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The situation IN IRAQ
You must be hearing in news and reading in the papers about the turmoil in Iraq, and may have wondered how it all started and what led to the development of present day situation.
Iraq’s present-day crises go back to the events leading to the First Gulf War. On August 2, 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait over drilling rights in the two countries’ shared oilfields. It was also piqued by the emirate’s refusal to waive Iraq’s war debts incurred during the eight-year conflict with Iran. There were historical grievances too. Iraq had always perceived Kuwait as a province and never really accepted it as a British protectorate, following the end of Ottoman rule, or its status as an independent country.
Iraq did not abide by a UN deadline to vacate Kuwait, and on January 17, 1991, international forces led by the US launched an attack on Iraq that is variously known as Operation Desert Storm and Operation Granby. Saddam Hussein, then president of Iraq, called it the “mother of all battles” while to the Kuwaitis it was the war of liberation. For the first time, cruise missiles were launched at specific targets like communication offices and military installations. Thousands of bombs were dropped.
A war-weary Iraq was no match for the military superiority of the allies. In February, a combined aerial, ground and sea attack overwhelmed Iraqi soldiers and Baghdad finally agreed to end its occupation of Kuwait, and America declared a ceasefire. Early next month, Iraq accepted the ceasefire. The Iraqi death toll was in the thousands, the allied forces had lost few troops.
With the end of the war the full effect of the draconian economic sanctions, imposed by the UN before the hostilities, began to be felt. The controversial oil-for-food programme allowed Iraq to sell limited amounts of oil in return for basic rations. Over the next 13 years, thousands of Iraqis, majority of them children, died as a result of hunger and disease as both food and medicine were scarce.
There was also unrest among the Shia and Kurdish populations, the latter of whom had been subjected to chemical attacks by the government in 1988. The government continued to persecute the restive locals even though the Kurds were now in control of some important cities. Thousands of Kurds fled into neighbouring countries, leading to the creation of no-fly zones by the US, Britain and France in the north and the Shia-dominated south.
Sporadic attacks on military installations followed before the US invaded Iraq in March 2003. Desert Fox, a three-day bombing raid in 1998, was in particular a retaliation to Iraq’s obstructing UN weapon inspectors from carrying out their assignment of locating and destroying Iraq’s so-called arsenal of weapons of mass destruction. There is much controversy surrounding the UN weapons body (UNSCOM) whose personnel were accused by Iraq of spying, and indeed, the UN admitted as much later on. Also, no evidence of the weapons was found after the 2003 invasion.
For a long while Iraq refused to readmit the inspectors and it was only after the UN Security Council threatened Iraq with “serious consequences” that inspections resumed in 2002. But in March 2003 the US and Britain opted to strike Iraq, without the sanction of the Security Council. By early next month, the forces had surrounded Baghdad’s airport and as government officials fled, they took control of the capital. On May 1, US President George W. Bush declared an end to the war, and in December Saddam Hussein was captured.
However, far from being over, hostilities increased as guerillas opposed to Iraq’s occupation by foreign forces caused the allied troops much trouble. So did the militia of the Shia religious leader Moqatada Sadr. The situation was especially bad in Fallujah where US troops resorted to chemical attacks in 2004 against the enemy. Insurgents continue to kidnap and kill foreigners even today, and some countries like Spain and the Philippines have withdrawn their forces. Others plan to reduce the number of their troops stationed there.
Interim Prime Minister Ilyad Alawi took over in June 2004. In January the next year, Iraqis voted in the 275-member Transitional National Assembly. The Shia-backed United Iraqi Alliance got the most votes, with the Kurds coming in second. In April, a Kurdish leader, Jalal Talabani, became president, while a member of the Shia community, Ibrahim Jaafari became the prime minister. Iraqi Kurdistan also got a president when Massoud Barzani was sworn in.
Charged with crimes against humanity, Saddam Hussein went on trial in October 2005. On December 15, Iraqis voted for a full-term parliament in which once again the United Iraqi Alliance took the lead. For the most part, the voting was based on religious and ethnic considerations. Ibrahim Jaafari has been named as the prime minister.
While this may give readers a basic picture of Iraq’s troubled political times, it would be worthwhile to do some more research on the topic. Iraq’s early history as a nation-state is just as interesting. Going back even further in time, one can appreciate the advanced culture of Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq). Today, beautiful works of art from the earlier eras of the region are treasured by museums across the world.
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