The United States and democracy promotion in Iraq and Lebanon in the aftermath of the events of ...

358 Pages·2015·3.41 MB·English

The United States and democracy promotion in Iraq and Lebanon in the
aftermath of the events of 9/11 and the 2003 Iraq War
A Thesis Submitted to the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, School of Advanced
Study, University of London in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of PhD. in
Political Science.
By
Abess Taqi
Ph.D. candidate, University of London
Internal Supervisors
Dr. James Chiriyankandath (Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Commonwealth
Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London)
Professor Philip Murphy (Director, Institute of Commonwealth Studies, School of
Advanced Study, University of London)
External Co-Supervisor
Dr. Maria Holt (Reader in Politics, Department of Politics and International Relations,
University of Westminster)

© Copyright Abess Taqi April 2015. All rights reserved.
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DECLARATION
I hereby declare that this thesis is my own work and effort and that it has not been
submitted anywhere for any award. Where other sources of information have been used,
they have been duly acknowledged.

Signature: ……………………………………….
Date: …………………………………………….

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Abstract
This thesis features two case studies exploring the George W. Bush Administration’s
(2001 – 2009) efforts to promote democracy in the Arab world, following military
occupation in Iraq, and through ‘democracy support’ or ‘democracy assistance’ in
Lebanon. While reviewing well rehearsed arguments that emphasise the
inappropriateness of the methods employed to promote Western liberal democracy in
Middle East countries and the difficulties in the way of democracy being fostered by
foreign powers, it focuses on two factors that also contributed to derailing the U.S.’s
plans to introduce ‘Western style’ liberal democracy to Iraq and Lebanon.
The first is the adverse impact upon the U.S.’s efforts to foster democracy in Iraq
caused by bureaucratic in-fighting and conflicting U.S. agency agendas. The argument
is that the internecine struggles between competing U.S. agencies, not only in the build-
up to the invasion of Iraq, but also during the post-war occupation of that country,
helped to undermine the Bush Administration’s policy there. In Lebanon the study
shows that, notwithstanding the non-military approach the Bush Administration pursued
there, its efforts again still fell short of the grand rhetoric which accompanied the shift
in U.S. foreign policy toward democracy promotion in the aftermath of 9/11 and the
2003 Iraq war.
The second factor put forward in this study as also significant in the failure of the Bush
enterprise is the widespread suspicion of U.S. motives across Iraq, Lebanon and the
wider Arab world. The thesis argues that such suspicions are reflective of the broader
issues of credibility and trust which have bedevilled U.S. democracy promotion. The
analysis to follow will show how Bush’s democracy campaign was compromised by a
prevalent anti-American sentiment borne out of the deep and pervasive suspicions of
U.S. motives.
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Permission to use
With effect from the date on which this thesis is deposited in the Library of the
University of London, School of Advanced Study, I permit the Librarian of the
University to allow the thesis to be copied in whole or in part without reference to me
and on the understanding that such authority applies to the provision of single copies
made for study purposes or for inclusion within the stock of another Library.
This restriction does not apply to the British Library Thesis Service (which is permitted
to copy the thesis on demand for loan or sale under the terms of a separate agreement)
nor to the copying or publication of the title and abstract of the thesis.
It is a condition of use of this thesis that anyone who consults it must recognise that the
copyright rests with the author and that no quotation from the thesis and no information
derived from it may be published unless the source is properly acknowledged.

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Note on Transliteration
Arabic words have been transliterated in accordance with the standard practice in
International Journal of Middle East Studies. The spelling of Arabic names and places
has been based on the most prevalent practice used in books. As far as those
interviewed are concerned, the translation of their names is based on how the
individuals concerned spell it themselves.

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Contents
No. Description Page No.
1 Acknowledgements 7 – 9
2 Abbreviations 10 - 14
3 The Republican administration of George W. Bush Jnr. 15 - 16
(2001 – 2009) – Cast of Main Characters
4 Chronology of key events: Iraq 17 – 19
5 Chronology of key events: Lebanon 20 – 21
6 Map of Lebanon 22
7 Map of Iraq 23
8 Organisational Chart of U.S. State Department 24
9 Organisational Chart of U.S. Department of Defense 25
(Pentagon)
10 U.S. Government national security organization: Key 26
members of top committees
11 Chapter One – Introduction 27 - 70
12 Chapter Two – The background to U.S. democracy 71 – 139
promotion in the Middle East (pre – and post – 9/11)
13 Chapter Three – U.S. democracy promotion in Iraq post-9/11 140 - 218
and the 2003 Iraq War
14 Chapter Four – U.S. democracy promotion in Lebanon post- 219 - 258
9/11 and the 2003 Iraq War
15 Chapter Five – The problem of U.S. credibility 259 – 316
16 Chapter Six – Conclusion 317 - 329
17 Bibliography 330 – 358

