Policy Initiatives That Steer Terrorism: A Case Study of L. Paul Bremer’s De-Ba’athification of the Iraqi Army

Abstract

A key objective of the U.S. invasion of Iraq was to bring democracy to Iraq by severing all links with Saddam Hussein’s toppled regime. As we’ve now discovered however, this “de-Ba’athization” policy was terribly shortsighted and led to horrific sectarian fighting in Iraq, attacks on U.S. troops when they were occupying the country, and eventually the rise of ISIS and other terrorist groups that are wreaking havoc on the region today. We will delve into the complicated political, ethnic, and religious dynamics that exist in Iraq to examine why, rather than leading to peace, the dismantling of the Ba’ath infrastructure instead unleashed instability on the Iraqi people soon followed by utter chaos and incalculable suffering for the population of Iraq (and even outside its borders) that continues to this day. We all know the famous Santayana quote that those who fail to learn from the lessons of history are doomed to repeat it. The question is do we have the political will and wherewithal to put that wise advice to practical use in our current and future foreign policy.