The United States and its allies invaded Iraq in 2003 with the declared intention of removing Saddam Hussein’s regime. Although it was determined after the war that Iraq did not possess weapons of mass destruction (WMD), removing a regime believed to be in possession of WMD raises the possibility that the post-9/11 US security policy is more willing than previously believed to tolerate the risk...

Iraq’s agricultural sector represents a small, but vital component of Iraq’s economy. Over the past several decades agriculture’s role in the economy has been heavily influenced by Iraq’s involvement in military conflicts, particularly the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War and the 1991 Gulf War, and by varying degrees of government efforts to promote and/or control agricultural production. In the mid-1980s...

Past research indicates that war-zone veterans may experience psychological symptoms such as nightmares, difficulty experiencing happiness, and jumpiness. These and similar stress-related symptoms, if severe enough, are labeled posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the impact of war can extend beyond psychological symptoms. This study examined 800 Army soldiers before and after they de...

This article explores deterrence, a time-honoured concept in International Relations (ir), through the application of systemism, a concept borrowed from the philosophy of science. The purpose of this study is to provide a diagrammatic exposition that establishes the “value added” from systemism vis-à-vis the research on deterrence. A series of exchanges involving us-led efforts to deter Saddam ...

People depend on human infrastructure for a range of activities in their daily lives, such as work and socializing. In this paper we consider three different intertwined types of infrastructures of a society that may be affected in crisis situations: the physical, technological, and human infrastructures. We argue that when the human infrastructure is damaged, e.g. in a natural catastrophe or w...

Britain has a relatively good track record in counterinsurgency (COIN).1 But as one journalist commented in 2008: “the war in Iraq has been one of the most disastrous wars ever fought by Britain. It has been small, but we achieved nothing.”2 Although this view can be contested, it is clear that, if judged in terms of the original aim, Britain’s achievements fell far short of expectations set in...

In 1990 and 1991, approximately 697,000 U.S. troops were deployed in the Persian Gulf during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. The United States suffered relatively few casualties during the brief air and ground war against Iraq. Since returning home, however, many veterans have developed illnesses that appear to be related to their military service in the Gulf. Researchers caution tha...

rooms the misery of human suffering. When conflicts are over, the news usually concentrates on reconstruction issues. However, the legacy of conflicts might also include longer-term security threats, such as environmental degradation, damaged infrastructure, and conflict related risks to human health. Because of poor environmental administration in postconflict countries, environmental and heal...

understanding the fundamental issues of the iran-iraq war as well as the factors affecting understanding the nature of it is the most important window to the correct understanding the history of the holy defense. if done correctly, this will provide an opportunity to understand the trends and events of the iran-iraq war which regardless of political and factional controversies, it paves the gro...