The Henry L. Stimson Center presents a collection of short essays on various aspects of the Iraq policy challenge prepared by our experts. We have drawn on the Center’s distinct areas of expertise in managing threats from weapons of mass destruction and in Asian regional security to pull together some new ideas and perspectives on the Iraq policy debate.
Contents
Iraq Policy in the Shadow of Afghanistan
- A Tale of Two Speeches: What Bush Didn’t Say about Iraq at the United Nations
“The United Nations and its members know … what is needed in post-conflict situations. … Afghanistan … is still in transition and requires considerable international attention, funding, and troops. President Bush could seize world attention by championing a strengthening of the UN’s capabilities to deal with the Afghanistans and Iraqs of the future … .”
-Victoria Holt
What Do Our Allies and Asian Powers Think?
- Iraq and Transatlantic Consequences
“U.S. will need a mighty coalition of the willing to achieve postconflict stability and better governance. … Europeans remain divided and anxious about following the U.S. lead. The bold policy put forward on Iraq has and will continue to exacerbate longstanding fissures between the U.S. and its major European allies in the near term.”
– Elizabeth Turpen and Caroline Earle - Iraq: The China Angle
“…China realizes that Iraq is of transcendent importance to President George W. Bush. … It has taken care not to say that it is unalterably opposed to the use of force.”
– Alan D. Romberg - Iraq is a Hard Place: Tokyo Torn between Pacificism and Alliance
“Tokyo is painting itself into a corner … raising expectations that it will provide military support. … Japan will not be able to provide the same level of contribution to an attack on Iraq as it has to Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.”
– Benjamin L. Self - Iraq: Ramifications for South Asia
“India and Pakistan both oppose American intervention in Iraq, but for different reasons and with different consequences. … India’s confidence in the long-term positive trajectory of U.S.- India relations indicates that … Iraq will not impose any significant costs … For Pakistan, the opposition runs deeper.”
– Chris Clary, Kishore Kuchibhotla, and Sandhya Gupta
Conflict and Post-Conflict Considerations
- And Then What Happens? Ecologies of Conflict with Iraq
“ … depending on whether the final choices of Saddam’s inner circle lean more toward the ‘Samson’ or the ‘Dorothy’ Option … will have serious consequences for the course of war on terrorism and the security of America and its allies.”
– William J. Durch - What about Inspections?
“…how truly ill advised it would be to slight inspections. …U.S. policy makers should tread carefully when it comes to undercutting an international process that could serve future U.S. security interests unrelated to Saddam Hussein.”
– Amy E. Smithson - Risking a Repeat: Export Controls and Post-Conflict Iraq
“ Controlling trade with a post-Saddam regime is not only necessary to prevent the re-emergence of WMD threats in Iraq, but also represents an important opportunity for the Unites States to reengage its allies in strengthening multilateral export controls… .”
– Kate Walsh and Jon Davis - The Day After: What about Regional Security?
“…the policy package needs to address not only the disarmament of Iraq but how to integrate Iraq in its new status into a more promising regional arrangement. … the international community … must work to help the states of the region have more confidence in a future with less conflict, and to create greater capacity to manage disputes in peaceful ways.”
– Ellen Laipson