Iraq War
02.24.10
The War in Iraq
Seven years after George Bush manufactured his war, the carnage continues.
George W. Bush serving plastic turkey to soldiers in Iraq. Original source unknown.
In 2003, using the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon conducted by Saudis and Egyptians as justification, and manufacturing false information about "weapons of mass destruction", George W. Bush took America on a war of aggression in Iraq. This year will mark the eighth year of U.S. active war and occupation in the sovereign nation of Iraq. We continue to spend 7.3 billion dollars a month in Iraq.
However, American interaction with Iraq began much earlier. Even before the first Gulf War, America was involved in Iraq; in the early 1980s Ronald Reagan had supported Iraq against Iran, "selling" arms and providing intelligence. Iraq became an ally of the U.S. for a time, though it had long angered the U.S. by supporting the Arab nations against Israel.
In 1990, Saddam Hussein, leader of Iraq since 1979, made war against Kuwait, a one time ally who, he claimed, had been making economic war on Iraq, preventing Iraq from repaying its war debt.
Iraq and Kuwait were created by the British between the world wars; they drew the boundaries in a way that would prevent Iraq from having a deep water port and becoming a sea power. Kuwait had the port, which they eagerly allowed Iraq to use during the Iraq-Iran war.
Prior to the invasion, American diplomatic staff had reported that Saddam had informed the U.S. he would attack Kuwait, looking for debt relief, and had been informed the U.S. had no interest in Arab matters. That turned out not to be the case.
When Iraq invaded, swiftly over-ran and looted Kuwait, making it a state of Iraq, the U.S. lead the United Nations in response, what has been called Desert Storm, or the Mother of All Battles.
America had suddenly become concerned about what a new Iraq, one with a deep water port, might do to the area. They were particularly worried about Saudi Arabia, an immensely wealthy nation with a royal family which is kept in power with American might. Saudi Arabia has been important to the U.S. since about 1943, when the U.S. realized the potential for oil in the nation. Since that time, the U.S. has had troops and supplies stationed in Saudi Arabia, and sent more troops during the Gulf Wars. Indeed, those troops stationed in Saudi Arabia are the stated reasons for Osama Bin Laden’s attack on 9/11. It turns out George Bush was wrong, again; they didn’t hate us for our freedom, but for American imperialism in the Gulf.
As an aside, the Bush family is great friends with the Bin Laden family, some of whom were visiting with the Bush Family when 15 Saudis attacked the U.S. on 9/11. However, the family officially disowned Osama in 1994.
The result of the U.S./U.N. response to the invasion of Kuwait laid waste to Iraq, and again changed the borders. George Herbert Walker Bush, also known as "Daddy Bush" had forced a decade long embargo designed to make life in Iraq so miserable that the people would over-throw Saddam Hussein. This demonstrated how little Americans understood the nature of governance in Iraq, an ignorance that is official and intransigent to this day.
When George W. Bush invaded Iraq he found a population enduring hardship and want, thanks to his father’s policies which were continued by Bill Clinton. The troops swarmed in and disarmed the official "army" of Iraq, and Bush declared victory very early on, in May of 2003. It was a strange victory since more people died after the victory than before. Taking out Saddam freed the warlords and local bandits that had been held in check, and indeed one reason the U.S. and its impressed allies won so quickly is that troops abandoned Hussein for their own tribes and provinces, taking their guns and determination to fight with them.
George Bush Plays War Original source unknown, from here
That victory was followed by deeper involvement, troops surges, bombings and killing.
Seven years later, President Obama has promised to reduce troop levels from 142,000 to 50,000 by August, 2010. The remaining troops, it is hoped, will be removed in 2011, if not before; however there is evidence that won’t be the case. The U.S. has built a number of permanent bases in Iraq, including the 6,300 acre base at Balad, which enjoys hospitals, water desalination plants, two power plants and thousands of third world servants. It is unlikely these bases will ever be closed.
Further, Saddam Hussein held power in Iraq amidst a constant strain for power among tribes and religious factions; his part in the war with Iran was to keep Islamic factions out of Iran. The United States has failed to provide a single leader capable of doing what Hussein did, and as a result American bases will remain to keep the peace. When the U.S. finally curbs its addiction to oil, or when there is no more oil left in the Middle East, the Iraqis will get their nation back. Obama was against the war before it began, and continues to pursue one of the promises that got him elected: end the war and bring troops home. It remains to be seen if one president is enough to negate the designs and intentions of corporations seeking oil.
Photo: George W. Bush portrait created from the faces of casualties in Iraq.
We were unable to find the original source for this often repeated photo.
Image: US permanent bases in Iraq, from the radical antiwar group known as Quakers here The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) is here:
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