Mr. Kerr: Modern World History
America in the Middle East: Iraq, Iran & Afghanistan
60 Years of US Intervention in Iraq Explained in 10 Minutes
1. Why did western powers fear the rise of Qasim in Iraq? What role did Cold War tensions play in events
between the US and Iraq?
Qasim was highly critical of the British owned Iraq Petroleum Company. The Soviets and Qasim
became allies.
2. What group staged a coup to overthrow Qasim in 1963? What role did the US play in this?
The Baath party overthrew Qasim in 1963. The US staged a cope.
3. What side(s) did the US support during the Iran-Iraq War? Who did they want to win?
The US supported both side but preferred Iraq.
4. Did the US know Saddam Hussein/Iraq was going to invade Kuwait? What did they do in response?
Yes the US knew that Iraq was going to invade Kuwait. They didn’t attempt to stop him.
5. What actions were taken against Iraq during the Clinton administration? What impact did these actions
have?
No actions were taken against Hussein because the US preferred him over unknown powers.
6. What did the US claim Iraq was doing in 2003? What would later happen to this claim? What reason(s)
would the US government have for making this claim?
The US claimed the Iraq was stockpiling weapons. This claim would later be proven as false. The US
government said it was backed by American intelligence officials and media outlets.
7. What were some (3+) of the side effects of the 2003 US invasion of Iraq?
Caused mass casualties, untold damage to civilians and infrastructure
8. What have Iraqis been protesting for recently?
they are protesting against the political system That has existed in Iraq since the removal of Saddam
Hussein.
Iran vs. America: What’s behind the feud?
1. What actions in Iran upset the British in the early 1950s and what did they, along with the US, do in
response?
Iraq upside the British by nationalizing the oil industry. In response Britain tried to win back the oil with
diplomacy but talking between the two sides did not work in the British needed something more radical
so they pursue the Americans to join them in a plot to remove the current leader from power
2. What changes did Shah Reza Pahlavi make in Iran and who objected to these changes?
The changes that were made were westernizing Iran. He introduced reforms that increased access to
education and gave women the right to vote some Iranians thought the reform went too far and the
western influence made many people mad the rest of the population was not happy with the way he
handled the countries business because he was very corrupt.
3. Why did the Iran Hostage Crisis happen? What effect did it have on the relationship between the US
and Iran?
The Iranian hostage crisis happens because the shah leaving Iran before Khomeini came back months
later Jimmy Carter allowed him to come to America to get cancer treatment. This caused a major
outrage in Iran and made a way for one of the worst Geo political problems that America has ever been
in. This made the relationship between the US and Iran very bad because the hostage crisis shocked the
American political establishment making Iran one of the biggest enemies of the US.
4. What role did the US play in the Iran-Iraq war? How did the experiences of this war shape the mindset
of many of Iran’s current politicians?
The US supplied weapons to both sides. Do US mainly try to sway the balance of power in Iran this is a
chance for America to get back at the Iranians in so they leaned towards Saddam Hussain and it as much
as they could to tilt the war slightly to his advantage.
5. How does a concept we’ve explored before, proxy war, play a part in US-Iranian relations?
Americans were put against Iran. Iran did not have a good enough military to fight the US or Israel. The
only way they could have an advantage is through asymmetrical warfare.
6. What did the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 push Iran to do? Why did they say they were doing this and
how did the US respond?
The US invasion of Iraq pushed I ran to blank its nuclear program. America was worried and said they
were doing this for civilian purposes not for the weapons. The US responded by imposing extremely
tight sanction
7. What was the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)/what did it do? Who objected to this deal?
JCPOA was a course of action that would make Iran get rid of some of the uranium that they want to use
to make nuclear weapons.
8. What effect did President Trump’s actions have on relations with Iran?
President Trump’s actions had a negative affect with the relations in Iran.