SHOWDOWN

IN THE MIDDLE EAST

• IRAN – IRAQ WAR (1980 – 1988)

• PERSIAN GULF WAR (1990 – 1991)

• WAR IN IRAQ (2003 – Present)

• WAR IN AFGHANISTAN (2001 – Present)

Iran – Iraq War

• Increased in 1971 due to disputes over control of the Shatt al-Arab Waterway (used for oil shipping)

• 1975 Algiers Agreement was intended to allow both countries equal use of the waterway

• Disputes over region since collapse of the Ottoman Empire

Iran – Iraq War • Tensions increased between

Saddam Hussein of Iraq

Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran

Saddam stated that the Iranian Revolution violated the sovereignty of the Iranian Government and was a threat to the safety of Iraq

Khomeini stated that Saddam’s Government was corrupt, oppressive and secularist and violated the very foundations of Islam

Sep 1980 – Iraqi Causes for Invasion

• Iranians attempted to assassinate the Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister • Disputes over control of the Shatt al-Arab waterway increased • Prevention of the possible spread of an Islamic Revolution in the Middle East • Increased control of vital oil resources along the Iran-Iraq border

Iran – Iraq War • Lasted from 1980 – 1988

• U.S. supported Iraq to oppose expansion of Iran in the region

Key Events of the War

Tanker War: Iraq attacked all Iranian oil

tankers leaving through the Persian Gulf

USS Stark Incident: Iraqi F-1 Mirage

Attack Aircraft fired missiles at the USS Stark in 1987 (Killing 37 and injuring 25)

Iran – Iraq War USS Vincennes Incident: US Navy Missile Destroyer

shot down Commercial Airliner in 1988 (Iranian Flight 655) killing 290 on board

US Radar operators identified airliner as an Iranian Fighter Jet

Iraqi use of Chemical Weapons accounted for at least 50,000 deaths during the war

UN negotiated a cease fire Between Iraq & Iran on

20 August 1988

Persian Gulf War

• Lasted from Aug 1990 – Feb 1991

Iraqi Reasons for Invading Kuwait

• Claimed Kuwait was a province of Iraq (Recognized their government in 1963)

• Iran-Iraq war put Iraq in debt to Kuwait (They refused to write off the millions)

• Collapsing oil prices affected Iraq

Claimed Kuwait’s slant drilling was stealing Iraqi Oil reserves

Claimed Kuwait was exceeding OPEC quotas on oil production

Persian Gulf War • 2 Aug 1990 – Iraq Invaded Kuwait

• 23 Aug 1990 – Saddam Hussein appeared on Iraqi TV with Western hostages (to prevent retaliations)

• 29 Nov 1990 – U.N. Resolution #678 gave Iraq until 15 Jan 1991 to withdraw all troops from Kuwait

• 7 Aug 1990 – Operation Desert Shield established to protect Saudi Arabia from attack

• United Nations Coalition Force of 34 different Nations

Persian Gulf War • 17 Jan 1991 – Air War began

• UN Forces used Carpet Bombing

• Iraqi responded by starting Scud Missile Attacks (Suspected of using Chemical Agents)

• 22 Jan 1991 – Iraq fired missiles at Israel

• Saddam’s attempt to start a “Holy War”

Persian Gulf War • 29 Jan 1991 – Iraqi forces crossed border into Saudi Arabia and attacked city of Khafji

• 23 Feb 1991 – Operation Desert Storm commenced

• General Norman Schwarzkopf used the “Hail Mary” maneuver with elements of the U.S. Army’s 7th Corps & 18th Airborne Corps

Persian Gulf War: The 100 Hour War

Persian Gulf War

Iraq’s Scorched Earth Policy

• Saddam Hussein ordered his retreating forces to light every Kuwaiti Oil Rig on fire as they fled (26 Feb 1991)

Persian Gulf War

“Highway of Death”

• 26-27 Feb 1991

Iraqi troops tried to flee Kuwait

US Tiger Battalion & A-10 Tank Killers caught them as they fled the city

War in Iraq • 2003 – Present

Reasons for Invading Iraq

• Iraq had Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD’s)

Only in limited quantities (Most of the Information given by Iraqi sources was False)

