IRAQ WAR (GULF WAR II)

IRAQ WAR  Why?  WHO?

IRAQ WAR  Iraq was developing weapons of mass destruction –At least, Saddam Hussein went to great efforts to make everyone think he was!!!!  Alleged connection to Al-Qaeda  Human rights abuses  Economic importance of Iraq's oil  Following the 1991 Gulf War, the U.N. mandated Iraqi chemical, biological, nuclear and long range missile programs be halted and all such weapons destroyed under a U.N. verification program –17 U.N. resolutions regarding WMD programs – sites, beginning to end monitoring of dual use imports –Repeated violations of U.N. resolutions

PARTICIPANTS Countries with troops in Iraq (2007): Countries with troops in Iraq but withdrawn (2007): –United States: 250,000 invasion--150,000 current (5/07) Italy: 3,200 peak (deployed 7/03 - withdrawn 11/06) United StatesItalyUnited StatesItaly –United Kingdom: 45,000 invasion--5,500 current (5/07) Ukraine: 1,650 troops (deployed 8/03 - withdrawn 12/05) United KingdomUkraineUnited KingdomUkraine –Poland: 194 invasion--2,500 peak--900 current (2/07) Spain : 1,300 troops (deployed 4/03 - withdrawn 4/04) PolandSpainPolandSpain –Australia: 2,000 invasion--638 current (2/07) Japan: 600 troops (deployed 1/04 - withdrawn 7/06) AustraliaJapanAustraliaJapan –Denmark: 300 invasion--460 current (2/07) Thailand: 423 troops (deployed 8/03 - withdrawn 8/04) DenmarkThailandDenmarkThailand –South Korea: 3,600 peak--1,200 current(5/07)(deployed 5/03) Honduras: 368 troops (deployed 08/03 - withdrawn 5/04) South KoreaHondurasSouth KoreaHonduras –Romania: 730 peak--405 current(5/07)(deployed 7/03) Dominican Republic: 302 troops (withdrawn 5/04) RomaniaDominican RepublicRomaniaDominican Republic –Georgia: 500 troops--300 current (2/07) Hungary: 300 troops (deployed 08/03 - withdrawn 3/05) GeorgiaHungaryGeorgiaHungary –El Salvador: 380 troops (2/07) (deployed 08/03) Nicaragua: 230 troops (deployed 09/03 - withdrawn 2/04) El SalvadorNicaraguaEl SalvadorNicaragua –Czech Republic: 300 peak--89 current (5/07) Singapore: 192 troops (deployed 12/03 - withdrawn 3/05) Czech RepublicSingaporeCzech RepublicSingapore –Azerbaijan: 250 troops (2/07) Norway: 150 troops (withdrawn 8/06) AzerbaijanNorwayAzerbaijanNorway –Latvia: 136 peak--125 current (2/07)(deployed 4/04) Portugal: 128 troops (deployed 11/03 - withdrawn 2/05) LatviaPortugalLatviaPortugal –Mongolia: 180 peak--100 current (2/07)(deployed 8/03) New Zealand: 61 troops (deployed 9/03 - withdrawn 9/04) MongoliaNew ZealandMongoliaNew Zealand –Albania: 120 troops (2/07) Philippines: 51 troops (deployed 7/03 - withdrawn 7/04) AlbaniaPhilippinesAlbaniaPhilippines –Lithuania: 120 peak--53 current (2/07) Tonga: 45 troops (deployed 7/04 - withdrawn 12/04) LithuaniaTongaLithuaniaTonga –Armenia: 46 current (2/07)(deployed 1/05) Iceland: 2 troops (deployed 5/03 - withdrawn date unknown) ArmeniaIcelandArmeniaIceland –Bosnia and Herzegovina: 36 troops (2/07)(deployed 6/05) Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina –Estonia: 35 current (2/07)(deployed 6/05) Estonia –Macedonia: 33 troops (2/07)(deployed 7/03) Macedonia –Kazakhstan: 29 troops (2/07)(deployed 9/03) Kazakhstan –Moldova: 24 peak--12 current (2/07)(deployed 9/03) Moldova –Bulgaria : 485 peak--155 current (2/07)(deployed 5/03) Bulgaria

KEY POINTS  Regime Change!  250,000 troops from U.S. and Britain with help from Australia and Poland  More than 40 allies; most were willing to just watch  All-out, accurate, omnipotent…precise air attack erases Iraqi high command...concurrent ground attacks from South and West  Digitized weaponry…satellite aimed, more lethal  Goals –Establish democratic government in Iraq  Model for other Middle East regimes  Restart the Israeli-Palestinian peace process to ease Arab anger over the war  Keep Iraq's Kurds from starting a war for independence  Enlist U.N. and other governments to rebuild Iraq's infrastructure and oil economy

HISTORY   Coalition Provisional Authority 2003 Coalition Provisional Authority – –Transitional government until the establishment of a democratic government – –Executive, legislative, and judicail authority, April 2003 to June 2004  Insurgency 2004 –Initially, resistance largely came from fedayeen and loyalists of Saddam Hussein or the Ba'ath Party fedayeenBa'ath PartyfedayeenBa'ath Party –Then expanded to religious radicals and Iraqis angered by the occupation contributed to the insurgency –Concentrated in the Sunni Triangle, which includes Baghdad…three provinces that had the highest number of attacks were Baghdad, Anbar, and Salah Ad Din…account for 35% of the population, but responsible for 73% of U.S. military deaths (Dec 2006)  Internal Iraq faction power struggle –Sunni, Shiite, Kurd –Al-Qaeda in Iraq

HISTORY  Iraqi Transitional Government Jan 2005 Iraqi Transitional Government Iraqi Transitional Government –Elected to draft a permanent constitution –Sunni boycott –Iraqi National Assembly by general election, Dec 2005  Growing sectarian violence, 2006 –Each faction wants more representation, better government offices and power to dictate to other factions  Current government, May, 2006 –Approved by Iraqi National Assembly –Iraqi Council of Representatives  Elected body of 275 seats  Basically ineffective, 2/3 almost always disagree

LESSONS LEARNED  U.S. great at conventional warfare –Not any better at reconstruction than in Vietnam –Can’t seem to find a way out  U.S. and most western societies can’t understand why many smaller, troubled nations don’t want democracy  Don’t understand radical Islam  Don’t understand why many Muslims view west as “Crusaders”  Basically, the same lessons as Vietnam!  If we leave, will the result be the same?