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"In other words return Iraq to it's pre-Kuwait invasion state. A US client
that waged a brutal war against Iran (backed by the west, or more correctly
pushed) and carried out a
long history of murderous assaults on the Kurdish people as it still
does today. Many others have commented on this issue. I felt it the
issue needed some context and historical perspective although there is
still a lot more to say.
M"
I have some comments in response to M's comments:
1. Iraq simply was not a "client" of the US during that period. Iraq was
trying very hard to improve relations with Washington, but it certainly
cannot be labeled a client-state.
2. The Iran-Iraq war. Iran certainly was not an innocent victim. Iran at
that time was being ruled by the most extreme reactionary elements who
needed a foreign crisis to consolidate power and to decimate the leftist and
progressive forces. The revolutionary regime had inherited the massive army
of the Shah, who the US had armed to the teeth. Iran is three times the size
and three times the population of Iraq. The new Iranian regime targeted
Iraq, as the next logical step to export the Islamic "revolution". The new
Iranian regime hated Iraq's secular government and society. Iran conducted
an extensive campaign of terrorist bombings and assasination attempts inside
Iraq, and even started shelling Iraqi border towns--all before the war
started. If Iran had even done half of that against the US, you can be sure
that the US would have gone to war too!! It takes two to fight a war. Don't
lay all the blame on Iraq. And no matter how it started, there is absolutely
no question that the Iranian regime prolonged that war for years and years.
Years when so many people died and so much potential of both countries was
wasted. The Iran-Iraq war was a terrible war, it set the entire region back
decades, it destroyed the potential of the two most beautiful and advanced
countries in the region. So many people suffered so very much because of
that terrible war. It is simply unjust, unfair and completely inaccurate to
lay all the blame for this on Iraq!!
3. And as for the comment about a "long history of murderous assaults on the
Kurdish people". First you should know the history of northern Iraq. For the
last 150 armed Kurdish groups have consistently harassed and periodically
massacred the non-Kurdish populations of that region. The
Assyrians/Chaldeans and Armenians were brutally massacred by Kurdish
guerillas (before, during AND after World War I). Even today in the safe
haven, non-Kurds (Assyrians/Chaldeans, Yezidis, Armenians, Arabs, Turcomen)
live in a state of fear. A massacre is a massacre and must be condemned no
matter who commits it, BUT you give a completely wrong impression when you
only speak of Kurds as victims without giving the other side of the story.
And of course, it is well known that the Kurds were given far more rights
and respect in Iraq, than in either Turkey or Iran (including the Monarchy
and the Islamic Republic).
Stan
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