 11 septembre et la guerre en Irak (anglais)

To what extent did the 9/11 attacks constitute an opportunity for the USA to plan the invasion of Iraq? 

[pic 1]History Internal assessment 2023 

Candidate number :  …

Word count : 2271

Table of contents

Section A:

Evaluation of sources………………………………………………….……...3

Section B:

Investigation…………………………….……………………….………........4

Section C: Reflection…………………………………….……………………..…….......7

Bibliography………………………………………..……...……….………....8

Section A – Identification and evaluation of two sources

             This investigation follows the question “To what extent did the 9/11/2001 constitute an opportunity for the United States to plan the invasion of Iraq?”. Before answering I will evaluate my two major sources: a book on the American policy change after the attacks and an essay reviewing 9/11 and Iraq.  

Source 1:  

             “Fear, Power and Politics, The recipe for war in Iraq after 9/11” by Mary Cardaras (paperback). The very title is explanatory. It originates back to 2015, and contains key insight written by a professor of politics and journalism at California state University. Its purpose was to demonstrate how multiple American institutions “got away” with invading Iraq. The 12-year interval between the military intervention and the publishing of the book gives it value. Cardaras had sufficient time to explore and document in depth the mistakes made by the media (of whom she is overtly critical), the Bush administration strategy and the actions of the American Congress.  

This source is limited in its subjectivity. The political viewpoint of the author is exposed.  Although sympathetic of the people during the 2001 lead up to war, her attitude towards the press is unforgiving for their lack of independent research and sensationalisation of information. An admirative respect for the president and his administration’s actions is evident but Mary Cardaras’s criticism of the press is flagrant. Although well researched and written this source proves to be disproportionate with insignificant acknowledgement of the difficulties encountered by the media and emotional rollercoaster that was America.

Source 2:

         Why the Bush Administration Invaded Iraq: Making Strategy after 9/11 by Jeffrey Record (essay). Written by the professor of strategy at the Air War College in Montgomery, it contains insight into how the American government under the Bush Jr presidency used the attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon to initiate the plan that resulted in a declaration of war. The author details that Iraq had no obvious participation in the terrors of 2001. Its purpose is to help historians comprehend the strategy of the administrations and foreign policy changes.

The essay’s value is the specific and vast documentation of how George W. Bush went from talking about war on terror, to war on Iraq. Its limit is that war in Iraq wasn’t over, so it remains inconclusive apart from the author listing the negative consequences for America. Jeffrey Record notes no positive aspect about the invasion (which is understandable in a certain way, but a historian must explore both positives and negatives), the question of American safety is not raised, or the humane and civil projects conducted by the soldiers of the coalition, reading, clean water and sanitation.  (Although complicated to document as the mission had not been completed).              

Section B – Investigation

             “This will not be a campaign of half-measures, and we will accept no other outcome than victory” [1]. March 19th, 2003, President George W. Bush announced the start of operation Iraqi Freedom, after a two-and-a-half-year period of internal problems, result of the deadly attacks of 9/11. Direct military actions then lasted until 2011, the purpose was to liberate the Iraqi people from dictator Sadaam Hussein and eliminate the possible terrorist threats coming from Iraq.  

19 years later, we look back on a war that could have been easily avoided. The absence or presence of multiple factors resulted in heavy consequences for both governments. To what extent did the 9/11 attacks constitute an opportunity for the USA to plan the invasion of Iraq? Firstly, we will see that a major factor was the desire of America to demonstrate their strength as a knee jerk reaction. Secondly, a pertinent note is how the Bush administration managed to convince a whole country (and in some sense, many other countries) to follow an arbitrary action plan. Finally, we’ll see how the role played by the press inadequately served the country.

             2 936 people died on 9/11, the deadliest ever terror attack on American soil [2]. It was also the first major overseas attack on America, revendicated by Al-Qaeda. The World Trade Centre and the Pentagon were symbols of indestructability, resulting in nationwide shock as they crumbled. Americans were understandably terrified, the country was vulnerable, their international superiority had been shattered. Their reaction was to gang up on any noncitizen that could violate their safety. This sense of unity after an attack is qualified by philosopher Bertrand Russel as a “herd instinct.” He argues: “Collective fear stimulates herd instincts and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd.” [3]. In today’s world this ferocity is xenophobia. The count of Islamophobic hate crimes has skyrocketed, increasing from only 28 in the year 2000, to 481 in 2001 [4]. The attacks caused hatred and violence but more importantly anxiety and the reassurance of a leader (in 2016, 39% of Americans feared another attack around the September anniversary) [5]. In times of crisis, it’s reassuring to look up to someone in charge, and politicians have high influence following these sorts of events, as they’re perceived as the hero, the ones with the solution. Someone who can promote unity and nationalism is immediately followed and sees their popularity increase. The Bush administration, with George W Bush in presidency at that time, perfectly recreated a sense of community, that they’re all in this together and that America is strong: “these acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos and retreat, but they have failed, our nation is strong” [6]. A gain in popularity boosts confidence when making a crucial decision, and Bush managed to use that popularity.  

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