Orientalism and the application of international law in the 2003 Iraq War and occupation

Bamo Nouri

doi:10.13169/jglobfaul.8.2.0186

Abstract

This paper contemplates the impact of orientalist discourse on the application of international law, with a focus on the 2003 US occupation of Iraq. The emphasis of the paper is on how international law failed to protect Iraqis from imperial US decision-making, and served US elites to the detriment of Iraqis – something which international law specifically aims to prevent. The paper argues that knowledge production in the form of orientalist discourse played a crucial role in legitimizing and expanding the meaning and application of regulations during the occupation of Iraq, served the interests of the occupiers, and led to regular violations of international law.

Highlights

The decisive role of orientalist knowledge production in facilitating the imperial ambitions of colonizing powers has been explored in detail since the publication of Edward Said’s Orientalism
This paper contributes to existing studies of orientalism by expanding its scope to focus on the impact of orientalist knowledge production on the application of international law during the United States’ (US) occupation of Iraq
By the time the invasion was imminent, Bush expanded the already constructed frame of orientalist knowledge production by locating and grouping Iraq with the newly popular terms of terrorism and al-Qaeda, arguing that Iraq has a history of reckless aggression in the Middle East

Summary

Introduction

The decisive role of orientalist knowledge production in facilitating the imperial ambitions of colonizing powers has been explored in detail since the publication of Edward Said’s Orientalism. This paper contributes to existing studies of orientalism by expanding its scope to focus on the impact of orientalist knowledge production on the application of international law during the United States’ (US) occupation of Iraq.

Results

Conclusion