Gulf War I

1. Gulf War I

2. Energy Wars • Grassroots attack on energy sources and uses • Demand for less environmental degradation • Demand for less dangerous methods • Counterattack on Environmentalists • attack via reduced enforcement, legislation, terror & intimidation • continuing push to exploit ALL resources • War in Gulf (1990 - 1991, 1998?) • Historical Background (See "Why War?" art.) • Saddam Hussain’s motivations • George Bush Sr. (et. al.) motivations • War, media and aftermath

3. Historical Background: the long run - I • Persian Gulf countries boundries and governments arranged by colonial powers • Ottoman Empire ruled much of region • WWI ended Ottoman Empire, Iraq became League of Nations mandate territory • 1922 British drew national boundaries, seized piece of Kurdistan for Iraq, kept Kuwait separate, limited Iraq access to Gulf • 1932 Iraq independent, 1958 nationalist Revolution • Repeated Iraqi demands to reintegrate Kuwait failed • 1953 CIA overthrow of Mossedegh in Iran for cheap oil, rising wages and the Keynesian auto economy

4. Historial Background II:the long run - II • 1958 nationalist revolution • Saddam Hussein member of opposition Ba’ath party, tried coup, fled to Egypt • 1968 Ba’ath Party seized power, Hussein returned to Iraq, played ever greater role • 1973-4 OPEC achieves 4X increase in price of oil w/US support • 1979 Hussein becomes head of Ba’ath Party and of Iraq • 1978-9 Iranian Revolution overthrows Shah (put and maintained in power by US) becomes Islamic • 1980 Hussein invades Iran, with tacit US support, war: 1980-88, US et al support Iraq w/military equipment and force • 1978-81 Carter-Reagan-Volcker Depression drops oil price and triggers international debt crisis

5. Historical Background: the long run - III • During Iraq – Iran war US helped both sides, Iraq was funded by Arab states fearful of Islamic fundamentalist regime in Teheran • Kuwait essentially an expanded town, run by a single ruling family (the Sabah) with whom the British had cut deals • Oil gave that family power and command over foreign labor (80+% of labor force) • Limited citizenship and even more limited rights, only men could vote, etc. • Kuwait major funder of Iraq during Iraq – Iran war

6. Historical Background: the short run • Regional conflicts over relative power: • Iraq – Yemen – Lebanon – PLO – Jordan • Saudi Arabia – Egypt – Syria – Libya • UAE – Iran • OPEC prices undermined by over production, Iraq sees economic warfare • April 1, 1990: Hussein speech threatens actions against overproducers • Speech also threatens CBW response to Israeli nuclear and chemical threat, calls for nuke-CBW free zone in Middle East

7. Gulf War I – Hussein’ Motivations • Saddam Hussain invaded and conquered Kuwait, Bush counterattacks • Hussein’s motivations: • Expand his power: seize territory long claimed and the Rumaila Oil fields that cross the border • Reduce his costs: eliminate debt to Kuwait incurred during Iraq-Iran war • Increase income: reduce oil production to raise prices

8. Gulf War I – Bush Motivations • Bush motivations? - I: • Principled resistance to international aggression? • Inconsistent w/US govt support for similar aggressions • High-priced oil? Invasion spiked prices, blockade reduced supplies & supported prices • More resources for hard-pressed allies? • Increased competitiveness vs Europe as in ’73-4? • OPEC as continuing financial intermediary? • Excuse to push revitalization of nuclear power? • Excuse to bypass constraints on oil drilling? • More resources for Russia? • Austerity for Eastern Europe? • Increased profits for American producers? Banks?

9. Bush Motivations - II • Containment of Hussein, regional balance of power • Bush Sr. vision: balance of power • as in post-Shah Gulf & +Iraq-Iran war • Was Saddam suckered? Glaspie-Hussein exchange • Did Hussein overstep the admissible bounds of his power? • Militarization of Gulf, permanent US presence • Repression of local instability in oil communities? • From Palestinians to foreign workers (who are often Palestinian as well as Yemeni, etc.) • Excuse for further military-industrial expansion? • Excuse to further cut social expenditures? • Recession? • Depressing effect of war consistent with Fed restrictionary “zero-inflation” monetary policy

10. Media & the War • Media was completely contained by Pentagon, virtually all news vetted by military • TV images of smart bombs were only of hits • Media accepted this censorship and in process became extension of Pentagon public relations • Chomsky on how US media ignored history of US – Security Council Relations • Also ignored history of US invasions: Grenada, Panama • Also ignored history of how US ignored (Chinese of Tibet) or backed (Indonesian of East Timor) invasions of other countries. Or quietly negotiated (South Africa of Namibia) • See Kellner’s Persian Gulf TV War, 1992.

11. Aftermath • Ecological disaster in Gulf • From burning oil wells • From widespread depleted uranium, toxins • Destruction of social infrastructure: electricity, food and water supplies • Causes widespread suffering and death • Blockade of Iraqi oil exports • Reduction of export revenues • Reduction of food supplies • Reduction of medical supplies • All adds up to thousands of deaths a year • No fly-zones and repeated bombing • Partitioning of Iraq w/creation of Kurdish zone

12. - End of Phase One -