ConflictINFOCUS | Issue no. 18 | April 2007 ISSUE NO. 01 | 04.2004 Today the Western political elite is metaphorically lost. Without a plan, vision or ideology they argue for the implementation of apolitical, technical solutions to solve the problems of the world. As a result of this lack of ideology the traditions of empire have been inexorably altered. Gone is the focus on Western ethnic ‘superiority’; but in its place other equally discordant mechanisms of control have evolved in the form of ‘capacity building’ and ‘local ownership’. In essence it can be argued that we are currently in the era of Empire in Denial: as attempts by states to deny the power that they possess and avoid the responsibility for its exercise. This issue of ConflictINFOCUS argues that the policies that states adhering to Empire in Denial follow, can lead to mass instability as evidenced most starkly by the current situation in Iraq. Building on the Iraq focus of Issue 17, this issue draws together a series of arguments that questions the assumptions of traditional realist critics of the Iraq war who believe that the war was fought to impose empire for the purposes of controlling oil. The papers propose that the current situation in Iraq is not the result of strategic objectives gone wrong but of political elites following short-term value systems directly linked to their lack of political ideology. Whereas previous colonial rulers were characterised by strength of vision and purpose, however repugnant, the current colonial regime in Iraq is defined by a clear lack of ideology and strategic intent. Iraq’s occupiers have the power of traditional colonial rulers yet, despite their grand standing rhetoric, they are unwilling to accept the responsibility for their actions. As soon as it became viable the occupiers transferred sovereignty to the newly formed Government of Iraq, thus limiting the criticism they could receive about the reconstruction process. This avoidance of responsibility in the reconstruction of Iraq has exacerbated the problems that exist and has helped lead Iraq into its current state of massive public unrest and potential civil war. Professor David Chandler, from the University of Westminster, UK has been the main intellectual driving force behind the formulation of the concept of ‘Empire in Denial’ and will lead off this issue by elaborating on its theoretical background before arguing that the search for and promotion of values rather than the pursuit of strategic interests in foreign policy has helped extend instability in Iraq. Dr. Aidan Hehir from the University of Sheffield, UK will discuss the use of private military corporations (PMCs) in Iraq and will argue that there use raises significant questions about the humanitarian qualities of the occupation. He goes on to suggest that the use of PMCs has added further credence to the concept of Empire in Denial. Finally, Mr. Darren Atkinson from the Regional Human Security Centre, Amman will develop the Empire in Denial thesis by arguing that the reconstruction process in Iraq provides one of the main rubrics through which the occupying powers have attempted to evade the responsibility for empire. Editorial Page 01 IN THIS ISSUE Editorial An Empire in Denial: The USA in Iraq The Forum Empire in Denial: from Bosnia to Iraq David Chandler Who Guards the Guardian’s Guards? International Administration and Private Security in Iraq Dr Aidan Hehir Selling Iraq: Reconstruction, Privatisation and Empire in Denial Darren Atkinson 01 02 05 08 www.rccp-jid.org A Bi-Monthly Bulletin Published by RCCP at the Jordan Institute of Diplomacy Issue no. 18 | April 2007 The views expressed in this issue are the responsibility of the authors and do not nec- essarily reflect the opinions of the Regional Center on Conflict Prevention at the Jordan Institute of Diplomacy. AN EMPIRE IN DENIAL: THE USA IN IRAQ