An Unlikely War

Why America Invaded Iraq

Even though the collapse of the Soviet Union left America as the sole world superpower, the United States sought to promote a world order based on cooperation between states. In 1991, President Bush formed a large coalition to push Iraq out of Kuwait. In the same spirit, America worked with the United Nations in Haiti, Bosnia, and Kosovo. In addition, throughout the 1990’s, the United States turned to the United Nations to implement a policy of containment against Saddam Hussein’s regime. Nevertheless, containment gradually eroded, and by 2001, the policy appeared to be no longer viable. This left deterrence, or regime change, as the primary policy options to effectively deal with Saddam. Due to the uncertainty involved with deterrence, it was deemed too risky. As for regime change, the international community would likely oppose such a radical step.