The Gulf Flashcards
Why was Israel a source of tension in the gulf
The Jewish state was created in 1948 and carved out of land inhabited by Arabs. Its creation was opposed by all Arab states
5 reasons for tension in the gulf
- Religion: Sunni vs Shia
- oil
- individuals such as sassan hussein and ayatollah Khomeini
- national identity
- Israel
Baath party facts
- established in Syria in 1950s, its influence spread to several Arab countries including Iraq
- Bath means renaissance, rebirth if Arab powers
- called for unity amongst arabs in ME
- were supported in Iraq Bcos they demanded a stand against foreign interference there
Geography of Iraq in 1900
3 provinces of the Turkish empire
Which treaty combined the Turkish provinces
Treaty of Sevres
Meant Brit cod get oil
Ba’ath means ? The ? Of ?
Renaissance
The rebirth of Arab power
Why were the Ba’ath party supported in Iraq
Bcos they demanded a stand against foreign interference
What did the t of Sevres change in Iraq ? Why’d they do it ?
In 1900 Iraq was 3 provinces of the Turkish empire and the t combined them as a LoN mandate in order for Brit to get more oil
What happened October 1920 after the t of Sevres ? Aftermath,
Uprising against British, but they had 100,000 troops there and crushed uprising.
but this aroused more opposition and in 1921 decided they needed an endorsed king there
Who was Faisal ?
Member of leading family in the Middle East who was invited by British to b king and head of gov
Under Faisal what did Britain keep?
Kept control of Iraq Foreign Policy and kept 2 airbases
Most importantly controlled ALL oil through Iraqi petroleum company which was ran by brits
How long did the monarchy of Faisal last in Iraq?
35 years
What good things happened under Faisals 35 years reign in Iraq
Considerable economic development
Education improved
Literacy levels rose
What did people oppose about the monarch?
Inequality, vast majority of population poor with few landowners who dominated
Britain supported Israel
Let Britain control oil prices and production and profits were split between brit and Iraqi gov
When did Iraq become a republic?
1958
The monarchy was overthrown
Are Baathists mostly Sunni or Shiite ?
Sunni
Did Sunni or shiites makes up the majority of the population in Iraq ?
Shiites
Coup by army officers made republic run by Ba’ath party in what year?
1968
Who was involved in the overthrow of the pro-British monarchy and had a key role in the coup of 1968?
Saddddaaammmm
Hussein
What was saddam made ?
Vice President
Who was saddam a big admirer of ?? Look at his moustache
THAT’s RIGHR WE’RE TALKING JOSEPH STALIN
What did saddam do to build a strong power base ?
- made sure he has control of key positions in Ba’ath party
- controlled most important departments in gov and army
- 1963 became head of Iraqi intelligence services
- VP after coup in ‘68
Who did saddam put in positions of power ?
- in Iraq family and tribal connections were v important
- saddam placed fam and friends In positions in power and especially in army
How did saddam keep military commanders on his side ?
By spending lots in defence
What did the Iraq government do under saddam
Nationalised.
Took complete control of the Iraqi oil industry
In 1972 what did saddam do with the influx of money from oil
He built up education health and welfare services
Why did saddam get an award from the UN ?
For creating the most modern public health system in the Middle East
In 1973 what did Iraq start doing less of
Reduced oil sales to western countries to punish the west for supporting Israel in a war against Egypt and Syria
What was the effect of saddam stopping sales to west
Oil prices went up by 400%
Iraqs oil income rose from 575 mill in ‘72 to 26,500 mill in ‘80
In dollars
Oil income from from how much in ‘72 to how much ‘80
575 -> 26,500 dollars
As country became richer what did saddam do
Electricity extended to country side
Agriculture mechanised
Roads bridges hospitals schools dams built
Iraqis became more educated
Healthcare improved
Urban middle class of lawyers businessman gov officials emerged
How did saddam and the baathists increase their POWER
Trade unions, schools and even sports clubs came U see state control and membership of the Ba’ath party decided who was put in gov
How did saddam describe the ideal student
One who cld “stand in the sun holding his weapon day and night without flinching”
In 1976 saddam was made a WHAT in the army?
A general
How come by ‘76 saddam was the effective leader of Iraq
President old and increasingly frail
How did saddam keep army in control
Regular indoctrination through rotating officers so no one could build up oppositions
Also he executed or impronsoned those he suspected of disloyalty
+ he spent loads on them
Secret police were under saddams control came to dominate both the ?