• Refusal by Iraq to allow UN safety inspectors into facilities

• Ineffectiveness of UN Economic & Security sanctions on Iraq

• Belief that Iraq was harboring members of al-Qaeda

War in Iraq • Human Rights violations committed by Iraqi leaders

Over 300 mass graves have been Found so far

Mass murder and use of Chemical agents

War in Iraq • 2 Oct 2002 – US / UK joint resolution to use force was passed

• 48 NATO Nations formed “Coalition of the Willing”

• Initial Invasion Forces made up of

150,000 US

46,000 UK

2,000 Australia

200 Polish

War in Iraq • 10 Jul 2002 – Advanced

CIA pre-invasion teams went in to support rebels

• 20 Mar 2003 - Operation

Iraqi Freedom began with invasion of 101st Airborne and 82nd Air Assault troops

• 12 Apr 2003 – Baghdad

had fallen to the US led coalition forces (NATO)

• 13 Dec 2003 - Saddam

Hussein is captured by US Forces

War in Iraq: Trial of Saddam Hussein

• Saddam’s sons (Usay & Qusay) were both killed by US Forces

• Saddam had his son-in-laws murdered when they tried to escape his control by trying to leave the country

• Saddam was tried on 148 counts of murder by the Iraqi Interim government

• Saddam was found guilty and hung

• 48 out of 55 leaders have been captured

War in Iraq • In 2005 the first free democratic elections were held in Iraq

• In 2006 – Civil War between Sunni & Shia

• In 2007 – US increased its forces by 21,500

• In 2009 – Combat forces began withdrawing from Iraq (British, Australian, & US)

• Sep 2010 – Iraqi Freedom ended

War in Afghanistan

Reasons for Invading

• Increased activities by al-Qaeda

World Trade Center in 1993

US Embassy bombings in 1998

USS Cole Bombing in 2000

World Trade Center (9/11) in 2001

• Human Rights oppression by the Taliban government

• Elimination of al-Qaeda leadership & infrastructure

AMERICAN’S AT WAR Comparing the Cost of Conflict

Span of War Title Americans Dead Estimated Cost of War

1775-1783 American Revolution 4,435 $101,100,000

1812-1815 War of 1812 2,260 $90,000,000

1846-1848 Mexican War 13,283 $71,400,000

1861-1865 Civil War 558,052 $5,183,000,000

1898 Spanish American War 2,446 $283,200,000

1914-1918 World War I 116,708 $18,676,000,000

1939-1945 World War II 407,316 $262,259,000,000

1950-1953 Korean Conflict 33,651 $67,386,000,000

1957-1975 Vietnam Conflict 58,168 $150,000,000,000

1991 Gulf War 293 $61,100,000,000

2001 - PRESENT Enduring Freedom 1858 Unknown

2003 - 2011 IRAQI Freedom 4484 $3.2 to 4 Trillion

COST in American Lives Comparing War Deaths to Murders in the S.E. United States

State Sq Miles Population 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 TOTALS

GEORGIA 57,906 9,363,931 598 606 657 613 564 600 717 650 566 558 6,129

ALABAMA 52,423 4,599,030 379 303 299 254 374 382 412 357 322 273 3,355

MISSISSIPPI 48,434 4,365,557 282 264 267 227 214 223 208 234 194 208 2,321

LOUISIANA 53,821 6,431,652 501 593 584 574 450 530 608 541 529 510 5,420

FLORIDA 58,561 17,089,888 874 911 924 946 883 1129 1201 1169 1017 987 10,041

S. CAROLINA 31,189 4,321,249 330 298 303 286 314 359 352 307 305 280 3,134

N. CAROLINA 53,821 9,299,330 505 548 506 532 585 540 585 605 489 476 5,371

TENNESSEE 42,146 6,038,803 423 420 396 357 431 409 397 412 468 357 4,070

ARKANSAS 53,182 2,923,306 148 142 180 176 189 205 191 164 179 138 1,712

S.E. U.S. Totals 451,483 64,432,746 4,040 4,085 4,116 3,965 4,004 4,377 4,671 4,439 4,069 3,787 0 41,553

AFGHANISTAN 251,825 32,738,376 12 49 48 52 99 98 117 155 317 499 412 1,858

IRAQ 168,754 28,221,181 0 0 486 849 846 822 904 314 149 60 54 4,484

TOTALS 420,579 60,959,557 12 49 534 901 945 920 1,021 469 466 559 466 6,342

Total Reported Murders by State

Total Reported Combat Deaths