Frustrated Empire US Foreign Policy, 9/11 to Iraq

David Ryan examines US foreign policy in the lingering aftermath of the Vietnam War and shows how 9/11 was opportunistically used to justify the neo-conservatives' long-held desire for an invasion of Iraq. Ryan explores how the cultural framework for war was constructed following 9/11. He analyses the legitimacy of military force in Afghanistan, and the rise of anti-Americanism, and places it within the broader context of the struggle over legitimacy, identity and leadership. The book also examines the background to current events, offering a careful analysis of the evolution of US foreign policy in Iraq through the 1980s and the first Gulf War. Book jacket.

David Ryan is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of History at University College Cork. His books include US Foreign Policy in World History (2000) and US-Sandinista Diplomatic Relations (1995).