Army and the Ba’ath party
Most of saddams secret police recruits came from?
Rural tribal areas of Sunni dominated region in north and the west of Baghdad
Many came from Saddams own tribe
When did saddam force the ill president to step down?
1979
Saddam then became. President
Having become president in 1979 how long did saddams rule last
25 years
How did saddam rule Iraq?
Terror
Indoctrination
Social and infrastructural improvements
What did saddam do when he came to power in 1979
He carried out brutal purge of anyone who might be a threat to him, 500 members of his own part executed and many more arrested or fled county
What were the show trails
He televised trial of number of opponents, 21 of whom were executed
Give an example of saddams mad violence as a defence
Attempt to assassinate him in village of Dujail in 1982
In retaliation he often security forces to kill nearly 150 villagers
Wht did saddam do that was really cult like and narcissistic
Statues of him everywhere
Portraits hung of him in all public buildings
Birthday made a national holiday
When a referendum was held on his presidency what percent of Iraquis voted for him
99%
The Kurds formed what percent of the Iraqi population
20%
The Kurds are Muslim but they aren’t ? And speak a different language
Arab
When did conflict between Iraqis and Kurds begin
1921 from when the state of Iraq was created
Under the rule of saddam there were mass expulsions
Of Kurds who’d previously done well
Iraq population made up of 3 main groups
Shia / Shiite muslims (majority)
Sunni muslims
Kurds
Kurdish leaders wanted to achieve a desperate homeland in Kurdistan but what did saddam want?
Opposite
He was determined to extend his governments control over the Kurdish north
What years did saddams Forbes attack the Kurds
1974 1975
When saddam attack Kurds who did Kurds get support from?
IRAN !!
What happened in 1988 that saddam was later put on trial for and executed
In march 1988 saddam bombarded Kurdish town Halabaja using chemical weapons
When did Saddan end the “ Kurdish problem “ and what happened
180,000 killed
100,000 fled to turkey
Saddams cousin “chemical Ali” put in charge
What was saddams cousin nicknamed
Chemical Ali
Kurds wanted ?
Shiites wanted ?
Separatism
Inclusion
What happened in Iran in 1979 that made saddam suspicious? What’d he do
Islamic rev took place IN Shiite Iran and in 1980-81 saddam deported 200,000 Shiites there as their “loyalty was not proven” and handed their business to gov supporters
What improved for Iraqis
Improved road transport Water supplies Access to uni Free quality health care Painters musicians flourished thanks to gov subsidies
Saddam made his ministers lose ? To set an example
Weight
At start of 20th century Iran ruled by a ? But was an ? Country
À shah
But it was independent
Who controlled Irans oil fields ?
British company called Anglo-Iranian Oil
When did more Iranians demand that the gov take control of oil and demands Art least half
After ww2
Having gained popular support which Iranian nationalist was made prime minister by the shah
MOHAMMED MOSSADEQ
When was Mohammed mossadeq made pm
1951
What did parliament do after mossadeq bcame PM
Passed law to nationalise oil industry which thriller Iranians
What did Britain do in retaliation to Iran passing law to nationalise oil
Withdrew work force and refused to allow their technicians to work the the new Iranian National Oil Conpany
Also persuaded west not to buy their oil and navy imposed blockade on irans ports! Stopping all boats from entering or leaving
How did Britain persuade USA to help them overthrow mossadeq?
Played on their fear of communism cos it was Cold War and Iran had a border along Soviet Union cos what if the commies got their oil!
Pressure from Britain and USA made shah
Dismiss mossadeq put him on trial imprison him
Iranian gov shut down
Mossadeq replaced with pro western prime minister
What happened following the shut down of mossadeq ?
Group of western oil companies agreed with shah to restart production for 40% of profits
Shahs gov signed treaty with USA in 1955 and year later joined turkey Britain iraq in anti sov alliance
Iran grew rich cos started gaining from oil
What good reforms did the shah make having dismissed mossadeq
Have some of irans land of rich to poorer farmers
Gave women the vote increased number of skls raised literacy rates BUT still big contrast between rich elite and poor masses
Brief consequences of 1953 coup in Iran
Increased security of the wests oil supply
Made sov interference less likely
Overturned popular democratic government gave westerners 40% of profits
Iran became ally of west
In the 1979s who opposed the shah v
Opposition led by mullahs ( Muslim religious leaders) who crtisised the wealth and corruption of shah
In 1971 shah had huge celebration of what and spent how much
He claimed it was the 2500th anniversary of the Persian monarchy but few believed him
It cost $330 million
Where did mullahs criticise shah
At mosque especially at weekly Friday prayers
Whhat relationship of the shar did people dislike
That with the non Muslim west
Many saw the shah as a pawn in whose hands ?
