George W. Bush Annotated
Bibliography
Alexander Hunt (facilitator)
Michael Baker
Katie Jernigan
Zach Neumann
Iran:
"Bush,
Schroeder Exhange Views on Iran's Nuclear Program"
States News Service.
27 June 2005.
This article
basically discusses the unacceptability of Iran
developing nuclear
weapons. It presents the President in a good light, a he and
the international
community
agree to attempt to stop nuclear development in unstable countries.
The
article also discussed the form of the Security Counsel and the powers
of
the EU-3
Kashefi,
Shahab. "Will America
Attack Iran?" Mardom-Salari. 15 August
2005.
The speaker
clearly does not favor President Bush or his policies, but he does
provide
an accurate analysis of Bush's likelihood of attacking Iran. He list
several
reasons why it is unlikely for America
to attack Iran,
even though the
President
presented it as a possibility. Most of his
reasoning has relates to
the
threat of global disapproval.
"Iran Press: Oil
behind U.S.
Hostility towards Iran." BBC Monitoring Middle
East -
Political Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring. 20
April 2005.
This article
states that the United
States economic need for oil is what is
driving
the President to be hostile towards Iran. It
is very biased against
the
President. It uses America's
"weapons of mass destruction" faulty
reasoning
in the war against Iraq
as a basis for evaluating American relations
with Iran.
Pollack,
Kenneth and Ray Takeyh. “Taking on Tehran.” Foreign Affairs. March/April
2005.
This article
is an analysis of the Iranian government. Basically, the authors argue
that divisions between moderates and hardliners in Iran
present the West with an opportunity to discourage the development of
nuclear armaments. Though recent events seem to disprove the article’s
thesis, the information concerning the political situation in Iran
is still very valid.
Riechmann,
Deb. "Bush Suspicious of Iran's Nuclear Plans." Associated Press
Online. 9 August 2005
This article
details Bush's suspicions in Iran by discussing the
presidents
Plan if
nuclear weapon are found in Iran. Speaking
to reporters at his Texas
ranch,
Bush
said the newly elected president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,
had
indicated
a willingness to continue discussions with European nations, but did
not
hesitate to threaten the country with UN sanctions if nuclear weapons
were
found.
Gearan, Anne. "Bush Says Diplomacy With Iran is Best."
Associated Press
Online. 14 April 2005.
Bush
basically reaffirms his commitment to diplomacy as the best way to stop
Iran from
developing a nuclear weapon and the article also states that Israel's
leader
ruled out a military strike to destroy Tehran's nuclear program. The
article
presents the president as a man who is willing to compromise and shows
the
president in a favorable light.
Cole, Juan. "The Iraq
war is
over, and the winner is... Iran."
Salon.com. 21 July 2005.
Bush
suffered another blow in Iraq
as the new Iraqi officials met with leaders in Iran.
Relations between Iraq
and Iran
have been poor since the 1950s, but the new Iraqi government seems to
be more
in line with Iran
now. Is this perhaps an early indication of a new Islamic republic?
Saudi Arabia:
Unger, Craige. House of Bush, House
of Saud. New York: Scribner, 2004.
This book has a slightly leftist slant but
is still a great
source of information to evaluate the relationship between the Saudis
and the
Bush family. The two families are very close, even giving one of the
members of
the royal family the nickname, Bandar Bush. Any policy decisions
regarding the
Saudis will come from this in-depth source.
Stevenson, Richard W.
"Bush and Saudi Meet at Ranch To Discuss Oil." The New York Times 26
April 2005: A-1.
The U.S.
depends heavily on Saudi oil and oil investment in American markets.
The Saudis control a good percentage of American wealth, and a Saudi
cutoff of oil would devastate the American economy. Discussions between
the two world economic powers occur often, as the Saudis control the
largest reserves of the world’s oil.
Egypt:
Schweid,
Barry. "Egypt Says Bush Backs
Political Reforms." The Associated
Press. 18 May 2005.
This article
basically states President Bush advocates political reform in both
Egypt and to a
greater extent, the Middle East. It
is slanted towards Egypt
in
that it states that the President does not have any doubts
about the
Egyptian's
willingness to strive towards democracy. The
article reinforces
Bush's
support of Egyptian free elections
"Egypt's
government in tight spot between USA, political forces at home." BBC
Monitoring Middle East. 3 June 2004.
In this
article, Bush firmly states the essential nature of free elections in
Egypt after Black
Wednesday. Bush expressed his intolerance
towards
interference
with the election process. The article also
notes the surprise of
the
Egyptian government at the hard line view of the American government.
Syria:
Al
Baik, Duraid. "Can Syria
Stand Up to American Pressure." The
Financial
Times. 25 September 2005.
A
fairly brief discussion of the tense relationship that exists between
Bashar Al Assad’s Syria
and the United
States. The article mentions American
overtures towards the promotion of democracy in the region. Though
helpful, the article is not as useful as many of the sources we have
collected.
Lebanon
Ajami,
Fouad.
“The Autumn of the Autocrats.” Foreign Affairs. May/June 2005.
Ajami
discusses emerging democracy in the Middle East.
