Iraq, Hussein and the
west page contents: Iraqi Independence | Saddam Hussein & the west |
Wars before 1990 | Repression | US support for Saddam Hussein | The
Gulf War of 1990-91 & aftermath | Invasion & occupation of Iraq,
2002 - 2009
1.
Independence
General
background to the internal politics of the period
-
Creating Modern Iraq Good overview article from PBS
Iraq in Transition site. See also the useful
political timeline.
-
Later Mandate Period Including World War II, 1930-1947 For a
clear, basic overview in chronological order. Teaching resource
by Ted Thornton from his
History of the
Middle East Database
-
Iraq's History Page:
-
 Iraq as an Independent Monarchy, 1932-1958,
Coups, coup attempts, and foreign policy,, from US Library of
Congress
- Revolts. From
OnWar.com
-
The Iraqi Baath party Concise history by Tarik Kafala BBC
News Online
- The Iraqi Baath Party From UK Spartacus Schools site.
Clearly written
-
U.S. Propaganda in the Middle East - The Early Cold War Version
Access to documents from National Security Archive illustrating
US involvement in the region during the 1950's. Very thorough &
detailed - for serious researches ....
-
Regime Change: How the CIA put Saddam's Party in Power. From
Richard Sanders, October 2002. Review & extracts from several
works including Out of the Ashes, The Resurrection of Saddam
Hussein, (2000) to show the involvement of the CIA.
2. Saddam
Hussein
Biographies
Wars before 1990
Repression
-
The Iraqi Government Assault on the Marsh Arabs A
Human Rights Watch Briefing Paper,
Jan 2003. Numbering some 250,000 people as recently as 1991, the
Marsh Arabs today are believed to number fewer than 40,000 in
their ancestral homeland. Many were arrested, "disappeared," or
executed; most have become refugees abroad or are internally
displaced in Iraq as a result of the policies of the Saddam
regime
-
Iraq's 'devastated' Marsh Arabs Clear and concise account of
the repression by Heather Sharp, BBC News Online
-
Marsh Arabs From Environmental Literacy Council. Good links
placing the Marsh Arabs in an environmental context
-
The Kurds Excellent set of links from PBS, covering Kurdish
Nationalism, Kurds in Iraq, Iraq After Saddam, Media links
-
Anfal: The Kurdish Genocide in Iraq History and a
bibliographic essay on the Iraq-Kurd relationship by Khaled
Salih, Gvteborgs Universitet §
- The Mass
Graves of al-Mahawil: The Truth Uncovered Tells the story of
the mass graves around al-Hilla. It identifies these victims of
a coordinated campaign of repression, arrests, and executions
carried out by the Iraqi government in the aftermath of the
failed Shi`a uprising in 1991
US Support for
Saddam Hussein
-
The US & Iraq: A history Looks at the origins of US
involvement during the 20th century. Written in 2002. Also in
French on same page The International Action Center, New York
§
- The
Saddam Hussein Sourcebook from the US National Security
Archive. Produces declassified Secrets from the U.S.-Iraq
Relationship
-
Shaking Hands with Saddam Hussein: The U.S. Tilts toward
Iraq, 1980-1984. US National Security Archive Electronic
Briefing Book Edited by Joyce Battle. Documents relevant to the
meetings between the US and Saddam. Includes links to the video
clip of Rumsfeld & Saddam from Iraq TV
 Regime Change: How the CIA put Saddam's Party in Power From
Richard Sanders, 24 October 2002. A collection of extracts. The
CIA-organized regime change was a coup in 1963 against President
Abdul Karim Kassim that employed political assassination, mass
imprisonment, torture and murder to bring Saddam Hussein's
Ba'ath Party to power in Iraq.
-
US and British Support for Hussein Regime. Many links to
materials outlining the duplicitous role of the US & UK towards
Saddam Hussein. From the
Global Policy Forum site
-
Halliburton provided Iran with key nuclear reactor components
Halliburton, the scandal-plagued oil company, that Vice
President Dick Cheney used to run, sold an Iranian company key
components for a nuclear reactor. Article by Jason Leopold
-
Who armed Saddam? Lev Lafayette, Univ of Melbourne. Looks at
how the US helped Saddam to produce chemical & biological
weapons and boosted his military capability whilst France and
Britain aided his ability to strike Iran, and France in 1976
supplied a uranium reactor. See also:
-
U.S. Had Key Role in Iraq Buildup Trade in Chemical Arms;
Allowed Despite Their Use on Iranians, Kurds (Michael Dobbs,
Washington Post)
-
Officers Say U.S. Aided Iraq in War Despite Use of Gas
(Patrick E. Tyler, New York Times)
3. The Gulf War of
1990-91 & aftermath
Origins
The War
Oil for Food & Sanctions
Continued US - Iraq
Tension 1992-2002
4. Invasion & occupation of Iraq, 2002 - 2009
Causes & Motives
Oil?
