Case Study - 5

BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOR THE GLOBAL NEGOTIATION QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE IRAQ CONTROVERSY If there ever has been a need for learning about conducting successful negotiations with cultures not of the United States, that time most certainly c ame upon the U.S given the situation that went on in Iraq , even until this day . Some time ago, President George W. Bush called Iraq, Iran and North Korea “The Axis of Evil, “ and after the events that took place on 9/11/01, the country rallied around him as the leade r in a “war time” situation: Republicans, democrats, white collar workers, blue collar workers, business leaders, unions, religious groups, etc. It was the patriotic thing to do. After the war in Afghanistan was largely “under control,” the President and his administration made the pitch for a pre -emptive strike on Iraq on the supposition that there were weapons of mass destruction there and it was time to give the people of Iraq democracy as we know it in the United States. There was some opposition from various people and groups in the United States that more evidence that could be substantiated was needed to support an attack without provocation. There was talk that if one was against attacking Iraq that person(s) or groups were not patriotic. Questions concerning the right of free speec h and constitutional rights of “suspected” terrorists may be violated. There were also the questions of having support from our world allies that President Bush’s father solicited when he was President and got for the G ulf War of 1990. Our current President Bush stated that “If you aren’t with us, you’re against us. We will go it alone if we have to.” Defense Secretary Rumsfeld called the European countries that didn’t support the United States “Old Europe.” However, the re were differences of opinion concerning attacking Iraq without allied support. Information that the United States troops would be received as “liberators” when entering Iraq and that has come into question. There have been questions concerning having a n adequate number of American troops to succeed and having functioning materials to do their jobs properly. Italy has taken its troops out of Iraq and there may be more countries looking to pull their troops out as well. At this point in time, the United States is asking for m ore support in the question of handing over the country to the Iraqi people and other aid via food and costs arising out of building Iraq. The “go it alone” strategy doesn’t appear to be on the screen and yet when other countries tha t did not support the war, but asked to bid on contracts to rebuild Iraq were originally told those bids were not invited. Certainly more information can be obtained from news media and weekly magazines that relate in detail the problems occurring in this “real life” global situation. The questions for this assignment are not intended to be political, but deal strictly with the sensitive process of negotiating in the global arena. QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE IRAQ CONTROVERSY (1) Identify the “players” that were either directly involved or i ndirectly involved in the negot iation process as to the question of a pre -emptive attack on Iraq. 5 Points (2) What kind of tactics was the administration using to win support for the United States attac king Iraq on a pre -emptiv e basis and what kinds of support were they using to persuade the “players” it was the right thing to do? Was the administration successful? Provide examples. 5 Points (3) What kind(s) of negotiation was the administration using to convince the “players” throug hout the process from getting approval and support to the actual handing over the country to the Iraqi people on June 30 th? Provide examples. 5 Points (4) Were there mistakes in the negotiation process made from initially “planning” the attack on Iraq through the occupation of Iraq? Provide examples. 10 P oints