Orientalism i Bushadministrationens framställning av Irak : En diskursanalys av George W. Bush och Dick Cheneys uttalanden i samband med den USA-ledda invasionen 2003

Sammanfattning: The objective of this paper is to examine whether Edward W. Saids’ theory on orientalism exists in the Bush administration’ s description of Iraq in connection with the US-led invasion of Iraq 2003, and if so how it manifest. Orientalism is the thesis’ main theory which concerns how the West considers the “orient” (the Eastern part of the world, in particular the Middle East.) Further, the paper applies Iris Marion Young’s theory on the logic of masculinist protection, in order to broaden the analysis. By using a discourse analysis, the essay examines speeches from President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney concerning Iraq over two time periods: from January 2002 until March 2003, and from March 2003 until October 2004. Attributes connected to orientalism are identified as nodal points and they are analysed in the president’s and vice president’s speeches. These nodal points are ”we” and ”them”, Iraq's threat against ”our” security and Iraq’s incapability to rule itself, all of which constitutes the study’s key terms. The essay concludes that orientalism figures highly in the Bush administration’s description of Iraq, particularly in the description of Saddam Hussein and his regime.