The Return of the State of War: A Theoretical Analysis of Operation Iraqi Freedom

Dario Battistella

The Return of the State of War is an attempt to understand the meaning of the war waged by the US against Saddam Hussein in 2003. The author claims that the war fought by the US against Iraq signifies the return of Hobbesian values, showing that the Lockean norms, which the US themselves had contributed to consolidate since their joining the international system, have progressively been abandoned by the American administration. The author evaluates the impact of this unusual American foreign behaviour upon the evolution of the contemporary international system and analyses the different causes that might explain the decision to launch Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Related Subjects

• International Affairs
• Political Theory

About the Author

Dario Battistella is Professor of Political Science at the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Bordeaux, France. He was Visiting Professor at the IEP Paris (1998-2003), at the University Laval in Québec (2004), and at the University of Colorado at Boulder (2006). He teaches on International Relations Theory, Epistemology and International Relations, Contemporary International Political System, Democracy and Foreign Policy, Theories of War and Peace.

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