1. US Conflicts in the Middle East
Iran
Iraq
Afghanistan
Lesson #7

2. What was happening in Iran in 1980s?
The roots of our problem with Iran began during the Cold War.

3. Old Iran Persian Empire – an ancient culture Very powerful
Very advanced
Gardens, architecture, science – “paradise”
Conquered by the Muslim Empire ~650
Became a Sunni Muslim region of Islamic Empire
Persia shook off Sunni Muslims in 1500
Established Shia as official religion
To show break with past conquerors
New Persian king: “The Shah”

5. Iran in a modern age
The Shah was forced to accept a constitution in ~1905 – A FORM OF DEMOCRACY
The democracy was overthrown by Reza Khan in 1925 – remained unto the 1940s
His goal: more quickly modernize Iran
Suspected of supporting the Nazis, he was force to abdicate in favor of his son, Mohammed Reza Shah Pahlavi
In 1961, The Shah launched the White Revolution: a broad modernization plan
The conservative Muslims HATED this

6. The Shah of Iran HE WAS A DICTATOR! Dictator of Iran up to 1979
Iran was modernizing
But…
The Shah of Iran
HE WAS A DICTATOR! 7m
Conservative Religious people did not like the fast modern changes

7. The Shah of Iran Why would we liked him? Pro-Western
Wanted to modernize
Friendly to USA
More into gender equity
Why we would not like him?
Ruthless dictator
Killed protestors
Created instability

8. What two very different sections of Iranian society would want the Shah gone?

9. The Islamic Revolution in Iran
January, 1979
Shah overthrown by a combination of two groups
Conservatives, who hated the modernization
Modernists, who hated his dictatorial ways
Two weeks later, Ayatollah became supreme leader

10. Questions, set A
Which is something we liked about the Shah of Iran, and led us to openly support him in power, even though he was a dictator?
Which is a reason we did NOT like the Shah of Iran?
What did the Conservatives in Iran hate about the Shah?

11. American Hostage Crisis
USA refused to recognize the revolution
Iranian students stormed the US embassy
52 Americans captured – held hostage 444 Days
All diplomatic ties were cut off by new Iranian government
Americans were LIVID

12. The New Iran, post 1979 Women must be covered
Became an Islamic dictatorship
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13. Questions, set B What did the Modernists hate about the Shah?
What man became the leader of Iran after the removal of the Shah?
USA refused to shut down our embassy. What happened next?

14. US and Iranian relations
Our relationship with Iran in the 1980s and 1990s was non-existent - We no longer had an embassy
We talked to their government through other governments
Iran seemed to go backward socially since 1979
All women must wear the Chador
All men must pray 5x a day
Western ways were seen as corrupt
USA was called “the Great Satan”

15. US and Iranian relations
Iran went to war against Iraq
Iran built up military in 1990s to the strongest in the region
We issued sanctions against Iran in 1979, and continued up until Jan 16, 2016
We used them to try to control Iran
“Sanctions” prevent a nation from gaining international aid
Most recently, we used sanctions to try to force end Iran’s nuclear weapons development and production (2006 during Bush Presidency)

16. US and Iranian relations
The recent nuclear deal:
Iran has promised to halt all Weapons production, in return, they got:
Full access to $150 billion of potential revenues
$1.3 billion of US tax dollars as interest payments on a $400,000 trust set up just before diplomatic relations soured in 1979

18. Meanwhile… in Iraq…

19. Iraq also had a shift in leadership
Iraq was an Arab republic from WWII to the modern era.
General Saddam Hussein staged a Military coup 1979
became dictator
New government ran by Saddam & Ba’ath Party
Enormously powerful
Repressive
Territorial dispute with newly formed Iranian government led quickly to a long, bloody war

20. Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988 Iraq invaded Iran REASONS:
Saddam saw Iran in chaos
Arabs vs. Persians
Control oil
Control Gulf

21. American Role AMERICAN GOALS: Openly support Iraq
Keep the new dictatorships fighting
Secretly support Iran
Iran-Contra sale of weapons
War ended 1989
No clear winner
1 million Iranian deaths
Iraq lost billions of $$

22. Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait
1990 – new war, new enemy
Iraq suddenly invaded Kuwait
Reasons:
Kuwait was stealing oil from Iraq
Kuwait was land that should be Iraq
Kuwait was not supportive enough in Iran-Iraq War
Kuwait drove down price of oil – Hurt Iraqi economy
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23. Know as “The Gulf War” (1989-1990)
Iraq invaded Kuwait
Kuwait asked for our help
Saudi Arabia asked for our protection
US demanded Iraq get out
Iraq refused
USA took a hard line against Iraq
Al Qaida disgusted that USA was “invading” region

24. Describe the picture What actually is happening
What you think Saddam is trying to show is happening?
What actually is happening

25. American Response Operation Desert Shield
500,000 Americans sent to Saudi Arabia
(to protect those Saudi oil fields, and prepare
invasion of Iraq)
37 nation coalition
Demand: get out of Kuwait

26. Questions, Set C
Who was the dictator of Iraq, who got power about the same time as the Ayatollah in Iran?
What nation did Iraq invade in 1980?
What was one of the reasons for the invasion?
After the long and bloody Iran-Iraq War ended after eight years of fighting, Iraq invaded another nation just two years later. What was that nation?
Al Qaida expected Saudi Arabia to turn to them for support and protection from Iraq. Instead, who did they turn to for protection?

27. Operation Desert Shield (1989-1990)
US built coalition of nations (support)
US shifted 500,000 troops to Saudi Arabia
To protect oil
Islamists angered by American meddling

28. Operation Desert Storm
American invasion of Kuwait
Reasons:
Iraq was HORRIBLE to Kuwaitis
Iraq could control oil market if it owned Kuwait
Expectation: months of horrible fighting, American deaths

29. American victory Almost no American casualties
Iraqi army surrendered to anyone
Iraq was humiliated
Islamists hated that Americans didn’t leave
Gen Norman Schwarzkopf

30. Questions, Set D
USA sent half a million men to support a war in the Middle East in What was that war called?
What nation was Operation Desert Shield intended to protect?
USA faced two new wars in the Middle East in the early 2000’s, right after In what nations were those wars to be fought?
What was the goal of the Operation Iraqi Freedom?
What was the original goal of Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan)
After finding the government of Afghanistan to be supporting Al Qaida, what was an additional goal in Afghanistan?

31. New problem: TERRORISM
Things seemed to be all calm
Then… 9-11
American was back at war
Al Qaeda in Afghanistan
Saddam in Iraq
AMERICANS WERE ANGRY AT MIDDLE EAST

32. New War: Global War on Terror
(GWOT)
GOALS
Find terrorists
Deny terrorists funds
Destroy terrorist networks

33. Two wars Afghanistan (2001-present) 2. Iraq (2003-2012)
Goal: Find those responsible for 9-11
Dismantle terrorist groups responsible for 9-11
Help create stability in Middle East
2. Iraq ( )
Eliminate terrorist support structure
Remove Saddam Hussein
Help create a stable, lawful Iraqi government

34. NEW GENERATION OF WAR America fights back GLOBAL WAR ON TERROR
Operation Enduring Freedom
Operation Iraqi Freedom

35. Operation Iraqi Freedom
Saddam was supporting terrorists
Saddam may have been creating WMD
Tons of chemical weapons disappeared
Invasion into Iraq 2003
Saddam was to be replaced with a democratic government
Goal: remove Saddam
Replace him with a democratic government

36. Purpose in Iraq Remove Saddam Hussein
He had been supporting terrorists
He was building forces back up after Iraq War

37. Success in Iraq Problem: recreate a democratic government
First election in 2005 – formed new government
Women voted
Protected “real” elections
First real election in January 2010

38. Purpose in Afghanistan
Remove Al Qaeda terrorists
Taliban government fought our efforts
New goal: remove Taliban government
US Troops to leave in 2017