IRAQ WARS

Iran and Iraq are traditional rivals. While Iran is a non-Arab Shiite
dominated Islamic Republic, Iraq is an ethnically Arabian country with
its Shiite majority long dominated by the Sunni regime of Saddam
Hussain. The Iran-Iraq culminated in the long Iran-Iraq War from 1980
to 1988. The suspicion of the Shiite leadership of Iran helping the long
suppressed Shiite majority of Iraq to rebel against the Saddam Hussain
regime apart from the long standing border disputes between the
countries prompted Iraq President Saddam Hussain to attack Iran in
1980. Iraq invaded Iran on September 22, 1980. The mess and turmoil
then existed in Iran after the Islamic Revolution helped Saddam
Hussain’s decision to invade Iran. The political situation in the Persian
Gulf after the Iranian Revolution prompted the United States of
America and other western allies to side with Iraq against radically
Islamist Iran to counter-balance the rise of the post-Revolution Iran.
But, the Iranian forces forced Iraq to retreat in June 1982 and Iran took
the mantle of aggression thereafter till the war ended on August 20,
1988.

Kuwait, the neighboring Arab country, was a close ally of Iraq

and provided tactical and financial support to Iraq during the Iraq-Iran
war. But the relationship soured after the war culminating in invasion
of Kuwait by Iraq in 1990.

The Kuwait demand of repayment of 40 billion dollars it provided

to Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War deeply strained the relationship
between Iraq and Kuwait. Iraq after the Iran-Iraq War was not in
position to repay the amount. It maneuvered in the meetings of the
Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to increase
the world oil price to enable it to repay the borrowings from Kuwait.
Kuwait on the other hand increased the quantum of its oil production
causing severe damage to the Iraq efforts to increase the world oil
price. Fall of world oil price by one dollar a barrel caused a loss of one
billion dollars to the annual revenue of Iraq and it was estimated that
Iraq lost 14 billion dollars a year due to Kuwait's oil price strategy. The
Iraq Government called this attitude of non-cooperation by Kuwait
Government as a kind of Economic Warfare. Iraq accused Kuwait of
stealing its oil and claimed that Kuwait historically belonged to Iraq up
to 1913 until the United Kingdom carved out Kuwait as a separate
state from Iraq. It was in this background that Iraq invaded Kuwait on
August 2, 1990.

Within two days of the invasion, the Iraqi Republican

Guards vanquished Kuwait and Kuwait ruling elite escaped to
neighboring Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Iraq President, Saddam Hussain
declared Kuwait as the 19th province of Iraq and Kuwait remained in
Iraq’s possession for seven months till “Operation Desert Storm” of the
United States of America snatched back Kuwait from Iraq in February
1991 and restored to its former rulers.

The United States of America, the United Kingdom, and Canada

met Iraq’s military action on Kuwait with economic sanctions against
Iraq on the call of the UN Security Council and with preparations for
war. Forces of these countries joined the regional troops of Bahrain,
Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates in
powerful show of strength against Iraq for a decisive victory for the
coalition forces within a month in February 1991.
 Iraq War of 2003 was forced on Iraq by the governments of the
U.S. and the UK on the unfounded claim that Iraq is producing and is in
possession of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and therefore
posed an imminent threat to the security of the world. They also
claimed Iraq President Saddam Hussein of harboring and
supporting the Al-Qaeda Islamic militant outfit that was responsible for
the World Trade Centre attack of September 11, 2001. These countries
employed all their diplomatic skills and political muscles to forge an
alliance of friendly countries to invade Iraq. Most possibly, Iraq's oil
reserves and personal distastes between the then President of the
United States of America, George Bush and the then Iraq President,
Saddam Hussain were strong reasons in the decision to invade Iraq.
Anyway, Saddam Hussain and Iraq were cleared of all blames and
accusations by the later investigations and probes.

The invasion of Iraq led to an occupation and the eventual

capture of Saddam Hussein, who was later executed by the Iraqi
Government. Violence against coalition forces soon led to uncontrolled
Iraqi insurgency and low-intensity civil war between
Sunni and Shiite sects throughout Iraq. The invasion and the
insurgency ensued provided a foothold to Al-Qaeda in Iraq and rapidly
grew in strength there. The uncalled war led to the death of more than
a million civilians and uprooting of more than five million people or
16% of the Iraq population.

Coalition that was formed to invade Iraq slowly disintegrated as

public opinion went against the invasion of Iraq and Iraqi forces began
to take responsibility for its security. President Barack Obama on
assuming power as the President of the United States of America
announced withdrawal of the United States forces in 18-months,
leaving back about 30,000 to 50,000 troops to advice and train Iraqi
security forces. Britain withdrew its operations in Iraq April 30,
2009. Yet, Iraq War is not a closed chapter and insurgency and
retaliatory violence are continuing unabated.