Iran and Iraq
Iran is the 2nd largest country in the Middle East and has the 3rd largest population.
Unlike other Middle Eastern countries, most Iranians are Persian, not Arab. In addition,
most are Shi’ia Muslims and not Sunni Muslims.
In 1925, Iran broke away from European imperialism under the leadership of Reza Khan
Pahlavi. Reza took the title of Shah or king. His son, Muhammad Reza-Shah Pahlavi,
later took over and decided to create a modern industrial state by building roads,
factories, and distancing the religion of Islam from the government’s policies. Many men
and women adopted western clothing and women earned greater freedom. Health care
and education also improved, mostly in the cities.
However, most Iranians were unaffected by these changes. These Islamic
fundamentalists were angry that Islamic traditions were being replaced by western ideas
and they began to listen to the Muslim cleric (holy man) Ayatollah Khomeini. In 1979,
supporters of Khomeini overthrew the shah and turned Iran into a theocracy (a
government ruled by religious leaders). An Islamic revolution occurred where western
ideas were banned and Iran became a new enemy of the United States.
In 1980, tensions rose between Iran and her neighbor Iraq. For 8 years they fought the
Iran-Iraq War. Millions were killed and many oil tankers destroyed.
Faced with massive debt from the war, Saddam Hussein (the ruler of Iraq) sought a
way to win popular support among Iraqis. In 1990, he used his military power to invade
Kuwait claiming it belonged to Iraq. He then threatened Saudi Arabia as well. Both
Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are among the world’s leaders in oil production.
With United Nations (UN) support, the US formed a coalition of nations to oppose Iraq.
Within days, Iraq had been defeated and Kuwait was freed. The United States named
the defensive part of the conflict "Desert Shield" and the offensive part "Desert Storm."
The only problem was that Saddam was left to remain in power. President George H.W.
Bush (the 1st one) felt it would be too costly to try to invade Iraq and overthrow Hussein.
The UN maintained trade sanctions against Iraq after the war. They determined that
sanctions would only be lifted if the UN arms inspectors saw that Iraq’s weapons
programs had been dismantled. Saddam’s refusal to follow through with these
instructions, and the US and British belief that he was holding Weapons of Mass
Destruction (WMDs), led to the invasion of Iraq and the situation that the US faces
today. Prior to the invasion, President George W. Bush also asserted that Iraq was
linked to the terrorism of 9/11. He referred to Iraq as a member of the "Axis of Evil"
along with Iran and North Korea.
It was later determined that Iraq neither possessed WMDs nor did they have anything to
do with the 9/11 attacks. Bush then stated that the conflict’s purpose was to Iraq from
Hussein and the mission took on a new name: Operation: Iraqi Freedom. Hussein was
arrested, tried and sentenced to death by Iraq for crimes against humanity.