He places a particular emphasis on the freedom movements that arose in Lebanon
following the assassination of Rafiq Hariri. He concludes the article
by arguing that the United
States has the ability to successfully
promote democratic reform in the region.
General Middle-East / Arab-Israeli Policy:
Felton, John.
Global Connections: America's
Role in the 21st Century.
Washington,
D.C.: CQPress,
2002.
This book
provides a quick overview of America's relationship to
other
countries
around the world. It provides an objective view
of the historical relationship
between
American and various Middle Eastern countries and is relatively
unbiased.
Neack, Laura.
The New Foreign Policy: U.S. and Comparative
Foreign
Policy in The
21st Century. Oxford:
Rowman, 2003.
This book
shows the different means of policy-making in the 21st Century. It
uses Al
Qaeda as a primary means of showing American foreign policy in the
Middle East. It gives an unbiased view and new perspective on
American foreign
policy.
Sperry,
Paul. Infiltration. Nashville:
Nelson Current, 2005.
Sperry claims, "Sadly much of anti-Western terrorism is simply Islam in
practice…" He weaves a story of how prominent American Muslims seek to
violently turn America
into an Islamic state. The ultra-right wing Sperry is chosen to
represent
some of the radicals among Bush's constituents.
Rosner,
Shmuel. "Idealogy, Not Nuances." Haaretz. 23 Sept. 2005. Haaretz. 25
Sept. 2005 <http://www.haaretz.com>
Based on some President Bush's speeches, it's clear he is a personal
supporter
of Israel.
His idealogical statements are not however, always matched by the state
department which tends to focus on nuances. It seems that there are
sometimes
differences in opinion between the president and those who carry out
his policies.
Pieterse,
Jan. Globalization or Empire? New
York: Routledge, 2004.
Globalization is finding new enemies. The United States
under George Bush
seems to have rejected multilateral globalization for a unilateral more
imperial plan. The U.S.
increasingly refuses to participate in global program unless we are
able to
dictate the terms.
Rothkopf, David. “Inside the Committee that Runs the World.” Foreign
Policy. March/April 2005.
Rotkopf
offers background on Bush’s foreign policy team. While much of the
article is biographical, it will be helpful in conducting a simulation
as it offers insights into the respective ideologies of key members of
the administration. It also delves into some policy analysis towards
the end although this to has something of a biographical slant.
Hatfield,
J.H. Fortunate Son. New York:
Soft Skull, 2001.
This book is
a fairly detailed description of George Bush’s life before becoming
President of the United
States. Though it doesn’t focus on
Bush’s political ideology, it’s useful in developing a general picture
of the president’s personality. The book has a liberal slant.
Lifton,
Robert. Super Power Syndrome: America's Apocalyptic
Confrontation
with the World. New York:
Nation, 2003.
Lifton
discusses the differences between Americans and Islamic
Fundamentalists. While both “sides” are willing to use extreme violence
to achieve their global vision, Americans are less upfront about their
willingness to fight and die for their beliefs. Ultimately, Lifton
predicts a cycle of perpetual violence as both sides go to untold
lengths to remake the world in their respective images.
Sammon, Bill. Misunderestimated. New York: ReganBooks,
2004.
-
A personal look at George Bush's early presidency, full of insights
about the
human side of Bush. Misunderestimated focuses on how the inside of how
the president makes decisions on a number of issues from the 2004
election to
his changes to American foreign policy.
Haass, Richard N. “Regime Change and Its Limits.” Foreign Affairs.
July/August 2005
This article
discusses the effectiveness of foreign policy that seeks to remove
regimes that have interests inconsistent with those of the United States.
Though Haass discusses nations outside of the Middle East, Iran and Iraq are prominently
featured in the article. It is useful in developing a paradigm for U.S.
global strategy.
Lewis,
Bernard. “Freedom and Justice in the Modern Middle
East.” Foreign Affairs, May/June 2005.
This article
appears in the same edition of Foreign Affairs that Ajami’s does. Lewis
argues that the rhetoric of the Bush administration overlooks the
political and social roots of long standing dictatorships in the Middle East. However, like Ajami, he believes
that democratic reform is a possibility.
Makovsky,
David. “Gaza:
Moving Forward by Pulling Back.” Foreign Affairs. May/June 2005.
Makovsky
advises caution and patience in the development of a final status
agreement between Israel
and the Palestinians. He argues that trust must be established before
talks can successfully progress. Specifically, Makovsky believes that a
“calm” Gaza
pullout is the first step in calming lingering tensions.
Kengor, Paul.
God and George W. Bush: A Spiritual Life. New York:
Regan, 2004.
This book
basically discusses George W. Bush's relationship with God. It
describes
Bush a spiritual man, and justifies his use of religion in governing
the United States. It provides valuable insight to the different
religious
motivations that power the president.
Kepel, Gilles. The
War for Muslim Minds: Islam and the West. Cambridge: Belknap,
2004.
This book is a great general source on the
history of the
Western and Islamic world pertaining to American foreign policy. The
book
presents a great history of why problems have arisen in the past due to
foreign
policy errors and gives insight into how to prevent similar errors in
the
future.
