Transcript Wars in the Mid East from 1990

Wars in the Mid East from 1990
IRAQ: 1990-91
Saddam Hussein, Leader of Iraq until
2003, and the U.S. invasion
• In 1990, the Iraqi army
invaded the oil rich nation
of Kuwait, intent on
seizing the oil production
facilities there.
• The U.S. formed a
coalition with dozens of
other countries to oust
the Iraqi Army in what
was known as Operation
Desert Storm
Had Saddam Hussein succeeded in his goal
Iraq would have been able to control the global
oil market…
International Response
• The United States, under the leadership of
Pres. George H.W. Bush, formed a large
international coalition to liberate Kuwait.
• The army took months to mobilize
Desert Storm
• This was one of the most
one-sided battles in all of
history
• The Iraqi army was utterly
defeated and Kuwait was
liberated in February of
1991
• What remained of
Saddam’s army fled back
to Iraq, leaving guns and
equipment strewn on the
desert.
• Gen. Norman
Schwarzkopf
• “Stormin’ Norman”
•
Pres. George H.W.
Bush
• The retreating Iraqi
Army set fire to all of
Kuwait’s oil fields.
• It took over 12 months
to put the fires out…
Kuwait Oil Fires
Aftermath
• Pres. Bush decided not to
invade Iraq itself, judging
the chaos that would follow
to be not in the interests of
World stability.
• Saddam Hussein decided to
take out his frustrations and
anger on the Kurdish
minority.
• The international
community did nothing to
prevent this atrocity…
Afghanistan: 2001 - Present
Afghanistan: base of terror
• Afghanistan has been a semidysfunctional state for years.
• It has been ruled by the Taliban,
a hard line Islamic extremist
group.
• It is known to harbor notorious
criminals such as Osama Bin
Laden and other terrorists.
• Its unique geography makes this
country almost impossible to
govern effectively
Afghanistan 2002-Present
• In a direct response to 9/11
the U.S. invaded
Afghanistan to attempt to
kill or capture Osama Bin
laden and his allies.
• Taliban regime was
temporarily knocked out.
• U.S. installed a moderate
government but then lost
initiative as this government
is corrupt and weak
Like every army before it,
the U.S. army faced harsh
landscapes…
… and highly motivated
enemies.
Afghanistan
• Meanwhile, the war raged on
and Osama Bin Laden was still
at large and making
propaganda videos…
• George Bush and Hamed
Karzai at the White House.
Pres. Bush summoned him
there in 2007 to put pressure
on him…
Afghanistan
• Pres. Obama set out a new
Afghan strategy in 2009. His
new policy called for
thousands of more troops.
• Karzai remains in charge of
Afghanistan after a
questionable election.
Thousands of civilians were caught in
the middle
• American casualties
began to climb along
with the civilians’…
Afghanistan: NOW
• Afghanistan has the world’s
largest supply of Heroine which
makes corruption and drug
trafficking a way of life.
• The drug money finances the
terror operations of the Taliban.
•
Afghanistan is and has been a state
with no natural government, and
many areas are independent and
lawless.
• The U.S. has an uneasy
relationship with the government
of Afghanistan. In the end we
were forced to make peace with
our former enemies… Both sides
were spent after a decade of war
and bloodshed.
Iraq War: 2003-2010
•
In late 2002, Pres. Bush argued that
Iraq was stockpiling Weapons of
Mass Destruction(WMDs). The
message strongly implied the use of
nuclear weapons and other deadly
weapons on American soil.
•
Later, Bush sought and received
Congressional permission to attack
Iraq and find the WMDs.
•
By March 2003, the Iraqi
government had been given an
ultimatum: hand over the weapons
or suffer an invasion
After an initial,
devastating air assault,
the U.S. Army and
Marines invaded Iraq
from the South.
Ground War
The invasion was efficient,
being carried out by a
relatively small force.
Iraqi government collapsed
and Saddam Hussein went into
hiding.
Iraq
• But Iraq unraveled shortly
afterwards, and the U.S. was
sucked into a bloody civil war.
• Civilian casualties were
horrendous, and U.S. casualties
increase to as many as 200 per
month.
• Meanwhile, no weapons of mass
destruction were ever found…
• Bush faced increasing criticism
and a growing anti-war
movement
Iraq
• Saddam Hussein was found after
eight months in hiding
• He was placed on trial in Iraq, and
an Iraqi court sentenced him to
death for crimes against his own
people (Kurds, 1991).
• Dec 30, 2006 a defiant Hussein
was executed in a mob scene in
Iraq…
Iraq
• As a candidate ,
Obama pledges to end
the Iraq War.
• By summer 2009, the
situation in Iraq had
improved
• Pres. Obama gave
orders that all combat
troops would leave
Iraq by summer of
2010
• Since the end of
the Iraq war,
Pres. Bush and
his lieutenants
have become
the objects of
ridicule for their
handling of the
war…
Arab Spring
What is the Arab Spring?
• A wave of protests that
spread across North
Africa and the Mid East
from 2010 onwards.
• Egypt and Libya saw
revolutionary
movements that ousted
their long standing
dictators...
• Social media is credited
for spreading news and
ideas that sparked
protests and
demonstrations.
“Arab Spring”
Libya
• Dictator- Muammar
Gaddafi
• Uprisings began in Feb
2011 after security
forces opened fire on a
protest in Benghazi,
Libya
• UN security Council
authorized all necessary
measures to protect
civilians (= NATO strikes)
Muammar Gaddafi
• Went on the run when rebels took control
• Found by revolutionary forces Aug 2011 and
beaten to death and shot.
Protests in
Egypt, Feb
2011
Egyptian protests
• 18 days of protests led
to Hosni Mubarak’s
resignation
• He ruled Egypt for 29
years, and was
convicted of helping get
846 people killed during
the uprising
• Egyptian dictator- Hosni Mubarak: put on trial and
died in prison at 85.
Two Ousted Leaders
HOSNI MUBARAK (EGYPT)
MUAMAR GADDAFI (Libya)
Bashar al-Assad
• Syrian leader allied with
Russia.
• Fighting an uprising since
2012.
• Destroying towns, cities.
• Exterminating large
numbers of civilians
including the use of poison
gas.
• Syria’s Internet
disconnected in 2012. What
is happening there?
• Why doesn’t the
West confront
Syria about the
killing there?
• This is happening right now as you sit at your
desk…