U.S. Policy in Post-Saddam Iraq: Lessons from the British Experience

"Our armies do not come into your cities and lands as conquerors or enemies, but as liberators."—Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Stanley Maude, March 1917

American troops promising to end a despot’s tyranny and usher in an era of freedom and prosperity in Iraq are likely to confront many of the same challenges faced by Britain when its forces entered that country during World War I. Because Britain’s Iraq experience—which soon saw the abandonment of London’s original, lofty aspirations and eventually ended with the violent overthrow of Iraq’s British-backed monarchy—may well be the historical reference Iraqis themselves use, the United States and its allies would be well advised to review the record of Britain’s engagement in Iraq and draw the right lessons from it. In this timely monograph, historians and military affairs experts provide much-needed context to the ambitious U.S. effort to reconstruct and transform postwar Iraq.

Michael Eisenstadt is a senior fellow at The Washington Institute, specializing in Persian Gulf and Arab-Israeli security affairs. He has authored several books and numerous articles on the armed forces of the Middle East. A reserve officer in the U.S. Army, he served on active duty in 2001–2002 at United States Central Command (USCENTCOM) in Tampa, Florida.

Eric Mathewson, a lieutenant colonel in the United States Air Force, is the 2002-2003 National Defense Fellow at The Washington Institute. A combat-proven fighter pilot with more than 2,900 hours in a variety of jet fighter aircraft, he most recently led a Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle squadron in Afghanistan supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Colonel Mathewson holds a master's degree in military history and is recipient of the 1998 Secretary of the Air Force Leadership Award. The son of an oil executive, he grew up in the Middle East and North Africa, and has worked and traveled extensively throughout the region.