Invasion of Iraq

The Iraq Invasion, the War on Islam, Consequences and the Way Forward

The media and policy discourse on the Iraq war over the last 5 years has focused on and evolved around issues such as civil war, the Sunni-Shia divide, the involvement of external actors such as Iran and Syria. However, an important issue which needs to be emphasised is how the Iraqi war and the subsequent occupation is linked to the Western objective of weakening and containing the growth of Islamic revivalism in the Muslim world.
Post Cold War, Francis Fukuyama's in his seminal work ‘the end of history', argued that liberal democracy had triumphed and its promotion had to be the key basis of US foreign policy around the world. This declaration was naïve to say the least; at best it was a knee jerk reaction to the collapse of the Soviet Union, as ideological revival had taken root in the Muslim world since the 1960s and had been developing strength in the region. It is subsequently this region where the US would face its main challenge, in tackling Islamic revivalism in the world.

The Clinton administration relied on the promotion of globalisation, with the belief that economic growth would lead to democratic and secular development in the region. This characterised the behaviour of international financial institutions and aid agencies in the region, which were linking aid and funding to economic liberalisation and the development of free markets. However, this US policy failed to take the ideological revival off its course, with Islamic movements and their ideological call growing in strength in the context of capitalistic economic and models of development in the region. The post 9/11 period, would see a radical shift in US foreign policy towards the region, directed by the neoconservatives, which had wanted a more clearer and sharper policy for the Muslim world since the early 1990s and had lobbied the Clinton administration to take on board their views, however this failed and the 9/11 events, the subsequent emotions and outcry, allowed the neoconservatives to manipulate public sentiments to begin its war on terror, which has become synonymous with a war on Islam. The neoconservatives have linked US national security to the Middle East, and have realised the ideological threat and challenge which Political Islam poses to US national interests, in particular the ever important oil and gas supplies from the region, which has become more important given the growth of China and its growing need for hydrocarbon energy. As a result, the need to weaken the strength of political Islam has shaped US foreign policy towards the region post 9/11. This policy has involved the following;

1) The weakening and breaking up of Muslim states i.e. the fragmentation of Iraq and similar situation developing in Pakistan 2) The creation of ethnic and religious divisions i.e. Sunni-Shia divide, through the Iraq chaos and the escalation of the Iranian threat and through statements made by Arab leaders, such as King Abdullah and Hosni Mubarak who have spoken of a Shia Crescent in the region 3) Giving the green light to Israeli aggression in Lebanon, with the US aware that the ramifications of the conflict would be wider and impacting the whole region i.e. refugees, ethnic and religious divisions. 4) Turning a blind eye to increased authoritarianism in the region, for example the Islamic movement has been hounded in countries, such as Egypt, Jordan and Central Asia

Therefore, the US has post 9/11 used the war in Afghanistan and particularly the invasion of Iraq to try to weaken the growth of Islam in the region. However the US and the West have also had an eye on Muslim populations in the West, in particular due to the failure to secularise them and giving them a nationalist identity, which replaces their Islamic transnational identity as one Ummah. As a result the West has fashioned and crafted policies to create secular identities among the Muslims, there has been an increased emphasis on patriotism in the US, with flags outside peoples homes a common seen and people being seen as been unpatriotic and to an extent committing treason, if a flag is not apparent forcing Muslims into developing a secular national identity, loyal to the US and her troops in Iraq.

Similarly this has been a common trend throughout Europe, with governments introducing policies, such as citizenship classes, ceremonies, tests, and oath of allegiances, with them clearly being directed towards the Muslim communities in Europe. Behind, all of this has been the objective to cut off the Muslim community from the Muslim world and to give it a French, British, and Germany identity, meaning that the Muslims would support European governments in the war on terror rather than supporting the movement for Khilafah in the region. Therefore, it is clear that Western policy has been double edged, one focusing on the Muslim world and the other to Muslims in the West, but with both edges directed towards taking the wind out of the sail of Islamic revivalism.
US Presidential Elections: Withdrawal from Iraq and the Muslim world?
An important question to answer is the impact of the impending US presidential elections on the occupation of Iraq and military presence in the Muslim world. The Republican candidate John McCain is a supporter of the war on terror, supported the Iraq invasion and supported the Bush administrations surge policy in Iraq. Therefore, McCain coming to power is not likely to substantially change US foreign policy to Iraq and the Muslim world and its objectives driving the policy. In relation to the democrats, Hilary Clinton supported the war in Iraq and now has been arguing for the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq and this is similar to Barak Obama. However, it is fair to say that the democrats are playing on the anti-war opinion in the US and manipulating this for political electoral points. The democrats and the republicans differ on styles in terms of executing US foreign policy but at heart they are both driven by US interests and her main interest post 9/11 is to tackle the growing demand for Khilafah in the region and this is going to continue to shape and drive US foreign policy post US presidential election in November 2008. This means that the instability and insecurity, which has characterised the Middle East post 9/11 is to continue, plunging the region into a further abyss, whether the democrats of republicans take control of Washington in November 2008.

The Way Forward for the Iraq and the Muslim World
The only way for the region, is Islam implemented by the Khilafah (Islamic State), this is the only ideology which is able to bring unity, stability and security to the region. Islam is linked to the region, through religion, culture and history, giving it a natural environment through which it can emerge in state and society. This is in direct contrast to external models of government and economics which are European centric, leading to inevitable conflict with the regions culture and history. The situation which we are seeing today in Iraq, the chaos and the Sunni-Shia divide is unprecedented, with that territory having never witnessed the bloodshed which it sees today. The ethnic and religious groupings lived in a cohesive society for centuries, under the mosaic of an Islamic political system, which was disturbed by colonialism post Ottomans and the subsequent colonial involvement, epitomised by the Iraq War.

The region is at an important juncture 5 years on from the Iraq war, US policy is causing instability and insecurity and there is a need for a paradigm change in the region, with political Islam taking root and acting as the means of dealing with the problems of the region, caused by authoritarianism and US policy. This needed change is now sensed by the majority of the people who wish to live under the systems of the Shariah and the unity of the Khilafah system.