Why did George W. Bush and Tony Blair decide their countries should invade Iraq in 2003? What choices did they have, what support and advice did they receive, and how have their decisions affected the world we live in and their legacies? This book looks at a controversial event from recent times, showing how important world leaders chose to follow a particular course of action.

Product Description: The Iraq war defined the first decade of the twenty-first century – leading to mass protests and raising profound questions about domestic politics and the use of military force. Yet most explanations of the war have a narrow focus either on political personalities or oil...read more

Product Description: This edited volume presents the foremost scholarly thinking on why the US invaded Iraq in 2003, a pivotal event in both modern US foreign policy and international politics. In the years since the US invasion of Iraq it has become clear that the threat of weapons of mass destruction was not as urgent as the Bush administration presented it and that Saddam Hussein was not involved with either Al Qaeda or 9/11...read more

The attacks of 9/11 led to a war on Iraq, although there was neither tangible evidence that the nation's leader, Saddam Hussein, was linked to Osama bin Laden nor proof of weapons of mass destruction. Why, then, did the Iraq war garner so much acceptance in the United States during its primary stages?Mass Deception argues that the George W. Bush administration manufactured public support for the war on Iraq. Scott A. Bonn introduces a unique, integrated, and interdisciplinary theory called "critical communication" to explain how and why political elites and the news media periodically create public panics that benefit both parties. Using quantitative analysis of public opinion polls and presidential rhetoric pre- and post-9/11 in the news media, Bonn applies the moral panic concept to the Iraq war. He critiques the war and occupation of Iraq as violations of domestic and international law. Finally, Mass Deception connects propaganda and distortion efforts by the Bush administration to more general theories of elite deviance and state crime.

Product Description: In The Anatomy of Deception, Abele reconstructs the public dialogue that led to the United States collectively making the decision to invade and occupy the sovereign nation of Iraq. The book examines this public debate concerning the invasion and occupation of Iraq and focuses on thinking critically about the decision...read more

Provides a collection of articles that offer varying viewpoints on the subject of the Iraq War.

Product Description: If what is shaping up to be the worst foreign policy disaster in U.S. history has an upside, it is that the current war in Iraq should definitively, permanently settle a handful of critical questions about American conduct in the world...read more

Product Description: America's invasion of Iraq is one of the most controversial issues of our day. It seems to be a subject that creates more questions than answers. We've all heard the official explanations of the American government: Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and he had to be stopped before he could attack the United States...read more