TOPIC 5 Flashcards
Reasons for Saddam Hussein’s decision to attack Iran (Iran-Iraq War: 1980-8)
- Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini was calling on the Iraqis to rise up and overthrow Hussein
Religious issued had arisen between Iran and Iraq after the Islamic Revolution
Iran had become a Shiite Muslim state governed thby leading Muslim clerics according to Muslim law
Iraq’s leading politicians were Sunni
Khomeini appealed on the Iraq population to follow the example of the Islamic revolution - direct challenge towards Saddam Hussein - Hussein saw an opportunity to gain valuable territory
He wanted Iraq to gain complete control over the Shatt al-Arab waterway and thus gain a secure outlet to the sea
He also wanted to annex Khuzestan which would mean Iraq would have greater power over oil and signal a shift in the balance of power from Iran to Iraq - Iran was weak after the 1979 Islamic Revolution
Iran’s economy was in chaos
The country was facing western boycott of its trade because of the capture of the US embassy
- It was diplomatically isolated
The Iranian forces were demoralised
- 1980 seemed like the perfect time to attack Iran
Iran-Iraq War: Attack
September 1980: Iraq launched a surprise attack along the Shatt al-Arab waterway – little resistance
October 1980: Iraqi advance was halted in the Iranian desert
“The War of Cities” began:
- Iraq resorted to firing missiles inside Iranian cities to target civilians
- Iran began to bomb urban Iraqi locations and killed Iraqi civilians
- Iran encouraged new recruits to join the war and become “martyrs” of the Iranian revolution
- Iraqi regime conscripted young boys who were threatened with death
1981: The Iraqi army retreated back to its own border
- October 1981: Iran’s forces began to occupy Iran
1982: Iran (its aim was to seize Baghdad, Iraq wanted to resist this) had recaptured all its land and cut off Iraq from its seaports
1983-4: Iran and Iraq attacked each other’s oil installations
1984: the front was established along the 1500km border. The 2 sides were involved in trench warfare
Foreign intervention in the Iran-Iraq War
- The Arab states:
Most Arab states supported Hussein and Ira – they were opposed to the spread of Iran’s revolutionary, Shiite version of an Islamic state
- Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States, Egypt and Jordan supplied Iraq with money and arms
- By the end of the war, Iraq had enormous debts of $85 billion
- Jordan provided Iraq qith route for its imports and exports through the port of Aqaba
The Arab states that sided with Iran were Syria, South Yemen and the PLO, which criticised Iraq for attacking an Arab state
- The Syrians cut off the Iraqi pipelines that passed through their territoy to the Mediterranean - The USA, the USSR and Europe
The US, USSR, France and Germany sided with Iraq
France was the main supplier of arms to Iraq
America’s support became more active when the Iranians counter-attacked and talked of advancing on Baghdad
- The US destroyed much of the Iranian navy
The end of the war: 1988
20th August 1988: A ceasefire was negotiated by Iran and Iraq
- There wasn’t any peace treaty, only a truce and both sides continued to re-arm
Consequences of the Iran Iraq War
- Iran
Great casualties: 1 million (out of 55 million of population)
It failed to export its revolutionary Shiite brand of Islam
- World public opinion had turned against Iran, as the Arab states, the US, the USSR and Europe helped Iraq
Khomeini was still praised in Iraq
- He died in 1989, and 12 million people attended his funeral - Iraq
Great casualties: 0.5 million
Iraq’s economy suffered – the money spent on weapons by 1984 accounted for 93% of all its inputs
Saddam Hussein claimed the war ended in victory for Iraq
- He halted the spread of the Islamic revolution
It had debts of $80 billion
The value of the Iraqi oil decline
Causes of the 1st Gulf War
- Economic problems
Iran-Iraq war had been a costly war
The oil industry suffered from a slump in world prices
Iraq suffered from inflation - Political opposition
Soldiers had been demobilised and became unemployed
