Imperial Myopia: Some Lessons from Two Invasions of Iraq

Author: Sluglett, Peter

Source: The Middle East Journal, Volume 62, Number 4, Autumn 2008 , pp. 593-609(17)

Publisher: Middle East Institute

Key:

- Free Content

- New Content

- Subscribed Content

- Free Trial Content

Abstract:

This article tries to chart some of the parallels between the British Mesopotamia Campaign in the First World War and the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. Both campaigns were justified by faulty or contrived intelligence; both were launched with little consideration of the future potential needs of the liberated/occupied territory; and both were characterized by a lack of planning and clear objectives. However, in spite of their obvious paternalism, several military and civilian members of the British-Indian expedition had a fair understanding of the Middle East, Arabic, Islam, tribal society, and so on; this sort of expertise was almost completely absent both among those planning, and among those running, the US invasion of 2003.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.3751/62.4.12

The full text electronic article is available for purchase. You will be able to download the full text electronic article after payment.

$18.00 plus tax Refund Policy