Dmitri July 3rd, 2007
In 1958, the Anglo-US oil interests and their domination of West Asian (Middle East) Gulf was gravely threatened when Col. Abd Al Karim Qasim (Kaseem), removed the Iraqi monarch and declared an independent Republic of Iraq which was neutral to the US-USSR Cold War. Qasim, who went on to become the Prime Minister of Iraq, made several reforms and nationalised the country’s oil resources for the betterment of social and economic condition of Iraqi citizens. This caused a panic among US and UK as an independent and assertive Iraq could jeopardise their oil interests in the Persian Gulf and Middle East. The US government promptly acted by sending in CIA agents to overthrow the Qasim’s government and put their favourites to power. The CIA under that cover of ‘Health Alteration Committee’ tried to assassinate Qasim which proved a failure despite two planned attempts. This led the US government to seek other methods of achieving their aims..
A History Channel documentary of crimes against humanity by US and Saddam Hussein in Iraq (Click on video to play)
In February 1968, revolutionaries in the Iraqi Army’s Baath faction staged a coup with CIA’s help to overthrow the Iraqi government and seize the country. The coup was a success and the Qasim government was disbanded and its members executed, followed the the installation of US backed autocratic Baath Party to power. Over 5000 influential and educated Iraqis were executed using lists of ‘anti-American communists‘ provided by the CIA. The murders and executions were carried out by a 25 year old Saddam Hussein who quickly became a favourite of Americans. The victims of this CIA backed bloodbath included doctors, teachers, lawyers, thinkers and others who were seen as potentials who could lead a revolution against the the new pro-US Baathist regime. The murders of Iraq’s intelligentsia caused widespread protests but were crushed with an iron hand using secret police trained by US intelligence agencies. Iraq’s oil fields were de-nationalised and came under the control of US companies like Mobil and Bechtel.
Following the success in taking control of Iraq, US shifted its interests to Iran. In 1979 a CIA team was sent to Iran to assassinate the leader of the hardliner anti-US Shia government - Ayatollah Khomeini. The CIA attempt to assassinate Khomeini failed, leading to the capture and summary execution of the CIA agents. This was followed by a seizure of US Embassy in Tehran (capital of Iran) by Iranian hard-liners and taking into hostage more than 60 American staff of the embassy on November 4, 1979. The Jimmy Carter government sent a rescue team named Operation Eagle Claw on April 24, 1980 which ended in a failure killing 5 crew members. With the help of Switzerland’s diplomacy and negotiations, the hostages were released 444 days later on January 20, 1981. [BBC World]
The developments of the US-Iran hostage crisis and common enmity led Saddam Hussein to declare a war against internationally isolated Iran which lasted for 10 years killing over 1000000 people. Chemical and biological agents, which were believed to have been supplied by Britain and USA were used by Saddam’s Iraqi army against the Iranians and domestic Kurdish rebels. The action was condemned by China, USSR and France at the UN Security Council in 1986 but overrun by the United States which ‘confidently’ claimed “the Iraqis did not possess any ‘deadly chemical weapons’, only tear gas.” The CIA was extensively active on the Iraqi side during this war, giving locations and targets where WMDs could be used. On March 21 1986, United States remained the only country in UNSC which refused to veto the condemnation against Iraq’s use of chemical weapons. Between 1985 and 1989, US sent 70 batches of shipments carrying Bacillus anthracis biological agents which were used against Iranian civilians and soldiers. The Iraq-Iran war of 1980-1989 became one of the worst wars in the history of West Asia, both in terms of loss of human lives and expenses of war. [More Info]
This history is known to many in Europe and Asia where crimes against humanity aided by the United States in Iraq were openly condemned then and now. Few Americans however, are aware of these which must be understood first, before we question present US involvement in Iraq. Any reference to US involvement in acts of genocide is met by Americans with cynicism, disinterest, disbelief and apathy as is typical of a large majority of people living in America. The media of United States is very successful in brainwashing Americans into seeing the rest of the world in a cynical and negative lens. Any country which does not comply with US demands - be it China, Russia or Vietnam is seen as ‘evil’ or ‘communist’. Most of them, believe that people around the world are against America because of their ‘jealousy’ of ‘freedom and morals of America’. This kind of attitude closely resembles the extreme nationalist National Socialist (Nazi) Germany of World War 2 era and it is one of the primary reason why sovereign countries like Russia, China, India, Malaysia, etc. are suspicious of US involvement in their domestic affairs. They don’t want their country to be trashed into another Iraq…
[Not all Americans represent the kind of people mentioned above, in fact I have pleasant personal experiences with the good folk among Americans who understand the world as much, if not more than I do. The rest are victims of biased and isolationist media in United States, CNN on the moderate side and Fox News on the extremist side. If you think the facts above are inaccurate or misleading do feel free to tell us why you think so. You could even do an unbiased search for information using the above as 'hints' on the internet or libraries with resources in Iraq's history and politics. :)]
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