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Middle East after World War II• Middle Eastern nations began achieving
independence at the end of WWII.
• The superpowers tried to secure Middle Eastern nations as their new allies.
– Strategic importance in the Cold War– Vital petroleum fields
The Middle East can be divided
• Nations with large petroleum supplies– Rich, relatively sparsely populated nations with
conservative regimes
• Nations with little or no petroleum– Poor, heavily populated nations with socialist
governments
During the 1970s and 1980s, the U.S. relied on Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Israel, along with bases
in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea.
WHAT DO WE USE PETROLEUM FOR?
Uses of Petroleum/Crude Oil• Gasoline & diesel to power vehicles
• Through a chemical process, petroleum can be mixed to create other end products:Tires StyrofoamStyrofoam PlasticAirplane fuel Kerosene
What Fuels Are Made From Crude Oil?• After crude oil is removed from the
ground, it is sent to a refinery by pipeline, ship, or barge. At a refinery, different parts of the crude oil are separated into useable petroleum products.
• One barrel of crude oil, when refined, produces about 19 gallons of finished motor gasoline, and 10 gallons of diesel, as well as other petroleum products. Most petroleum products are used to produce energy. For instance, many people across the United States use propane to heat their homes.
• Other products made from petroleum include: Ink CrayonsDishwashing liquids DeodorantEyeglasses CDs and DVDs Heart valves Ammonia
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
• Former dictator of Iraq (1979-2003)
• 1980 – he sent troops to attack Iran over “border dispute” but was also aiming to replace Iran as the dominant Persian Gulf country
• Iran-Iraq War
– Iraq used poison gases (illegal since WWI)
– Both sides attacked oil tankers and fields
– US Navy sent in to protect oil investments
WHO IS SADDAM HUSSEIN?
Iran-Iraq War The 1st Persian Gulf War (1980-1988)
• Iraq received military supplies from the Soviet Union, other Arab nations, and economic aid from the U.S.
• Iran was supplied by North Korea, China, and Israel.
• 1988: Armistice signed but war ends in a stalemate…..no one wins!
• For both sides, the human and financial toll was ENORMOUS and so Iraq wanted more money!
U.S. Ambassador to Iraq: April Glaspie
Where can Saddam get money?• Kuwait is an oil-rich
nation.
• Hussein argued that historically, Kuwait was part of Iraq.
• Iraqi control would make Iraq one of the largest oil-producing countries in the world and give it increased access to the Persian Gulf.
• Iraqi troops invaded oil-rich Kuwait.
• Saddam Hussein then controlled 24 % of the world’s oil supply!
• It seemed that his next target was Saudi Arabia…………….which was a U.S. ally.
1990 - IRAQI TROOPS INVADE KUWAIT
PERSIAN GULF WAR (1990-1991)• U.S. set a deadline of Jan.
1991 for all Iraqi forces to get out of Kuwait.
• Saddam Hussein ignored the deadline.
• So the U.S. Congress under George H. Bush declared WAR on Iraq.
• A coalition of American, European, and Arab powers was formed (34 nations).
The war was marked by the beginning of live news on the front lines of the fight, with the primacy of the U.S. network CNN. The war has also earned the nickname Video Game War after the daily broadcast images on board of the American bombers during Operation Desert Storm.
Operation Desert Storm was the name of one phase of the conflict NOT the name of the entire
war!!!!
• The U.S. and its allies quickly won the war, and Kuwait was liberated.
• Despite defeat, Saddam Hussein remained in power in Iraq.
UN SANCTIONS AGAINST IRAQ
• UN set up no-fly zones, areas over which Iraqi aircraft were not allowed to fly.
• UN banned Iraq from building Weapons of Mass Destruction.– Saddam violated these
restrictions completely.– 2002 Saddam finally
allowed weapons inspectors back in Iraq.
IRAQ WAR (2003-2010)• 2003: U.S. and Britain
were convinced Saddam had WMD.
• US and Britain invaded Iraq without UN support.
• December 2003 - US occupied Iraq and captured Saddam Hussein.
• Guerrilla resistance and terrorists fought on without Hussein.
• Most Iraqi citizens were grateful for the end of Saddam’s regime, but did not want foreign occupation.
• Statues of Saddam Hussein were torn down.
• President Hussein was tried in an Iraqi court of law and executed by hanging by the new Iraqi government on December 30, 2006.
The Present (2010-2012)• On August 31, 2010 – U.S. forces ended combat missions
in Iraq. 50,000 U.S. troops were left only to advise and train Iraqi security forces and to provide intelligence and surveillance.
• On October 21, 2011, President Obama announced that all U.S. troops and trainers would leave Iraq by the end of the year, bringing the U.S. mission in Iraq to an end.
• On December 15, 2011, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta officially declared the Iraq War over, at a flag lowering ceremony in Baghdad. The last U.S. troops left Iraqi territory on December 18, 2011
President Obama declaring the War in Iraq over!
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9Z7tdukQuo (6mns, 32sec – play to 2mn mark)