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Acknowledgements
I have accumulated many personal debts during the writing of this thesis and I am very
happy to finally have an opportunity to acknowledge them.
My first debt goes to God who has constantly showered me with his richest blessings all
throughout my life. Without God’s grace and guidance, I would not have been able to
undertake this project and witness its germination.
My next debt is to my beautiful family for their love and support, and for enduring all
the distractions and burdens this project imposed on our family life. I would like to
particularly thank my wife, Yemen, for looking after our two adorable children,
Yasmeen and Abess Jnr. (AJ), whilst I wrote this thesis. It was Yemen who had to put
up with my researching and writing this thesis all through to its final submission, and it
is to her that I dedicate this piece of work. To her and my children, I promise never
again to embark on an academic venture of this magnitude.
My greatest intellectual debt is to my two supervisors, Dr. James Chiriyankandath and
Dr. Maria Holt. This thesis has been long in the making and it is the culmination of an
idea that began life in the summer of 2010 following informal discussions I had with
Dr. Chiriyankandath. Throughout the course of writing this thesis I had many
fascinating conversations about the politics of the Arab world and the pace of political
reform in Arab societies with Dr. Chiriyankandath. Dr. Chiriyankandath has unfailingly
sensible things to say about the main issues dominating the political landscape of the
Middle East region and I have benefited immensely from his knowledge and personal
reflection on these issues over an extensive period of time. Without Dr.
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Chiriyankandath’s mentorship and supervision, this thesis would not have been
completed. Ours is a friendship that has grown and one I continue to treasure.
I would also like to extend a special word of gratitude to Dr. Maria Holt for her
unwavering support and constant interest in my research. Maria’s ability to never lose
sight of the largest issues and her impressively balanced judgments enabled me to tackle
those difficult historical and conceptual questions I faced throughout the construction of
this work. Through her regular supervisory remarks/comments, Maria advocated the
need for precision and accuracy to cover every strand of evidence and argument relied
upon in support of my research. She was also most helpful in introducing me to
prospective interview subjects. Her extensive network of global contacts from Beirut to
Washington and beyond is as impressive as I have ever known. Without Maria’s
encouragement, support and constructive criticism, the ideas of this work would never
have been consolidated.
Special thanks also to Dr. Matthew Alan Hill for his insightful feedback on the
introductory chapter. Matt unselfishly made himself available, and generously dedicated
his precious time whenever I needed to talk or explore pertinent issues relevant to my
research. My profound gratitude also goes to Professor Charles Tripp of SOAS
University, Professor James Manor of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies,
University of London and Professor Peter Burnell of the University of Warwick for
their kind assistance in helping to steer my ship in the right direction.
I interviewed many individuals for this project. I have tried to list all of them but I
would like to mention in particular Dr. Marina Ottaway, Senior Scholar, Wilson
International Center for Scholars, Washington D.C; Pierre Maroun, Political Analyst
and Chairman of the American Lebanese Center for Cultural Research; Rahman
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Aljebouri, Senior Program Officer, Middle East & North Africa with the National
Endowment for Democracy (NED) in Washington D.C. and Dr. Salam Saadi, Member
of the Association of Iraqi Academics in the UK. In Lebanon, I particularly wish to
thank Gaby Jammal for his hospitality and energetic intellectual stimulation. Gaby was
also the perfect dinner companion. Together, we prowled the streets of Hamra in
downtown Beirut searching for delicious offerings of Kibbet Batata (potato kibbeh) and
Yakhnehs (Lebanese stew); Thanks are also due to Hasnaa Mansour of the Westminster
Foundation for Democracy in Beirut and Lauren Williams, MENA Editor at The Daily
Star newspaper for lending me far more time than I deserved during my visit to Beirut
in January 2013. All my interviewees were unstinting in their time, and I thank them for
their support.
At a personal level, I would like to extend special thanks to my mother, Shahineh, from
whom I inherited my passion for books and to my siblings for their support and
companionship throughout my life. This thesis is also dedicated to the memory of my
beloved nephew, Ibrahim Bash-Taqi Jnr. (Ditto) who sadly and suddenly passed away
on 24th November 2010. I pray that his eternal soul rests in perfect peace.
Abess Taqi
Ph.D. Candidate, London, April 2015

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List of Abbreviations
ABA American Bar Association
ACDI/VOCA Agricultural Cooperative Development International and Volunteers
in Overseas Cooperative Assistance
ADDL Association for the Defense of Law and Liberties (Lebanon)
ADF American Development Foundation
AEI American Enterprise Institute
AMIDEAST America-Mideast Educational and Training Services, Inc.
BBC British Broadcasting Corporation
BMENA Broader Middle East and North Africa Partnership Initiative
CAP Community Action Programme (Iraq)
CAT Convention against Torture and other Cruel Inhuman, or Degrading
Treatment
CCER Civil Campaign for Electoral Reform (Lebanon)
CCFE Civic Coalition for Free Elections (Iraq)
CEPPS Consortium for Elections and Political Party Strengthening (Iraq)
CERP Commanders Emergency Response Programme (Iraq)
CESMO Centre for Middle Eastern Strategies
CFUWI Committee For the follow-up on Women’s Issues (Lebanese NGO)
CHF Cooperative Housing Foundation International (now renamed Global
Communities)
CIA Central Intelligence Agency
CIPE Centre for International Private Enterprise
CLAO Council of Lebanese American Organizations
CLD Centre for Legislative Development (University of Albany)
CLOE Coalition for the Observation of Elections (Lebanon)
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