Iraqi prisoners remained in Iran’s hands
In July 1988: 4 assassination attempts on Saddam Hussein - Saddam claimed the Kuwait was part of Iraq
Kuwait is on the southern border of Iraq
It had been part of Basra, but after WWI, it was run by the British
1922: the British established Kuwait’s frontiers, and they remained in control of the area until 1961
- When they left, Iraq claimed Kuwait, but the Arab League decided to send troops to keep the Iraqis out - Saddam was angered at Kuwait for economic reasons
At the end of the Iran Iraq War, Iraq owed $85 billion to Kuwait and Saudi Arabi
Hussein asked both countries to write off their loans to Iraq
- He demanded new loans of $30 billion to finance Iraqi reconstruction – which both refused
Hussein was angered that Kuwait and Saudi Arabi increased their oil production, which drove prices down, and asked them to reduce their supplies but they both refused - Saddam wanted to obtain Kuwait’s oil facilities, which would give Iraq control of 20% of the world’s oil
Iraq’s attack on Kuwait: 2nd August 1990
2nd August: Saddam Hussein ordered the invasion of Kuwait
- An Iraqi force of 300,000 troops and 300 tanks crushed the Kuwaiti army of 16,000 men
5th August 1990: Iraq controlled Kuwait
- Kuwait’s ruler and his family escaped to Saudi Arabia
8th August 1990: Hussein announced Kuwait had been annexed and become a province of Iraq
International reaction on the 1st Gulf War
The UN reacted strongly against Iraq
- The Security Council unanimously agreed on complete trade sanctions against Iraq
- 6th August: the Security Council passed Resolution 661 demanding the Iraq withdrawal from Kuwait
o A further resolution set a deadline: if Iraq hadn’t pulled out by 15th January 1991, it would face military action
Most Arab states, except the PLO, condemned Hussein’s announcement of the annexation of Kuwait
- He attempted to win the Arab states’ support by saying that he would withdraw Iraqi forces only when the Israelis withdrew their forces from the West Bank and Gaza
The US, under President Bush, was horrified at Iraq’s actions
- 600 Westerners were held as hostages, which triggered international outrage
- When the King of Saudi Arabia requested that the US send military forces to defend his country in case of attack, the Americans agreed
- Feared Saddam’s control of the majority of the world’s oilfields
Operation Desert Shield: 7th August 1990 - 17th January 1991
A multinational force was assembled for the 15th January deadline
- 600,000 troops gathered in the deserts of Saudi Arabia
o Most were American, but also British and French
o Many Arab countries sent their troops
o Saudi Arabians: 10,000 men
o 34 countries made up the coalition
Operation Desert Storm: 17th January - 28th February 1991
17th January – 28th February: an air war took place
- An air assault took place using coalition planes and helicopter gunships on Iraqi military targets in Iraq and Kuwait
- The coalition planes bombed power stations, oil refineries, airports…
- Hussein retaliated by firing SCUD missiles into Israel to cause a split between the West and their Arab allies
o Israel was persuaded not to react
- Iraq also blew up Kuwaiti oil wells and invaded an area in Saudi Arabia briefly
24th February – 28th February: a ground war took place
- Coalition forces invaded Iraq and Kuwait
- The Iraqi forces were quickly defeated with heavy casualties
- Within 100 hours of the ground war, Hussein ordered an Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait
End of the 1st Gulf War
28th February: President Bush announced a ceasefire and declared Kuwait liberated from Iraqi occupation
Peace terms were imposed on Iraq by the UN
- Iraq had to recognise the sovereignty of Kuwait
- Iraq had to pay reparations
- UN Security Council Resolution 687 meant Iraq had to comply with weapons inspection from the UN to uncover and destroy all weapons of mass destruction
- Until all weapons of mass destruction were destroyed, the UN imposed wide ranging trade sanctions
o Living conditions deteriorated – malnutrition and dysentery
