Framing of the International Oil Trade during the Iran-Iraq War: Applying Securitization to American Agencies

Abstract

In this paper I will determine how three American agencies framed the Iran-Iraq War and its attacks on the oil trade. I will analyze declassified documents of the Department of State, the National Security Council and the Central Intelligence Agency in order to determine how these agencies framed the conflict. As a tool for analysis the framework of securitization will be used. This paper has two objectives. The first objective of this paper is to determine how the conflict was framed and how they differ in their framing. The second objective is to determine how useful the framework of securitization proves to be as a tool for analysis in framing within an agency.