Arming Iraq and the Path to War
by John King, Minnesota
This is an accurate chronology of United
States’ involvement in the arming of Iraq during the Iraq-Iran war. It is
a powerful indictment of the current bush administration attempt to sell
war as a component of his war on terrorism. It reveals our ambitions in Iraq
to be just another chapter in the attempt to regain a foothold in the Mideast
following the fall of the Shah of Iran.
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Iraq: U.S. attacked American human shields - civilians
BAGHDAD, Iraq. Iraq's information minister accused U.S. forces
Tuesday of
'indiscriminately' killing their own citizens in a bus attack and
killing
nine Iraqi children in a central neighborhood of Babylon.
'Yesterday, an American warplane attacked two buses on the highway
between
Baghdad and Ahman,' Mohammed Saeed al Sahaf told reporters.
'Those people on those two buses are human shields coming to participate
in defending civilian installations like water sanitation stations,
electricity
generation stations, and so on.' Sahaf said: 'The "brave" Americans
start shooting the Americans [in the buses].
They are indiscriminately killing people.'He said Iraqis are awaiting
more details on the incident, and the U.S. Central
Command said it is investigating the claim.
Describing what Sahaf said was the attack in southern Babylon, 60 miles
south
of Baghdad, he said, 'This morning, the villains bombarded a civilian
quarter.'
He said the children who died lived in adjacent houses.
He described 'fierce battles' in Basra and Nasiriya, and said coalition
troops
had targeted telephone exchanges and farms throughout the country, and
hit
TV and radio transmitters in more than three cities.
Coalition bombing of Baghdad on Tuesday morning killed five Iraqi
civilians
and wounded 25 others, he said. He said the five are among 24 civilians
killed
since late Monday.
Source: CNN (www.cnn.com)
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'All great truth is dealt with in three ways: First it is ridiculed;
then it is violently opposed; and finally it is accepted as self-evident.'
A. Schopenhauer, German philosopher
'An important scientific innovation rarely makes its way by gradually winning
over and converting its opponents: what does happen is its opponents gradually
die out and the growing generation is familiarized with the idea from the
beginning.'
Max Planck, father of modern physics
'The prophet courageously challenges oppressive social structures of which the
church may be an integral part. The prophet is the end result of the best in the
tradition and spiritually of the church--which soon, sadly, drives him or her
out.'
J. Milton Yinger, 1946
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A crisis always has a history, and the current crisis with Iraq is no exception.
Below are some relevant dates.
September,1980. Iraq invades Iran. The beginning of the Iraq-Iran war. (8)
February, 1982. Despite objections from congress, President Reagan removes
Iraq from its list of known terrorist countries. (1)
December, 1982. Hughes Aircraft ships 60 Defender helicopters to Iraq. (9)
1982-1988. Defense Intelligence Agency provides detailed information for
Iraq on Iranian deployments, tactical planning for battles, plans for air
strikes and bomb damage assessments. (4)
November, 1983. A National Security Directive states that the U.S would do
«whatever was necessary and legal» to prevent Iraq from losing its war with
Iran. (1) (15)
November, 1983. Banca Nazionale del Lavoro of Italy and its Branch in Atlanta
begin to funnel $5 billion in unreported loans to Iraq. Iraq, with the blessing
and official approval of the US government, purchased computer controlled
machine tools, computers, scientific instruments, special alloy steel and
aluminum, chemicals, and other industrial goods for Iraq›s missile,
chemical,
biological and nuclear weapons programs. (14)
October, 1983. The Reagan Administration begins secretly allowing Jordan,
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Egypt to transfer United States weapons, including
Howitzers, Huey helicopters, and bombs to Iraq. These shipments violated
the Arms Export Control Act. (16)
November 1983. George Schultz, the Secretary of State, is given intelligence
reports showing that Iraqi troops are daily using chemical weapons against
the Iranians. (1)
December 20, 1983 Donald Rumsfeld , then a civilian and now Defense Secretary,
meets with Saddam Hussein to assure him of US friendship and materials support.
