The Validity of British Army COIN Doctrine After the War in Iraq 2003-2009
History of Iraq (post WWI). The British are coming: The Ottoman Empire dissolved and the British...
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Transcript of History of Iraq (post WWI). The British are coming: The Ottoman Empire dissolved and the British...
History of IraqHistory of Iraq(post WWI)(post WWI)
The British are coming:The British are coming:
The Ottoman Empire dissolved and the British mandated control of Iraq after World War I (1918).
Tensions BeginTensions Begin:
The creation of modern Iraq was not created or determined by Iraqis. It was created in British boardrooms by British rulers.
Artificial country with an artificial king
The country the British created wasn’t a homogenous group of people.
Three Groups:Three Groups:
Kurds in the North (minority)Shiite Muslims in the South
(majority)Sunni Muslims in the center
(minority) 90% of the worldwide Muslim population is
Sunni
The U.S. Enters the Picture:
The Eisenhower Doctrine (early 1950’s) promised U.S. aid to any country that resisted communism.
US provided military aid to Iraq in 1954. While this aid was welcomed by the pro-Western head of state, it was not welcomed by the Iraqi leaders in Parliament.
The Ba’th Republic:
Took power for good in 1968Republic in name only – they
created a dictatorshipSaddam Hussein became Vice
President
1960s and 1970s
Kurds, Turks, Christians, Shi’ites were deported, arrested, tortured and executed for their “disloyalty”.
(Political purges of opposition)
1970
Saddam Hussein Named President of Iraq
(Power transferred to him by his cousin. Had been running the country for years anyway.)
He is an example of an oppressive dictator
1980
Iran-Iraq WarSaddam becomes US ally
1988
Cease-fire between Iran-IraqSaddam launches campaign
against Kurds to get revenge for their support of Iran during war
Thousands dead Hundreds of thousands “disappeared” Villages destroyed
1988-1990
Saddam’s stockpiling of weapons, his extreme anti-Israel stance prompted the US to rethink its alliance
1990
Saddam invades Kuwait Declared Kuwait to be part of Iraq
Oil rich region
UN sets Jan. 15, 1991 as deadline for Iraqi troops to leave Kuwait
Side note about oil….
In the 1970s, many Middle Eastern nations have become more wealthy because of the creation of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
What is OPEC?
Organization of 12 oil producing and exporting countries:
The members are Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates & Venezuela.
OPEC
The organization sets policy on research, drilling, pricing, distribution and investment.
Founded in Baghdad, Iraq Current day headquarters are in Vienna,
Austria
US dependence on foreign oil
January 17, 1991
UN deadline passes & Iraq troops have still not left Kuwait
This started Operation Desert Storm
Operation Desert Storm
Took 6 weeks to clear Kuwait of all Iraqi troops
Thousands of Iraqi soldiers diedmost of Saddam’s defense system was
destroyedSaddam was forced to sign a cease-fire.
(UN present to make sure this occurred).
1991
Shi’ite and Kurd rebel against Saddam
US dropped leaflets encouraging this, but did not help & these minority groups were easily crushed.
Eventually the UN created a Kurdish safe-haven and imposed sanctions of Iraq Caused poverty for Iraq
What are Sanctions?
a tool used to persuade a particular govt. to change their policy by restricting trade, investment or other commercial activity. For example, sanctions may be applied to countries which develop weapons of mass destruction, violate human rights or trade unfairly. The extent of the sanctions often depends on the severity of the violation.
1991 - 2003
Saddam carries out campaigns to punish people for the rebellions
March 20, 2003
Operation Iraqi FreedomUS and Great Britain invade
IraqThe UN Security Council (France
& Russia) veto UN involvement in the war
The 2 primary reasons the US & Britain did invade despite the UN vetoes were:Iraq had weapons of mass
destruction (WMDs) that threatened nations around the world
Iraq sponsored world terrorism
December 2003
Saddam captured
2005-06
Saddam on trial
November 5, 2006
Found guilty and sentenced to death
December 30, 2006
Saddam executed
December 15, 2011
The US officially declares the end of the Iraq War
Nearly 4,500 U.S. service members were killed in more than eight years of war and about 30,000 wounded