Essay Sample on Offensive Neorealism's Description of the Second Iraq War

Introduction

The offensive Neo-realist theory can be used to explain the second Iraq war that took place from 2003 to 2011. In this war, the United States and Great Britain troops invaded Iraq and quickly defeated the military and paramilitary forces. The fight was led by the United States, and it led to the overthrow of the government of Saddam Hussein. The war continued for a long time due to the emergence of an insurgency that opposed the occupying forces and post-invasion of the Iraqi government. According to the offensive realists is that countries seek to have maximum power to prevent other countries that have intentions to attack. Countries operate in an anarchic world where there is no single country can help others to solve their issues. Realists believe that since there is no country that has overreaching power over others, personal power is required to safeguard a country's autonomy. Countries, therefore, seek to dominate others to guarantee their survival in future since safety is a significant concern. The second Iraq war is an excellent example to illustrate how offensive realism occurs in the real world.

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The offensive neorealist theory by John Mearsheimer has various assumptions. According to the theory is that the basic structure of international system compels countries to compete for power. The intention of gaining power is to dominate the system ultimately. According to Snyder, the most powerful countries try to dominate others by ensuring that other regions in the world are subjugated and ensuring that no great opposing power dominates another area (149). The initial assumption of this theory is that states are the primary actors in global politics and therefore no authority is above them. Thus no single country acts as the arbiter where other countries can look up to help in times of trouble. This system is known as the anarchic system. The other assumption is that every country has its offensive military capabilities. However, some countries have more capabilities compared to others based on the material objects that they own. In regards to intentions, states have different intentions, and it is difficult to determine the intentions of another country since countries are led by leaders who change from time to time. A country may not know whether another country might attack it and it is, therefore, necessary for a country to determine the intentions of other countries especially about their foreign policy. The other assumption is that survival is the primary goal of all countries. Survival is the ability to maintain a country's autonomy in its policy-making process. The other assumption of this theory is that states are rational actors and therefore they practically effective at creating strategies that exploit the opportunities of survival (Lobell 165).

After the 9/11 attack, the United States realized that it faced a significant threat from al-Qaeda which was a terrorist group that was linked to Iraq. The attack was meant to increase fear throughout the United States and therefore weaken the country's position in the international world. The second Iraq war was a retaliation of the 9/11 attack. The United States desired to kill Saddam Hussein who was believed to be the leader of Al-Qaeda and also destroy Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. The war indicated that countries face security threats from others (Taliaferro 128). Iraq was attacked by the United States and Great Britain to dominate it. The United States desired to increase its power compared to its neighbors by attacking Iraq. The United States is known for its great offensive military capabilities, and it is a threat to every country. It used its military power to overthrow the government of Saddam Hussein. According to offensive realist, the action of attacking another country is motivated by the desire to seek hegemony which ensures that its safety is assured (Nuruzzaman 239). The United States and its allies desired to dominate Iraq since it seemed to be increasing its power. It also threatened them as it controlled essential resources such as oil. The war was aimed at improving the regional hegemonic status of the United States and the power gap between itself and its neighbors. The idea of power and the desire for countries to become hegemon explains why the United States attacked Iraq. The United States engaged in the war to maintain the power it had gained after the cold war. Further, it desired to avert the emergence of regional power in the Middle East. Also, the United States wanted to create a democratic government in Iraq that would support it and therefore eliminate any probable conflicting powers (Miller 26).

Conclusion

In conclusion, the neo-realist theory supports the second war in Iraq. The anarchic structure of states justifies the war since no single country can ensure there are peace and stability and those countries do not attack each other. This situation causes countries to be solely responsible for their security and must defend them against attacks. The United States could have also been pushed to start the war for its state security and to maintain hegemony.

Works Cited

Miller, Benjamin. "Explaining changes in US grand strategy: 9/11, the rise of offensive liberalism, and the war in Iraq." Security Studies 19.1 (2010): 26-65.

Nuruzzaman, Mohammed. "Beyond the Realist Theories:"Neo-Conservative Realism" and the American Invasion of Iraq." International Studies Perspectives 7.3 (2006): 239-253.

Lobell, Steven E. "War is politics: Offensive realism, domestic politics, and security strategies." Security Studies 12.2 (2002): 165-195.

Snyder, Glenn H. "Mearsheimer's World-Offensive Realism and the Struggle for Security: A Review Essay." International Security 27.1 (2002): 149-173.

Taliaferro, Jeffrey W. "Security seeking under anarchy: Defensive realism revisited." International security 25.3 (2001): 128-161.