{"product_id":"confronting-saddam-hussein-george-w-bush-and-the-invasion-of-iraq-hardcover","title":"Confronting Saddam Hussein: George W. Bush and the Invasion of Iraq - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eMelvyn P. Leffler\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA vivid portrayal of what drove George W. Bush to invade Iraq in 2003--an outcome that was in no way predetermined. \u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAmerica's decision to go to war in Iraq in 2003 is arguably the most important foreign policy choice of the entire post-Cold War era. Nearly two decades after the event, it remains central to understanding current international politics and US foreign relations. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn\u003cem\u003e Confronting Saddam Hussein\u003c\/em\u003e, the eminent historian of US foreign policy Melvyn P. Leffler analyzes why the US chose war and who was most responsible for the decision. Employing a unique set of personal interviews with dozens of top officials and declassified American and British documents, Leffler vividly portrays the emotions and anxieties that shaped the thinking of the president after the shocking events of 9\/11. He shows how fear, hubris, and power influenced Bush's approach to Saddam Hussein's Iraq. At the core of Leffler's account is his compelling portrait of Saddam Hussein. Rather than stressing Bush's preoccupation with promoting freedom or democracy, Leffler emphasizes Hussein's brutality, opportunism, and unpredictability and illuminates how the Iraqi dictator's record of aggression and intransigence haunted the president and influenced his calculations. Bush was not eager for war, and the decision to invade Iraq was not a \u003cem\u003efait accompli\u003c\/em\u003e. Yet the president was convinced\u003cbr\u003ethat only by practicing coercive diplomacy and threatening force could he alter Hussein's defiance, a view shared by British Prime Minister Tony Blair and other leaders around the world, including Hans Blix, the chief UN inspector. Throughout, Leffler highlights the harrowing anxieties surrounding the decision-making process after the devastating attack on 9\/11 and explains the roles of contingency, agency, rationality, and emotion. As the book unfolds, Bush's centrality becomes more and more evident, as does the bureaucratic dysfunctionality that contributed to the disastrous occupation of Iraq. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA compelling reassessment of George W. Bush's intervention in Iraq, \u003cem\u003eConfronting Saddam Hussein\u003c\/em\u003e provides a provocative reinterpretation of the most important international event of the 21st century.\u003cbr\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMelvyn P. Leffler\u003c\/strong\u003e is Emeritus Professor of American History at The University of Virginia. He is the author of several books on the Cold War and on US relations with Europe, including \u003cem\u003eFor the Soul of Mankind \u003c\/em\u003e(2007), which won the George Louis Beer Prize from the American Historical Association, and \u003cem\u003eA Preponderance of Power\u003c\/em\u003e (1993), which won the Bancroft, Hoover, and Ferrell Prizes. In 2010, he and Odd Arne Westad co-edited the three volume \u003cem\u003eCambridge History of the Cold War\u003c\/em\u003e. Along with Jeff Legro and Will Hitchcock, he is co-editor of \u003cem\u003eShaper Nations: Strategies for a Changing World\u003c\/em\u003e (2016). Most recently, he published\u003cem\u003e Safeguarding Democratic Capitalism: U.S. Foreign Policy and National Security, 1920-2015\u003c\/em\u003e (2017). He has served as president of the Society for the History of American Foreign Relations, Harmsworth Professor at Oxford University, and Dean of the College and Graduate School of Arts \u0026amp; Sciences at The University of Virginia.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 368\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.3 x 9.27 x 6.42 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e February 01, 2023\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51758486585632,"sku":"9780197610770","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/4248275f3f80f31516e6b4990d818c83_bfeeb92e-9b2b-45e6-9574-728aa21128ee.webp?v=1780127618","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/confronting-saddam-hussein-george-w-bush-and-the-invasion-of-iraq-hardcover","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}