 Is this war all about oil? By Anthony Sampson, The Evening
Standard (London), March 2003. Looks backwards in Iraq's
relations with US & UK over oil to conclude that oil was a key
factor-
Over a barrel Tom Cholmondeley looks at the role of oil and
who could benefit in the US. November, 2002 The Guardian
Weapons of Mass Destruction - WMD's?
What Else?
Events
Casualties
- Casualties in
Iraq US and civilian casualties, updated constantly.
Provided by researchers of antiwar.com, division of the US
Randolph Bourne Institute
- Iraq Body Count
A project which maintains the world’s largest public
database of
violent civilian deaths during and since the 2003 invasion. The
count encompasses non-combatants killed by military or
paramilitary action and the breakdown in civil security
following the invasion. Data is drawn from cross-checked media
reports, hospital, morgue, NGO and official figures to produce a
credible record of known deaths and incidents.
-
Iraq's Toll 2003-6 These detailed charts from the Wall
Street Journal examine the collective face of the US and allied
military who died in Iraq, from the invasion in 2003 up to
March, 2006.
To keep updated the following sites offer
reports and analysis in the light of current developments:
Keep up to date with:
5.
Analysis
-
Iraq, 1917 Robert Fisk article from the Independent, June
2004, arguing that “Britain's 1917 occupation of Iraq holds
uncanny parallels with today - and if we want to know what will
happen there next, we need only turn to our history books...”
(Iraq pages of the
Global Policy Forum)
-
Iraq: The Imperial Precedent (January, 2003) British
historian Charles Tripp draws parallels between the British
invasion of Mesopotamia in 1914 and the US war for "regime
change" in Iraq showing how both reflect the "logic of imperial
power." (Le Monde Diplomatique). See also
Postmodern Imperialism which links US problems in Iraq with
the consequences of the British colonial past in the Middle
East. (Le Monde) (Iraq pages of the
Global Policy Forum)
- Ancient
History: U.S. Conduct in the Middle East Since World War Il
and the Folly Of Intervention by Sheldon L. Richman, senior
editor at the Cato Institute. Very detailed article placing Iraq
in a middle eastern context.
-
Iraq, past, present and future: a thoroughly-modern mandate?
Essay by Beverley Milton-Edwards. Draws parallels for the US
today with the British experience.
-
The Lying Game An A-Z of the Iraq war and its aftermath,
focusing on misrepresentation, manipulation, and mistakes
Published on Tuesday, June 1, 2004 by the lndependent, UK
-
Iraq presents a lesson from history As Britain prepared to
pull its troops out of Iraq, this BBC report of December 2008
looks back to a previous military campaign and considers whether
history is destined to repeat itself.
6.
Key Resources
 Iraq Conflict: The Historical Background Excellent site from
the Global Policy Forum (a New York based, non-profit
organization, with consultative status at the UN). Well
researched links. Key areas examined are:
- Iraq
Archives Hub Useful set of links to institutes holding
archives relating to the British experience in Iraq
-
Iraq under Occupation Detailed 2005 Special website from
Aljazeera includes interactive maps, history lines as well as
profiles of key Iraq and coalition individuals. Now held on the
Wayback Archive and most links still connect, but can be slow.
-
WWW-VL History Iran: Source of many links to culture,
ancient history and life in Iran from the
World-Wide Web Virtual Library
-
History of the Middle East Database Use this teaching
resource by Ted Thornton to place Iraq in a broader geographical
and cultural context. Contains histories and
bibliographies of the countries in the region
- Iraq Resource
Information Site (I.R.I.S.) Excellent set of resources. IRIS
is an online collection of resources documenting the history,
culture, people, archaeology, Islam, mythology, current events
of modern day Iraq
The casahistoria core Middle East pages:
British Mandate in Palestine
The Arab Israeli conflict, 1947-78
The British in Mesopotamia/Iraq
Iraq, Hussein, the West & War
v12.03
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