Expanding the record : U.S. relations with Ahmad Chalabi 1991-2010 -

Abstract

This thesis explores the relationship between the United States government and Iraqi politician Ahmad Chalabi between the founding of the Iraqi National Congress in 1991 and the Iraqi Parliamentary elections of 2010. The following pages chart through a non-theoretical analysis the rise and fall of Ahmad Chalabi from his family’s time as successful politicians and businessmen in Hashemite Iraq, Chalabi’s time in exile, his early interactions with the U.S. government, and his tenure as a political operator in post-Bacthist Iraq. Instances of political and press manipulation, corruption, sectarianism, and political maneuvering will all be examined with the purpose of creating a more comprehensive record of U.S.-Chalabi interactions. With this thesis I will argue that Chalabi’s actions were self-serving and divisive and ultimately hindered the reconstruction of Iraq.