President Barack Obama inherited the war in Iraq from President George W.  Bush. This course will investigate why President Bush decided to go to war in Iraq. Major players inside the Bush Administration who advocated war with Iraq and helped plan the invasion will be identified and scrutinized. Discussion will be focused on the American objectives in the war and why the war turned out the way it did. Attention will also be focused on President Obama's efforts to end the war and how the American withdrawal might affect Iraq in the immediate future.

Instructor: Dr. Don Livingston

Texts:
The Assassins' Gate: America in Iraq by George Packer
The Gamble: General Petraeus and the American Military 2006-2008 by Thomas E. Ricks

Additional reading assignments:
Note that a number of articles dealing with the war in Iraq from journals, such as Foreign Affairs and Current History, will be assigned.