The delegitimization of USA leadership from Iraq: from Reagan to the early years of Biden (1981-2022)

Abstract

This article analyzes how the pursuit of energy interests in Iraq delegitimized U.S. international leadership from the Reagan administration (1981-1989) through the first two years of Biden's presidency (2021-2022). Using the concept of racketeering, it is argued that Washington created, fostered, and then fought the very dangers it supposedly sought to contain, offering protection against threats that were, in part, the result of its own actions. The study covers four main phases: 1. the support of Saddam Hussein as an ally during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), with emphasis on the Iran-Contra Scandal; 2. the destabilization caused by the Gulf War (1990-1991); 3. the occupation of Iraq (2003-2011), which worsened the country's political, economic, and social fragmentation; and 4. the partial abandonment of U.S. protection in the post-2011 period, marked by the rise of the Islamic State, growing Chinese energy dependence, and Washington's political and economic pressures on Baghdad. The article concludes that although the U.S. provided aid and security at various times, its policy toward Iraq established a pattern of unilateral interventions, institutional destruction, and loss of legitimacy, creating opportunities for the projection of other powers, such as China.