(1) (15)
July, 1984. CIA begins giving Iraq intelligence necessary to calibrate its
mustard gas attacks on Iranian troops. (19)
January 14, 1984. State Department memo acknowledges United States shipment
of «dual-use» export hardware and technology. Dual use items are civilian
items such as heavy trucks, armored ambulances and communications gear as
well as industrial technology that can have a military application. (2)
March, 1986. The United States with Great Britain block all Security Council
resolutions condemning Iraq›s use of chemical weapons, and on March 21 the
US becomes the only country refusing to sign a Security Council statement
condemning Iraq›s use of these weapons. (10)
May, 1986. The US Department of Commerce licenses 70 biological exports to
Iraq between May of 1985 and 1989, including at least 21 batches of lethal
strains of anthrax. (3)
May, 1986. US Department of Commerce approves shipment of weapons grade botulin
poison to Iraq. (7)
March, 1987. President Reagan bows to the findings of the Tower Commission
admitting the sale of arms to Iran in exchange for hostages. Oliver North
uses the profits from the sale to fund an illegal war in Nicaragua. (17)
Late 1987. The Iraqi Air Force begins using chemical agents against Kurdish
resistance forces in northern Iraq. (1)
February, 1988. Saddam Hussein begins the «Anfal» campaign against the Kurds
of northern Iraq. The Iraq regime used chemical weapons against the Kurds
killing over 100,000 civilians and destroying over 1,200 Kurdish villages.
(8)
April, 1988. US Department of Commerce approves shipment of chemicals used
in manufacture of mustard gas. (7)
August, 1988. Four major battles were fought from April to August 1988, in
which the Iraqis massively and effectively used chemical weapons to defeat
the Iranians. Nerve gas and blister agents such as mustard gas are used.
By this time the US Defense Intelligence Agency is heavily involved with
Saddam Hussein in battle plan assistance, intelligence gathering and post
battle debriefing. In the last major battle with of the war, 65,000 Iranians
are killed, many with poison gas. Use of chemical weapons in war is in violation
of the Geneva accords of 1925. (6) (13)
August, 1988. Iraq and Iran declare a cease fire. (8)
August, 1988. Five days after the cease fire Saddam Hussein sends his planes
and helicopters to northern Iraq to begin massive chemical attacks against
the Kurds. (8)
September, 1988. US Department of Commerce approves shipment of weapons grade
anthrax and botulinum to Iraq. (7)
September 1988. Richard Murphy, Assistant Secretary of State: «The US-Iraqi
relationship is... important to our long-term political and economic
objectives.»
(15)
December, 1988. Dow chemical sells $1.5 million in pesticides to Iraq despite
knowledge that these would be used in chemical weapons. (1)
July 25, 1990. US Ambassador to Baghdad meets with Hussein to assure him that
President Bush «wanted better and deeper relations». Many believe this visit
was a trap set for Hussein. A month later Hussein invaded Kuwait thinking
the US would not respond. (12)
August, 1990 Iraq invades Kuwait. The precursor to the Gulf War. (8)
July, 1991 The Financial Times of London reveals that a Florida chemical company
had produced and shipped cyanide to Iraq during the 80›s using a special
CIA courier. Cyanide was used extensively against the Iranians. (11)
August, 1991. Christopher Droguol of Atlanta›s branch of Banca Nazionale
del Lavoro is arrested for his role in supplying loans to Iraq for the purchase
of military supplies. He is charged with 347 counts of felony. Droguol is
found guilty, but US officials plead innocent of any knowledge of his crime.
(14)
June, 1992. Ted Kopple of ABC Nightline reports: «It is becoming increasingly
clear that George Bush Sr., operating largely behind the scenes throughout
the 1980›s, initiated and supported much of the financing, intelligence,
and military help that built Saddam›s Iraq into [an aggressive power].»
