Witnesses: Fouad Ajami, SAIS, Johns Hopkins Univ.; Richard Butler, former Exec. Chmn., UNSCOM; Anthony Cordesman, CSIS; Charles Duelfer, former Dep. Exec. Chmn., UNSCOM; Robert Gallucci, Georgetown Univ.; Morton Halperin, Council on Foreign Relations; Khidhir Hamaz, former Iraqi Nuclear Physicist; Joseph Hoar, former command. in chief, U.S. Central Command; Geoffrey Kemp, Nixon Center; Thomas McInerney, former Vice Chief of Staff, U.S.A.F.: Mark Parris, Baker, Donelson; Shibley Telhami, Univ. of MD; Sinan Al-Shabibi, consult. to the UN; Samuel Berger, former Nat. Sec. Adv.; Scott Feil, Assoc. of the U.S. Army; Rend Rahim Francke, Iraq Fdn.; Phebe Marr, former prof., NDU; and Caspar Weinberger, former Sec. of Defense.

This volume of essays about the ongoing crisis concerning Iraq is written from the perspective of the "thoughtful opposition." German and American scholars from diverse backgrounds--moral theology, policy analysis, political science, Middle Eastern history--all criticize, albeit sometimes for different reasons, unilateral U.S. military action against Iraq. The chapters are uniformly free of intemperate language and careless argumentation characteristic of much opposition to American foreign policy. The authors address the moral, legal, political, or historical dimensions of the Iraq problem. They also assess the threat Saddam Hussein represents to his region and the world as well as the prospects for alternative strategies. The reasoning is well-informed, sensitive to complexity, and attentive to detail. Contributions include: Klaus Dicke, "Peace Through International Law and the Case of Iraq"; Hans J. Giessmann, "The Dubious Legitimacy of Preventive Military Action against Iraq"; John Langan, "Is Attacking Iraq a Good Idea?" and "Is There a Just Cause for War against Iraq?"; Gerhard Beestermller, "The United States: Legitimate Authority for War against Iraq?"; Drew Christiansen, "Holy See Policy towards Iraq"; Henner Frtig, "Iraq: How Severe is the Threat?"; and David Cortright, Alistair Millar, and George A. Lopez, "Sanctions, Inspections and Containment. Viable Policy Options in Iraq." While Iraq: Threat and Response may not be welcomed by uncritical supporters of U.S. policy, it is a reasoned, compassionate exploration of alternatives to military action in Iraq. The volume is clearly designed to strengthen opposition to unilateral action in the United States and abroad. It will be of great interest to students of foreign policy, military studies, and the Middle East. Gerhard Beestermller is deputy director of the Catholic Institute for Theology and Peace, near Hamburg. His focus of research is political ethics and peace ethics. David Little is T.J. Dermot Dunphy Professor of the Practice in Religion, Ethnicity, and International Conflict and director of Initiatives in Religion and Public Life at Harvard Divinity School. He is the author, with Scott W. Hibbard, of Islamic Activism and U.S. Foreign Policy.

Today the U.S. military is more nimble, mobile, and focused on rapid responses against smaller powers than ever before. One could argue that the Gulf War and the postwar standoff with Saddam Hussein hastened needed military transformation and strategic reassessments in the post–Cold War era. But the preoccupation with Iraq also mired the United States in the Middle East and led to a bloody occupation. What will American strategy look like after U.S. troops leave Iraq? Iraq and the Evolution of American Strategy examines the ways in which the Gulf War, the WMD standoff, the Iraq War, and the ongoing occupation have driven broader changes in U.S. national security policy and military strategy. Steven Metz answers three overarching questions: 1. How did the conflict with Iraq drive and shape broader changes in national security and military strategy? 2. Did policymakers and military leaders interpret the conflict correctly and make the most effective responses? 3. What does this process tell us about the process of change in America's national security and military strategy and in the evolution of its strategic culture? Metz concludes that the United States has a long-standing, continuing problem “developing sound assumptions when the opponent operates within a different psychological and cultural framework.” He sees a pattern of misjudgments about Saddam and Iraq based on Western cultural and historical bias and a pervasive faith in the superiority of America's worldview and institutions. This myopia contributed to America being caught off guard by Saddam's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, then underestimating his longevity, and finally miscalculating the likelihood of a stable and democratic Iraq after he was toppled. With lessons for all readers concerned about America's role in the world, Dr. Metz's important new work will especially appeal to scholars and students of strategy and international security studies, as well as to military professionals and DOD civilians. With a foreword by Colin S. Gray.

Written by the former chief foreign policy advisor to the Turkish president and based on unprecedented access to official documents and communiques, this book gives the inside story of Turkish US relations from the first Gulf War, through debates on the Iraqi Kurdish question, the 2003 invasion of Iraq and into the present day. Using events in Iraq as the basis for a theoretical case study, Gurcan Balik argues that Turkey influenced US foreign policy on several key occasions, and that Turkish support was instrumental in the first intervention in Iraq. After Iraq's 1991 uprisings, however, Turkey's interests in the Middle East began to diverge from those of the US, and their relationship gradually deteriorated, evident in Turkey's refusal to open up its northern border to aid the US advance to Baghdad in 2003. Balik contends that an 'Iraq gap' then emerged, which has since had major implications for the Turkish economy and for the future of the Middle East.Turkey and the US in the Middle East contains hitherto unpublished primary source material, and is an essential addition to the scholarship of the period."