Iraq: Opposing Viewpoints

Iraq: Opposing Viewpoints is a book, in the Opposing Viewpoints series, presenting selections of contrasting viewpoints (of an array of scholars, political analysts, scientists, and journalists) on four central questions about the Iraq War and its aftermath: whether it was justified; what role the U.S. should play in Iraq; what kind of government Iraq should have; and what lies in the future for Iraq? It was edited by William Dudley.

It was published by Greenhaven Press (Farmington Hills) in 2004 as a 202-page hardcover (ISBN 0-7377-2286-X) and paperback (ISBN 0-7377-2287-8).

Contents

Chapter	Viewpoint	Author	Notes
Why Consider Opposing Viewpoints?=]
Introduction
Chapter 1: Was the 2003 War on Iraq Justified?	1. An American Attack on Iraq is Justified	George W. Bush	Excerpt from "Address to the Nation," March 17, 2003.
	2. An American Attack on Iraq is Not Justified	John E. Farley	Reprint of "Why the United States Should Not Attack Iraq," September 23, 2002.
	3. Liberating Iraq's People From a Cruel Regime Justifies War	George W. Vradenburg	From "Love in the Time of War," Tikkun, vol. 18, May/June, 2003.
	4. Liberating Iraq's People Does Not Justify War	Michael Massing	Excerpt from "The Moral Quandary," in The Nation, Vol. 276, January 6, 2003.
	5. A Failure to Find Iraq's Weapons Calls Into Question the Justification for War	David Corn	Excerpt from "Now They Tell Us," The Nation, vol. 276, May 19, 2003.
	6. War Was Justified Even if No Weapons of Mass Destruction Are Found	Michael Schrage	Reprint of "No Weapons?," Washington Post, May 11, 2003.
	7. The War on Iraq Heralded a Positive New Direction for American Foreign Policy	Thomas Donnelly	Excerpt from "The Meaning of Operation Iraqi Freedom," National Security Outlook, June 1, 2003.
	8. The War on Iraq Heralded a Dangerous New Direction for American Foreign Policy	Stephen Zunes	Reprint of "The U.S. and Post-War Iraq: An Analysis," Foreign Policy in Focus, May 2003.
Chapter 2: What Role Should the United States Play in Iraq?	1. The United States Is Failing to Establish Order in Iraq	Philip Carter	From "Faux Pax American," Washington Monthly, June 2003.
	2. The United States Is Successfully Establishing Order in Iraq	Vito Fossella	Reprint of "Progress in Iraq," Washington Times, June 4, 2003.
	3. The United States Should Embrace an Imperialistic Role in Iraq	Max Boot	Reprint of "American Imperialism? No Need to Run Away from Label," USA Today, 5 May 2003.
	4. The United States Should Reject an Imperialistic Role in Iraq	Awad Nasir	Reprint of "Our Choosing," National Review Online, April 7, 2003.
	5. America Must Involve the United Nations in Rebuilding Iraq	Joseph R. Biden and Chuck Hagel	Reprint of "Winning the Peace," Washington Post, April 6, 2003.
	6. America Should Limit the United Nations' Role in Rebuilding Iraq	Nile Gardiner	Excerpt from "Limit the Role of the United Nations In Post-War Iraq," Heritage Foundation WebMemo, #246, April 1, 2003.
Chapter 3: What Kind of Government Should Iraq Have?	1. Iraq Should Have a Secular Democracy	Barham Salih	Excerpt from "A Plea from the People of Iraq", The Age, March 10, 2003.
	2. The Iraqi People Do Not Want a Secular Democracy	Amir Butler	Reprint of "Liberation through Occupation?," Four Corners, 2003.
	3. Iraq Needs Transitional Rule By a Strongman	Daniel Pipes	Reprint of a "A Strongman for Iraq?," New York Post, April 28, 2003.
	4. Iraq Needs a Transitional Government With Dispersed Powers	Laith Kubba	Reprint of "How to Achieve Democracy in Iraq," Financial Times, October 6, 2002.
	5. The United States Should Permit Iraqis to Elect an Islamic Regime	Joan Ryan	Reprint of "Marrying Islam and Democracy," Liberal Opinion Week, April 17, 2003.
	6. The United States Should Not Permit Iraqis to Elect an Islamic Regime	Robert Garmong	Reprint of "Liberty, Not Democracy, in Iraq," MediaLink, May 8, 2003.
Chapter 4: What Lies in the Future for Iraq?	1. Iraq's Prospects For Democracy Are Good	Rend Rahim Franke	Reprint of "The Prospects for Democracy in Iraq," Foundation for the Defense of Democracies Perspectives, January 17, 2003.
	2. Iraq's Prospects For Democracy Are Poor	Patrick Basham	Excerpt from "Flying Blind on the Path to a Democratic Iraq," Cato Daily Commentary, May 4, 2003.
	3. Iraq Needs a Federalist System of Government	Alon Ben-Meir	Reprint of "Democratizing Iraq," United Press International, April 27, 2003.
	4. Iraq May Need to Divide Into Separate Countries	Ralph Peters	Reprint of "Must Iraq Stay Whole?," Washington Post, April 20, 2003.
	5. Iraq's Oil Resources Can Lay the Foundations For Future Development	Daniel Yergin	Excerpt from "Oil Shortage," Boston Globe Magazine, May 25, 2003.
	6. Iraq's Oil Resources May Hinder Future Development	John B. Judis	From "Will Black Gold Stymie Democracy in Iraq?," The New Republic, March 31, 2003.
Glossary
For Further Discussion
Organizations to Contact
Bibliography of Books
Index

External links

• Iraq (2004) at eNotes