(5)
July, 1992. «The Bush administration deliberately, not inadvertently, helped
to arm Iraq by allowing U.S. technology to be shipped to Iraqi military and
to Iraqi defense factories... Throughout the course of the Bush administration,
U.S. and foreign firms were granted export licenses to ship U.S. technology
directly to Iraqi weapons facilities despite ample evidence showing that
these factories were producing weapons.» Representative Henry Gonzalez, Texas,
testimony before the House. (18)
February, 1994. Senator Riegle from Michigan, chairman of the Senate Banking
Committee, testifies before the senate revealing large US shipments of dual-use
biological and chemical agents to Iraq that may have been used against US
troops in the Gulf War and probably was the cause of the illness known as
Gulf War Syndrome. (7)
August, 2002. «The use of gas [during the Iran-Iraq war] on the battle field
by the Iraqis was not a matter of deep strategic concern... We were desperate
to make sure that Iraq did not lose». Colonel Walter Lang, former senior
US Defense Intelligence officer tells the New York Times. (4)
This chronology of the United States› sordid involvement in the arming of
Iraq can be summarized in this way: The United States used methods both legal
and illegal to help build Saddam's army into the most powerful army in the
Mideast outside of Israel. The US supplied chemical and biological agents
and technology to Iraq when it knew Iraq was using chemical weapons against
the Iranians. The US supplied the materials and technology for these weapons
of mass destruction to Iraq at a time when it was know that Saddam was using
this technology to kill his Kurdish citizens. The United States supplied
intelligence and battle planning information to Iraq when those battle plans
included the use of cyanide, mustard gas and nerve agents. The United States
blocked UN censure of Iraq›s use of chemical weapons. The United States
did
not act alone in this effort. The Soviet Union was the largest weapons supplier,
but England, France and Germany were also involved in the shipment of arms
and technology.
So what do these events have to do with the current conflict?
Just this: If we do go to war with Iraq, it is important to know why. War
will not really be about terrorism. Twenty years ago the United States threw
its support behind Saddam Hussein in a geopolitical bid for enhanced access
to oil. The trajectory given him by our support lead directly to the Gulf
War and to the current crises. War, after all, will be about a history of
misdeeds and miscalculations. And war will not be about morality. War will
be about cynicism, deceit and a thirst for oil that knows no boundaries.
Long Prairie, MN
(ED. Note: Although this article was written before the attack began, the
analysis still rings true.)
1. Washingtonpost.com. December 30, 2002
2. Jonathan Broder. Nuclear times, Winter 1990-91
3. Kurt Nimno. AlterNet. September 23, 2002
4. Newyorktimes.com. August 29, 2002
5. ABC Nightline. June9, 1992
6. Counter Punch, October 10, 2002
7. Riegle Report: Dual Use Exports. Senate Committee on Banking. May 25, 1994
8. Timeline: A walk Through Iraq›s History. U.S. Department of State
9. Doing Business: The Arming of Iraq. Daniel Robichear
10. Glen Rangwala. Labor Left Briefing, 16 September, 2002
11. Financial Times of London. July 3, 1991
12. Elson E. Boles. Counter Punch. October 10, 2002
13. Iran-Iraq War, 1980-1988. Iranchamber.com
14. Columbia Journalism Review. March/April 1993. Iraqgate
15. Times Online. December 31, 2002. How U.S. Helped Iraq Build Deadly Arsenal
16. Bush›s Secret Mission. The New Yorker Magazine. November 2, 1992
17. Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia: Iran-Contra Affair
18. Congressional Record. July 27, 1992. Representative Henry B. Gonzalez
19. Bob Woodward. CIA Aiding Iraq in Gulf War. Washington Post. 15 December,
1986
20. www.gendercide.com http://www.gendercide.com Case Study: The Anfal
Campaign
related links:
Strategic Pastoral Action, PO Box 3272
Holland, MI, 49422-3272 USA
http://www.spanweb.org
mailto:humanrights@spanweb.org
Nonviolence Advocacy Project:www.rehberg.net/nonviolence.html
Please also read: Iraq-Gate -- How the United States Illegally Armed Saddam
Hussein
www.informationclearinghouse.info/article1412.htm
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