The Gulf War, Democracy, and Global Free Trade - Essay Example

The Gulf War is the first step toward generating a new world based on democracy. Aarts stresses that the Gulf War has “tightened Western political, economic, and military control” over the Middle East and provided some form of “stability” in the region (552). Monshipouri and Zolty differentiate the new world order from the old world order, using the language of democracy as one of their criteria. They say that the new world order is more democratic than the old world order because it focuses on “collective security” based on “mutual interests” (552). One of the main goals of the new world order is to promote democracy and human rights, which contrasted with the old world order's promotion of stability and security (Monshipouri and Zolty 552). The main strategies of the new world order are also more democratic since they emphasize collective leadership, universal unity against aggression, and diplomatic processes, which conflict with the old world order's strategies of divided leadership, anarchical means to peace, and “selective commitment against aggression” (Monshipouri and Zolty 552). Thus, the Gulf War provided the perfect opportunity to broaden democratic principles across the world. It provided the new agenda for a world order that would eclipse authoritarian regimes.

The Gulf War also promoted global free trade. One of the main reasons that the coalition against Iraq was formed was because of the economic rationale, where some believed that Iraq's occupation of Kuwait threatened the West's access to the latter's oil too. An article, however, stresses that the American dependence on Kuwaiti oil was contentious since Kuwaiti and Iraqi oil accounted for only “7% of world oil import” (Aarts 526). Apparently, the greater economic goal was to promote global free trade, because the new world order also aims to advance economic cooperation and greater economic competition through the expansion of the “free market economy” (Monshipouri and Zolty 552). The free-market philosophy also advocated privatization and deregulation, which would improve the economic powers of multinational and global corporations.

The Gulf War is not only about restoring the sovereignty of Kuwaitis. More than that, there are larger, foreign aspirations that aimed to establish a new world order based on democracy and global free trade. With the defeat of authoritarian Iraq, the ideals of democracy were highlighted and advocated. Protectionist economic policies were also criticized and replaced with calls for greater global economic integration and competition.