Moens, Alexander. The
Foreign Policy of George W. Bush: Values, Strategy and Loyalty. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2004.
This book gives a broad view behind the
reasoning of the
foreign policy of George W. Bush. It speaks of his idealism (like the
following
source does also) and shows a few specific examples of when that
idealism has
been acting upon in foreign policy situations.
Mann, James. Rise of the Vulcans: The History of Bush's War Cabinet. New
York:
Viking, 2004
This book doesn’t focus on President Bush directly, but
those that help direct his decision-making (those people that are
members of
his war cabinet). The book follows the history of those respective
players and
how they have directed their foreign policy in the past. One of the
main pieces
of information that can be extracted from this book is the fact that
President
Bush’s foreign policy is modeled on idealism, instead of realism. This
differs
greatly from the foreign policy of Condoleezza Rice.
Siddiqui, Haroon.
"Bush and Sharon Working to a Plan." The Toronto Star. 28
August 2005: A17.
This source displays the relationship and the history of the
relationship between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and U.S.
President
George W. Bush. One informative part of the article discusses the
“Roadmap to
Peace” created by the Bush administration and its guidelines and
requirements.
“U.S.
Financial Aid To Israel:
Figures, Facts, and Impact.” Washington
Report
on Middle East Affairs. http://www.wrmea.com/html/us_aid_to_israel.htm.
26 September 2005.
This
website provides statistics about the United
States’ aid over the past 50+ years to Israel.
The U.S.
over this
time has given between 74 and 84 billion dollars. This says a lot not
only
about the economic relationship between the two nations, but the
overall
connection.
"Palestinian
Killed at Military Base." The Toronto
Star. 23 September 2005:
A11.
Although this article doesn’t provide very
much insight into
President Bush’s stance on Middle East action
directly, it provides a backdrop for the stance that the U.S.
government
takes against the Palestinians. The article provides commentary from
the U.S. government
linking Palestinian acts of war
to other types of terrorism around the world which the U.S.
is
fighting a “global war” against.
"Israel's
Link to Arab World Warming." The Toronto
Sun. 17 September 2005: 37.
This article provides a link to Israeli
decisions in the
past that have improved relations between them and the rest of the Arab
nations
in the region. This source can be used as a guide to “warming”
relationships
with other countries in the region, and providing advice to Ariel
Sharon and
other Israeli leaders.
Harnden, Toby.
"Bush's 'Bruiser' Squares Up to UN in Row Over Palestinian
Propoganda." Sunday Telegraph. 21
August 2005.
This
article discusses a recent discussion at the UN in New York over Palestinian-Israeli
relations.
This article provides much insight into what recommendations Condi Rice
is
providing to President Bush. It also gives a clear policy discussion
straight
from the U.S.
to the international community about American feeling and policy stance
over
the conflict.
Iraq:
Mackler,
Peter. "Times changing for US since Bush's Iraq war speech." Agence
France
Presse. 13 September 2005.
Since
first calling for the UN to invade Iraq in 2002, Bush has seen
vast
changes not only in his popularity but also in his policies. He has
shown
an increased interest in multilateral solutions to problems abroad,
departing
from his "lone cowboy" approach. Bush's recent actions focus on
mending old alliances, even with France.
Sandalow,
Marc. "News Analysis; A critical moment for Bush Iraq policy."
San Francisco Chronicle. 28 June 2005: A1
With
public support for the war in Iraq
dwindling even in his own camp, Bush needs good news from Iraq.
As
his approval rating plummets, Bush prepares to defend his actions. The
White House still maintains that the war is going well.
Wagner,
Thomas. "Secret British government memos show Blair hand wringing over
Bush's Iraq
war plans." Associated Press Worldstream. 18 June 2005.
A
new report has come out that the president was discussing a "regime
change" in Iraq just six months after 9/11 with UK Prime Minister Tony
Blair. Some among the British are now questioning whether Bush had a
clear reason for going to war, or it was simply a grudge with Sadaam.
Kondracke,
Morton. "Bush makes better case for Iraq war but needs more
troops." San Gabriel
Valley Tribune. 13
September 2005.
Bush
reasserts that Iraq
is a key front in the war on terror. He has shifted slightly to the
strategy of bringing democracy to the middle east, as way of removing
hotspots
of terror. Bush is now emphasizing the importance of the success of
Iraqi
democracy to the U.S.
as a whole.
Silva, Mark. "Bush officials
scramble to overcome rising opposition to war in Iraq."
Chicago
Tribune. 24 June 2005.
There
are now claims that the Iraq
war is already making the Bush administration a lame duck
administration.
Bad news in Iraq
seems to be bad news for the president. There is a sense that there
has
been a turning point in the nation's view on the war.
Luttwak, Edward. “Iraq:
The Logic of Disengagement.” Foreign Affairs.
January/February
2005.
Luttwak calls
for an immediate withdrawal of U.S.
forces form Iraq.
He believes that this will strengthen efforts to combat global
terrorism, lend legitimacy to the constitutional process in Iraq and decrease America’s
disapproval rating abroad. It offers an interesting perspective on an
alternative policy course.
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