Turkish Daily News
Jnauary 28, 2003While thinking of what could happen in Iraq, it would be useful to carefully analyze the war in 1999. Because "facts" are as important as "news reports." Strategies and rules frequently change in foreign policy. Changes change who is right and who is unjust.
Iraq became very important after the pro-American Shah regime in Iran was toppled in 1979. The Iran-Iraq war left a war-weary Iraq when it ended. As the power balances were changing in the world following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Iraq had world's eyes focused on it in the early 1990s, in connection with the "Iraq Gate" scandal that was disclosed in the Reagan era and the armament program of Iraq, which had gone unnoticed throughout the 1980s.
Some of the developments that should not go unnoticed are as follows: The U.S. President George Bush signed the National Security Directive No. 26 on October 2, 1989. This directive set the principles and framework for the U.S. assistance to Iraq.
Fahd Ahmad al-Fahd, who was heading Kuwait's state security apparatus, said Kuwait was in consensus with the United States that "deterioration of Iraqi economy would be beneficial and that this country should be forced to provoke a boundary dispute issue." These words of al-Fahd are cited on page 48 of a book called "War in the Gulf, Secret Dossier" by Salinger and Laurent.
In January 1990, a leading U.S. diplomat in the Middle East, a former ambassador who is still employed by the Bush administration, held a meeting behind closed doors with an Iraqi minister. The Iraqi minister was told that Iraq could improve its sinking economy if there occurs a sudden increase in oil prices. This conversation was cited in the book entitled "Exposed: Washington's Role in Saddam's Oil Plot" by Helga Graham.
In February 1990, Saddam Hussein was drawing criticisms in the Voice of America. In the same month, an Iranian-origin British journalist travelled to Iraq and started to investigate Iraq's capacity to produce nuclear weapons. Execution of Fazard Bazoft on March 15, 1990 elicited considerable reaction from the world.
On March 28, 1990, a package destined from California to Iraq was seized in London's International Heathrow Airport. In the package there was a detonator-trigger system that could be used with an atomic bomb.
On April 4, 1990, British customs officials seized some 1,000-millimeter caliber pipes made of steel in Teessi Port. The pipes were bound for Iraq. Iraq, most probably, was about to produce a "doomsday cannon."
On April 12, 1990, the White House reacted very angrily to Saddam's threat of use of nuclear weapons against Israel. Bush and Foreign Minister Baker asked Baghdad to soften its rhetoric against Israel through Senator Dole.
On June 17, 1990, Iraq accused Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates of exceeding OPEC quotas and decreasing oil prices. Baghdad deployed 30,000 soldiers on its border with Kuwait on July 24.
On July 25, 1990, only a day after the CIA reported that Iraq was deploying soldiers on the Kuwait border, the U.S. Ambassador April Glaspie told Saddam Hussein the United States' attitude and said the United States was not to get involved in disputes among Arab countries, such as the one going on between Iraq and Kuwait.
On August 2, 1990, Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait without facing any serious challenge. After four days, economic, financial and military embargoes started.
On August 8, "Desert Shield" was announced and the United States sent its first troops to Saudi Arabia. In response, Iraq announced it annexed Kuwait. In the following days, the U.N. Security Council declared its resolution No. 662. The annexation was rejected and a committee was swiftly established to oversee international sanctions on Iraq. And we all saw what happened afterwards.