Americas !
MullAhs encouraged steeet demonstrations which targeted
Banks Bcos of close ties to western companies
Cinemas cos foreign sexual films seen as unIslamic
Which leading Muslim scholar was leader of opposition to the Shah
Ayatollah Khomeini
When Khomeini was exiled what did he do
In 1964 he went to turkey then Iraq and finally Paris where is writings and speeches were smuggled into Iran often in form of cassette tapes
In Iran in 1978 following demonstrations of often a million strong in Tehran what did the gov introduce in what month of 1978
In September 1978 military rule introduced and 500 demonstrators killed the next day
And in October wave of strikes brought oil production to a halt
In Iran by end of ‘78 soldiers were
Refusing to fire on crowds Bcos they, conscripts especially, sympathised with them
Was shah misinformed when soldiers refused to shoot at demonstrators by the end of 1978
Yea his advisers assured him he was popular and that only a minority where pissed n protesting
Where and when did the shah go?
In January 1979 the shah left for the USA for some cancer treatment and never returned !
What happened when the shah left
76 yr old Khomeini returned in triumph and declared a revolution and the shahs last prime minister fled and army declared support for revolution
Did people of Iran want a revolution in 1979
Yeah a national referendum produced a large majority in favour of abolition of monarchy and establishing a republic
In brief, why was there a revolution in Iran in 1979
Extravagance of monarchy in poor country
Foreign films and pro western foreign policy and banks who were with them and their profits from Iranian oil
Hatred of secret police strikes demonstrations role of Khomeini and the killings of demonstrations which led to even more demonstrations and uproar!
And importante of Islam and mullahs and mosques and their influence
What does the term “ayatollah” refer to?
Used by Shia Muslim to refer to most senior religious scholars
Which years was Khomeini exiled
1964-1979
Was Khomeini president or prime minister ?
Neither he held ultimate power as the “supreme leader” of Shiite Iran
What did khomeini do as supreme leader
Passed new laws based of the Qur’an, education purged of unIslamic influences, women had to cover their heads in public
Alcohol western films western pop music all banned
What happened to the shahs supporters under khomeini
Mass trials, many executed
The USA was seen as the main enemy in Iran and came to be known as
“The Great Satan”
When the us gave shah medical treatment HIw did some Iranian STUDENTS react
In November 1979 Iranian students stormed the US embassy and took 50 American staff as hostages and us declared Iran as an INTERNATIONAL OUTLAW
Having stormed us embassy in November 1979 America declared Iran as
An international outlaw
Millions in Muslim world, arab or not, really liked khomeini for
Standing up to USA
What did khomeini accuse Iraq government as being
Atheist
Corrupt
In one of his broadcast khomeini called to the people of Iraq and said
“Wake up and topple this corrupt regime in your Islamic country before it is too late”
In 1980 saddam invaded Iran. In brief, why?
Khomeini was talking SHIITE hahah and calling on Shiites do uprise against the non religious gov
Saddam bad evidence Iran involved in assassination of leading baathists
Territory
Iran was weak
What had made Iran weak And gave saddam encouragement to invade ?
It’s economy in chaos following fall of shahs routine
Country facing western boycott of its trade cos us embassy
Iranian armed forces were demoralised
Why did saddam want Iranian territory
Iraq had little access to sea Unlike Iran who had long coastline and several ports for exporting oil
Iraq wanted to gain complete control OF THE SHATT AL-ARAB waterway for secure outlet 2 sea
Also Iran had oil rich lands
Why did saddam fear khomeini influence
He was Shiite
Most Iraqis Shiite
Also everyone loved him for standing up to America
Did saddam plan for a quick or long war with Iran? What was he trying to prove ?
