Case Studies You need the RealVideo™ Player to view the videos, which are desiginated by the video icon (). The player is free, and can be downloaded by clicking the button below. Liberal Democracies Go To War Liberal democracies are celebrated for political systems that allow the debate of policy and the protection of individual liberties, well-developed economies, and a commitment to the principles of international law. However, the very things that distinguish liberal democracies also complicate the ability to take quick and decisive action on the international stage. The events that transpired in the months prior to the invasion of Iraq in 2003 demonstrate this complexity. This case study calls on you to examine the political challenges that liberal democracies face in making policy decisions, the impact of economic factors on policy determinations, and the role of principles and ideals when they come into conflict with the harsh reality of strategic concerns. This exercise will put you in the position of evaluating the priorities of liberal democracies and establishing your own position on these issues. Incident at Abu Ghraib Iraqi Prisoner Release America’s military action against Saddam Hussein in 2003 was based, among other things, on the need to liberate the Iraqi people from a brutal and oppressive regime. It was this justification that made the news of abuse of prisoners by U.S. forces at the infamous Abu Ghraib so bitterly ironic. Hussein’s thugs used Abu Ghraib as the setting for the large-scale brutalization and torture of Iraqis. The revelation that Americans were using the same facility to engage in the abuse and humiliation of Iraqi citizens produced considerable embarrassment for the Bush Administration and undermined one of the major reasons that the United States went to war in Iraq. Abu Ghraib represents more than a single embarrassment for the United States. It raises a larger question of how liberal democracies will conduct themselves in conflicts in a dangerous world.