Between the Devil and the Deep Sea. The Consequences of U.S. Presence in Iraq on Democratization Efforts in the Greater Middle East

Seminar paper from the year 2005 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Region: Near East, Near Orient, grade: 2,0, language: English, abstract: Even though the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 was widely protested around the globe, nobody would actually deny the fact, that the removal of its cruel dictator Saddam Hussein was in itself a good thing. As part of the Greater Middle East Initiative, the U.S. hoped to spark democratization in one of the most undemocratic regions in the world. Yet, if one takes a closer look at the preconditions, it becomes clear that America’s decision was essentially like choosing between the devil and the deep sea - the decision to invade Iraq had as many negative consequences as to refrain from acting. This paper will assess the negative consequences of the U.S. American invasion of Iraq on the democratic development in the Greater Middle East area. I intend to look at the social and political developments in various authoritarian regimes before the year 2003 and compare and contrast it to the 2005 status quo. The example of Iran will be closely analyzed in a case study; to see what changes the invasion of Iraq has brought about in Iran. The underlying hypothesis is, that U.S. presence in Iraq has increased radicalism among Iranian leaders, and decreased the countries chances to democratize. I will look anti-democratic sentiments and actions among Iranian leaders before and after the war in Iraq to assess whether this hypothesis holds true.