Between Iraq and a Hard Place: US Policy Toward Iraq

摘要

The US is in the midst of an extraordinary national debate concerning the appropriate policy mix with which to address the challenges posed by Iraq. The iterative presentation of the US Administration's approach to 'settling' the Iraq question lends itself to measurement against a decision model that factors in policy ends, means, ways, constraints, opportunities, costs, and risks to determine if all critical variables have been considered and properly weighted in the US decision process. Using such a decision template, this paper will propose that the US approach to Iraq should focus primarily on curtailing Iraq's weapons of mass destruction (WMD) program through a sequential mix of coercive diplomacy and limited military force as required. Such an approach is most likely to achieve relevant US national security objectives while minimizing the US cost in lives and treasure.