ABSTRACT
Unlike his 10 immediate predecessors in the White House, President William J. Clinton lacked a clear, overarching national security threat with which to deal upon assuming office in January 1993. As is true of all presidential foreign policy teams, Clinton and his advisors defined US interests on the basis of past experiences, present worldviews and the characteristics of the international system within which America interacted with its allies and adversaries. An examination of the Clinton administration's policies toward Iraq must begin with acaveat of sorts. Because the president was unable, if not unwilling, to identify one clear threat to US interests, he pursued a range of initiatives with variable degrees of resolve. The policies the Clinton administration developed in an effort to reduce the threats posed to US interests by both Iraq and Al Qaeda affected its relationships with other states and institutions in the Greater Middle East and the resultant extent of stability across the region.