Saddam planned short limited war to force Iran into making concessions
He also wanted to warn Iran that Iraq wouldn’t be intimidated or undermined
Saddam wanted to make Iraq leading power in the gulf
When did Iraqi forces invade Iran
September 1980
What was saddam and observers initial reaction when Iraq invaded September 1980
There was little resistance ppl thought Iraq would soon win
Saddam himself predicted a “whirlwind war” confident that a swift heavy blow would dislodge Khomeini’s gov
Within a month after Iraq invaded Iran what happened
Iraqi forces halted in Iranian desert
Iraq fired. Missiles at irans cities to terrorise civilians and BEGAN THE THE WAR OF THE CITIES
What was the “war of the cities”
After a month having invaded Iran Iraq began firing missiles from the Iranian desert at the irans cities and both sides then bombed each over and killed HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF CIVILIANS
Who had superior fire power in the Iran-Iraq war ?
Iraq
How did Iran make up for its inferior firepower
It had a big population and sent in hundreds of thousands of recruits in “human waves “ keen to die and be martyrs for Islam and Iran
Iranians believed they were fighting for good against evil
Two years into Iran Iraq war what had happened
Within two years Iran had recaptured all of its land and had cut off Iraq from its only sea ports
After two years of the Iran Iraq war there were calls for a ceasefire but nothing came of it Bcos ?
Iran said it would not settle for anything less than the overthrow of Saddam’s regime
What happened when Iran said its target was to seize Baghdad ?
Iraqi forces became more united in their determination and by 1984 the two sides bogged down in trench warfare along the 1000 mile border
Most Arab states supported Iran or Iraq
Iraq Bcos they had little support for irans Islamic revolution and they opposed spread of Shiite Islamic state and stir Shiite minorities in their own countries AND THEY THOUGHT IRAN posED THREAT TO THEIR OIL
What did Saudi Arabia and smaller oil rich gulf states, Egypt and Jordan supply to whom
Supplies money and arm to Iraq
What did Jordan provide Iraq
Route for iraqs imports and exports through the port of Aqaba which was vital
Who did Syria support and what did they do in support
Syria supported Iran and shit off Iraqi pipelines that went thru Syrian territory and in return Syria got free Iranian oil
Which non gulf countries supported Iraq
France
Germany
Soviet Union
USA
Who was iraqs main non-Arab supplier of arms
France
Why and when did America up their Iraqi support
When Iranian forces counter stacked and talked of taking Baghdad cos they were like he’ll have all the oil shit man
How did American help Iraq
They used satellites to keep Iraq informed of Iranian troop movements and gave them the equipment that they used to make chemical weapons and turned a blind eye when they used it against Iran
From 1986 onwards where was Iran Iraq war fighting focused
The gulf !
What was the area the gulf
The VITAL route through which Iraq and Iran both exported their oil
Who had the air and who had the seas in the gulf in the Iran Iraq war
Iraqi air forces had the skies but Iranian had a stronger navy
Kuwait supported Iraq and in retaliation Iranians attached Kuwaiti ships. What happened next
Sov Un offered help to Kuwait and USA swiftly stepped in to provide protection for Kuwaiti ships to stop soviet aid and maintain its influence in oil rich states
What happened when the Iranians cut off Iraq’s access to the gulf through the Shat al-Arab waterway
The US provided protection for Iraqi shipping and destroyed much of the Iranian army
When did the Iranians finally accept ceasefire in the Iran Iraq war
In July 1988
Why did Iran finally accept ceasefire in July 1988
Economy in ruins
Stream of “martyrs” and human waves subsided
Faves prospect of direct war with America
After the ceasefire in July 1988 was there a peace treat
NO
only a truce
Both sides continued to rearm
Estimated casualties of Iran Iraq war on both sides
1 million Iranians killed
500,000 Iraqis killed
What did both sides on the Iran Iraq war hope of the minorities in each country
They hoped ethnic groups would rise up and welcome the invaders but this never happens
National feelings were strong
How did khomeini describe th ceasefire
‘More deadly than poison’
How many people filled streets of Tehran for bus Khomeini’s funeral
12 million
Population of Iran post war
55 million
Post war Iran was still a major power
During the war why did life expectancy and infant survival fall
More and more spent on weapons less and less on hospitals schools especially c
What percent of imports were for weapons by 1984 in Iraq
93%
Iraq faced debts of how much after Iran Iraq war
$80 billion
