The USA is worldwide known for being the major liberal democratic country. However, on 20th march 2003, the USA invaded Iraq, which was the major and the most expensive military confrontation for the USA after Cold war (Lieberfeld, 2005). This action has been argued to be the breaking and rejecting the international law of non-intervention. But, the justification of such action was given by the president of the USA – George W. Bush as following: ‘Iraq continues to flaunt its hostility toward America and support evil’, calling Iraq the constituent of ‘axis of evil’ (Baylis et al, 2008). Moreover, Weapons of Mass Destruction of Iraq were a big issue as well. This event is considered by two different theories – Realism and Liberalism. In the essay,
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This is one of the most important arguments, for explaining the invasion of Iraq by the USA, i.e. from the liberal perspective this was the war not for American benefits, but more for the defeating the dictatorship. Humanitarian intervention is a liberal foreign policy, according to which if the state discriminates its citizens, international community may intervene with the purpose of preventing further violence on individuals (Baylis et al, 2008). In case of Iraq war, many liberalists emphasize on the human rights of Iraqi population and justify the USA’s invasion as the war against severe despotism with the aim of liberation of Iraqi people (Baylis et al, 2008). One of the most famous liberal theorists, Robert Keohane claims that the ‘boarder’ between self-defence and humanitarian intervention becomes vaguer and nowadays military confrontation may be: ‘described as both self-defence and as humanitarian or public-spirited’ (Baylis et al, 2008). Another aspect, which is extremely important in liberalism for this case is the spread of democracy in the Middle East. Liberalists believe, that the liberated Iraq would be a perfect inspirational example for other states of the Middle East to have the will of democracy and to struggle for it and to understand, that ‘democracy was not just a Western invention, but a universal human right’ (Baylis et al,
This is one of the most important arguments, for explaining the invasion of Iraq by the USA, i.e. from the liberal perspective this was the war not for American benefits, but more for the defeating the dictatorship. Humanitarian intervention is a liberal foreign policy, according to which if the state discriminates its citizens, international community may intervene with the purpose of preventing further violence on individuals (Baylis et al, 2008). In case of Iraq war, many liberalists emphasize on the human rights of Iraqi population and justify the USA’s invasion as the war against severe despotism with the aim of liberation of Iraqi people (Baylis et al, 2008). One of the most famous liberal theorists, Robert Keohane claims that the ‘boarder’ between self-defence and humanitarian intervention becomes vaguer and nowadays military confrontation may be: ‘described as both self-defence and as humanitarian or public-spirited’ (Baylis et al, 2008). Another aspect, which is extremely important in liberalism for this case is the spread of democracy in the Middle East. Liberalists believe, that the liberated Iraq would be a perfect inspirational example for other states of the Middle East to have the will of democracy and to struggle for it and to understand, that ‘democracy was not just a Western invention, but a universal human right’ (Baylis et al,