Bush's America vs. the UN
History 300 / December 3, 2013

I. Introduction: “constructivism” and IR theory
II. The “war on terror”
            A. Immediate reactions to the September attacks
                        1. NATO pledges solidarity (Sept. 11)
                        2. UNSC condemnation (Sept. 12)
                        3. Bush: with us or against us…
            B. NATO operations
                        1. NATO participation in air surveillance of US
                        2. “Active Endeavor” (Mediterranean)
                        3. “Enduring Freedom” (coast of Somalia)
            C. Restructuring Afghanistan
                        1. The war against the Taliban
                        2. The Bonn Conference
                        3. ISAF deployed to Kabul (Dec. 2001)
                        4. ISAF’s mission expands under NATO (2003-6)
           D. The Israel-Palestine conflict as a complicating factor
III. The clash over Iraq
            A. Standoff with Saddam
                        1. The crumbling sanctions regime
                        2. Suspicion over WMDs
            B. The Western powers split
                        1. Gerhard Schröder’s “nein”
                        2. Chirac moves carefully (at first)
                        3. Congress passes war resolution (Oct. 2002)
                        4. Iraq admits weapons inspectors (Nov. 2002)
            C. Bush presses toward war
                        1. The “coalition of the willing”
                        2. Powell’s presentation at the UN
                        3. Hans Blix plays for time
                                    > report to the UNSC on March 7, 2003
                        4. Chirac lobbies the UNSC members
                        5. Iraq = Poland?
            D. Postwar anarchy: Iraq as a battleground
                        1. An inept occupation
                        2. What did the insurgency want?
                        3. Elections magnify ethnic divides
                        4. “Ethnic cleansing” in Baghdad
            E. International resonance of the Iraq war
                        1. The UN arrives – and pulls out again
                        2. International militants join the insurgency
                        3. Bombings in Madrid and London
IV. International life goes on – with or without the US
            A. Big powers impose standards on others
                        1. America demands biometric passports
                        2. European regulations (and norms)
            B. Non-proliferation
                        1. Diplomacy managed outside the UNSC
                        2. UNSC helpful in generating pressure
                                    on Iran, North Korea
                        3. America’s side deal with India
            C. Climate change
                        1. Negotiations still dominated by nation-states
                        2. Innovation and energy policies set locally
V. Conclusion: America should continue to help construct the international system