How many men did saddam keep in army despite debt post I I was
1 million
Saddam had the ? Largest army in the world and by 1999 he had more aircraft and tanks then who and who combined
Saddam had the 4th largest army in the world
He had more aircraft and tanks than Britain and France combined
What made iraqs debt worse
He poured money into weapons
Value of Iraq oil exports declined and a fall in oil prices on world market
Many in oil industry lost their jobs
Soldiers demobilised also adding to more unemployment
Despite saddams police army violence there were still riots some coordinated in mosques, why wouldn’t the army attack
Bcos attacking mosque would intensify the opposition of muslims
Post I I war where do saddams main threat come from
His army
Why was saddams army angry post I I
Many officers felt cheated of victory and some privately blamed saddam for their failure to defeat Iran
Saddam needed to divert attention of his army, his main threat post Ira Ira war and so he
INVADED KUWAIT
When did Britain leave Kuwait
1961
When British left Kuwait in 1961 what did Iraq do
Iraq laid claim to Kuwait but other Arab states sent troops to keep Iraqis out and Iraq reluctantly recognised Kuwaits independence in 1963
Why did Saddam invade Kuwait
- to satisfy unhappy army personnel who posed prominent threat to him
- to pay off $80 billion debt
How would invading Kuwait help saddam pay off his 80 billion dollar debt
Saddam needed money and through increasing oil production. The OPEC said no because in order to keep oil prices high they couldn’t over supply it (inflation) and Kuwait and Saudi Arabia were the ones who rly put their foot down
What is the OPEC
Oil Producing andExporting Countries
Apart from rejecting saddams OPEC request what else did Kuwait do tht pissed off saddam
They demanded repayment of funds given to Iraq during war and saddam said this was an insult
Why did saddam accuse of Kuwait of insulting Iraq
And what did he accuse them off
Cos they wanted money but saddam said Iraqi lives he defended Kuwait
He accused Kuwait of drilling under iraqs borders and taking oil which belonged to Iraq lol
What date did saddam invade Luwait
2nd Aug 1990
Force of how many invaded Kuwait on 2 Aug 1990
300,000
Iraq overran the country of Kuwait in how many days
3 days
Did nearly all Arab states condemn or support saddam
They all condemned him
What did the United Nations Security Council do in response to Saddams Kuwait invasion
Imposed completed trade sanctions against Iraq: no country to have any trade until their forces had withdrawn from Kuwait
UN trade sanctions on saddam following the Kuwait invasion were good or bad
They were the most complete and effective sanctions ever imposed by the UN
What did saddam declare Kuwait having invaded
A PROVINCE OF IRAQ HAHAHA
How did Saddam try and win back Arab support having invaded Kuwait
He said he would withdraw Iraqi forces when Israelis withdrew their forces from Palestine
Palestinians thrilled but every1 still pissed at him
News soon emerged from Kuwait that
Thousands of Kuwait protestors arrested and hundreds gunned down OFTEN DELIBERATELY IN FRONT OF THEIR FAMILIES
What did saddam do to foreigners in Kuwait
The news came that s.h ordered detention of hundreds of foreigners as hostages many of whom westerners causing outrage
Hostages used as human shield by being kept near to military targets
What did Americans do following Kuwait invasion
When king of Saudi Arabia requested USA to send military forces to defend his country in case of an attack he quickly obliged
Over following months they built up large naval, land and air forces
When was the deadline given to Iraq set for? What month was it announced
Announced in November
Said they must withdraw by 15th January 1991 or face military force
What did saddam predict when he was in Kuwait
“The mother of all battles”
Over 700,000 troops assembled in deserts of Saudi Arabia, mostly American but also french and British. Egypt Syria Pakistan and Bangladesh also sent troops
Saudi Arabia sent 100,000 troops
How many countries joined in coalition against saddam in Kuwait
34
If was the broadest coalition ever assembled for a UN operation
Why was it good that it was both western countries and Islamic countries against saddam in Kuwait?
Saddam would not be able to claim it was a western crusade against the Arabs and Islam
When was the gulf war ?
January to march 1991
How did the gulf war begin
With a five week air assault on military targets as well as airports bridges factories roads
What did saddam do to try and split western and Arab forces
Fired missiles st Israel trying to get them involved to cause a split. It is persuaded Israel not to retaliate and the Arab forces stayed firm
In February of gulf war what began?
The ground attack
Iraqi forces no match for coalition troops who were better trained better equipped and more motivated than the reluctant conscripts in Iraqi army
Iraqis quickly defeated with heavy casualties
Coalition forces had what
HELICOPTER GUNSHIPS
As Iraq retreated what did they do
Tried to wreck Kuwait by pouring oil into the gulf and setting fire to oilfields
With Iraqis driven out of Kuwait what did us led forces do
Continued into Iraq
Who did the us president call on ? Why was it controversial?
He called on Kurds and Shiites to rise up and overthrow saddam but they lacked arms and received no support from us
How Shiites killed in the souh
50,000
What was done to prevent what happens to the shiiites from happening to the Kurds
Americans and British established “no fly zones” preventing saddam regaining control of the north
Creating a safe haven for the Kurds
Where did the coalition forces stop having entered Iraq
What date was a ceasefire called
Stopped short of Baghdad
Ceasefire called on 28th February 1991
Why did they not go further then baghadad
Despite strong voices in the US gov who wanted to topple saddam the UN mission had been restricted to the liberation of Kuwait
Americas Arab allies wouldn’t have supported them
What did many Arab commentators say about US in the gulf way
That the us used the war to establish its military presence in the gulf to dominate the worlds oil resources
In 1957 which American president said that if something cut off western access to oil that …
Eisenhower said
We would have to use force
What were the peace terms imposed on Iraq by the UN
Iraq had to recognise Kuwait saying sovereignty
Iraq had to pay repetitions
Iraqi aircraft could not enter no fly zones
Iraq had to comply with weapon inspections by UN to destroy WMD
Weapons of mass destruction
And until this was completed UN imposed wide ranging trade sanctions
Because of serious effect of sanctions Iraq cooperated and admitted they had stockpiled ?
Nerve gas and chemical warheads
UN Inspectors also uncovered a ? Programme with …
A nuclear program with sereval kilograms of highly enriched uranium for production of nuclear weapons
who did inspecting
UNSCOM
After how long did UNSCOM announce they’d destroyed all medium and long range weapons?
And how long for material for making nuclear and chemical?
1 ur for missiles
3 years for nuclear and chemical components
What did saddams son in law do
He told people who questioned him in Jordan that after the gulf war saddams second son had been giving job of hiding weapons of mass destruction
Saddam promised him a pardon and then shot him 3 days later
Americans began to demand a regime change before the lifting of sanctions
What was UNSCOM not able to entirely eliminate
All of iraqs biological weapons programme
WhT was the impact on sanctions in Iraq
Blockade prevented machinery fertilisers medicine books from getting in
Iraq imported much of its food and UN Survery mid 90s showed a quarter of those under 5 were “severely malnourished
Iraq couldn’t get chlorine to purify water in case they used it to make chlorine gas and so between a quarter and half a million children died
So UN introduced “oil for food”
By 1997 how many children in Iraq were dying each month of hunger and disease
7,000
What did the effect of not giving Iraq chlorine have
Contamination of water which lead to outbreaks of Dysentery killing between a quarter and half a million children
What did saddam do during time of sanctions following Kuwait
Terror and violence
Disloyal elements in the army were purged or executed
Special army unit created to protect the president
All top gov and mil jobs went to sunnis
Road bridges electricity systems rebuilt
Army still biggest in Arab world
What did saddam do during sanctions to turn international opinion against west
He allowed filming of mass suffering , especially for Arab television networks, so image of Iraq as the victim of greedy ruthless west would be propagated
When UN demanded access to headquarter of Iraqi special security forces saddam refused and inspectors left what year?
1997
In 1998 what happened despite what common.l belief?
America and Britain started bombing Iraqi military sites despite the commonly held belief that Iraq had no more WMD
Turning many Arab states against America
What did Madeleine Albright say that pissed ppl off
When asked if the starvation of half a million people was justified she said it had been “worth it”
Who was Madeleine Albright
US Secretary of State
When did Arab states begin to restart trade with Iraq
After Madeleine Albright
By 1999 the UN had
Approved unlimited oil exports
Saddam challenged the UN and the USA and he had survived
.
Saddam was repsonible for a lot of conflict in the gulf region but what wasn’t he responsible for
When Iran counter attacked
The deaths that were consequence of UN sanctions
America and Britain bombing Oraq after it was a common belief they had no weapons of mass destruction left
