Looking through my history glasses, I can't help but to be both angry and ashamed of my government. The history of my country's involvement in the middle east is a history of greed, disrespect for other country's sovereignty, terrorism, political assassinations and other murders.
Here's what I see through my history glasses:
- Since after WWII when Great Britain and France could no longer maintain their imperial control in the middle east, the U.S. steps in, and by de-facto take control over much of the region's oil wealth.
- Since the late 1940's the U.S. has constantly pressured Saudi Arabia to allow U.S. military to be permanently based throughout their country to defend them (of course this had nothing to do with securing the oil.. /sarcasm). But the Saudi government has always refused on the bases that their country would not tolerate, what they see as, a mostly Christian army based on the holy soil of Islam.
- In 1941 after the Russian occupation of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi is installed as the Shah. In 1950 Ali Razmare becomes the Prime Minister of Iran but is assassinated less than nine months later. He is succeeded by a popular nationalist by the name of Mohammad Mossadeq. Mossadeq announces that Iranian oil belongs to Iranians and not foreign oil interests, he then nationalizes Iran's oil industry and a power struggle between the Shah and Mossadeq ensues.
- In 1953 U.S. oil interests not willing to put up with the loss of U.S. oil hegemony in Iran. The CIA declares Mossadeq a communist and funds, trains and backs a terrorists secrete police organization called SAVAK to assist Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (the Shah) to overthrow Mossadeq.
- The Shah reinstates foreign oil interests in Iran, alienates Iran's clergy, and increasingly relies on the CIA's creation SAVAK to impose rule by murder, torture and terrorism. Then in 1979 after the Iranians had about enough they could stand, the Shah and his family are forced into exile. An Islamic fundamentalist clergy Ayatollah Khomeini returns to Iran after being forced into 14 years of exile for opposing the Shah's tyrannical regime. Iranians not ignorant to the U.S. involvement storm the U.S. embassy and take 52 Americans hostage and demand the extradition of the Shah back to Iran to face trial.
- In 1958 the monarchy control in Iraq by King Faysal who allowed foreign oil interests to take most of the oil revenues produced by Iraqi oil is overthrown in a military coup led by Abd-al-Karim Qasim and Abd-al-Salam Muhammad Arif. Iraq is then declared a republic and Qasim becomes Iraq's Prime Minister. Later, backed by the CIA, the Arab Socialist Baath Party overthrows Qasim and Arif becomes the President and quickly removes the socialists Baathist from government - (oil flows for foreigners again). When he dies in a helicopter crash his elder brother replaces him as President. http://www.representativepress.org/CIASaddam.html
- Then in 1968 a Baathist led coup ousts President Arif, and General Ahmad Hasan Al-Bakr becomes President. Then a few years later in 1972 he signs a 15 year treaty with the Soviet Union and nationalizes Iraq's oil industry -- Iraqi oil belongs to Iraq. - (Uh Oh. You starting to get the picture of what's going to happen because of that yet?).....
- In 1975 at a meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Algiers, Iraq and Iran sign a treaty ending their border disputes, and a few years later in 1979 President Al-Bakr resigns and is replaced by his Vice President Saddam Hussein. Seems that the U.S. oil interests didn't like the idea of Iraq becoming friendly with Iran - the country that gave them the boot and took back their own national wealth.
- Just one year later in 1980, various border disputes erupt again and Saddam Hussein (who came to power helped by the CIA) launches attacks upon Iranian air bases. Saddam Hussein receives help by the U.S. to include chemicals for WMD's. - (gotta get payback on those Iranians who dared to defy U.S. oil hegemony... /sarcasm)
- After eight years of a bloody war between Iraq and Iran; Iraq is in a severe economic situation. Shortly after this; Kuwait (good friend to the Bush's and U.S. oil interests) breaks it's OPEC agreement and increases its oil production by 20%. The resulting drop in oil prices causes Iraq (who is hurting for money) to loose over 30% of it's oil revenue. Saddam Hussein warns that this is an intolerable act and confides to the U.S., where he is told more than once by our State Department that the U.S. doesn't interfere with Arab to Arab disputes and agrees that Iraq has a legitimate complaint. Then on a televised news broadcast after the State Department knew of Iraq's massing of troops along the Iraq/Kuwait border; a State Department spokeswoman says that "the United States doesn't have any security agreements for the defense of Kuwait."
- A few days later Saddam Hussein orders the invasion of Kuwait, and the U.S. (who just so happened to already been training for this very scenario) under the Presidency of oil baron George Bush Sr. acts shocked and surprised and announces that "This Will Not Stand!" And within just hours, Iraq's assets are froze, Naval blockades are in place and U.S. troops are on their way to Saudi Arabia.
- Ahhh, Saudi Arabia. Remember that we the U.S. have been pressuring Saudi Arabia since the 1940's to allow permanent U.S. military? This point is KEY to understanding why we left Saddam Hussein in place and allowed him to maintain the flights of armed helicopters.
- After Iraq was occupying Kuwait, the U.S. told the Saudi Arabian government that U.S. satellite photos showed Iraq was massing 250,000 troops along the Saudi border. Saudi Arabia got the message and allowed a mass of U.S. troops into Saudi Arabia to occupy the empty U.S. bases, which a lot of em were built by the "Bin Ladens." - (this was operation desert shield).
- The St. Petersburg Times, a well-respected Florida daily, purchased Russian photos of the areas where Iraq was suppose to be massing a quarter of a million troops. A number of other U.S. News organization bought copies and various experts agreed to a statement made in the St. Petersburg Times that there was no evidence of mass Iraqi troop build-up. http://www.representativepress.org/LiesAboutIraq.html
- After the defeat of the Iraqi military in desert storm, Saddam Hussein was left in power and allowed to fly armed helicopters -- this was no accident. Once you realize that the U.S. has always wanted to secure the middle east with permanent military bases, you'll realize that the reason to keep Saddam Hussein in power at that time was because his presence gave a legitimate or perceived threat allowing the U.S. to keep permanent military forces stationed in Saudi Arabia - (like they've wanted all along -- GOD I love it when a plan comes together /sarcasm)
- Allowing Saddam to fly armed helicopters was to give him what he needed to put down any uprises against him because if he was kicked out of power too soon this could destroy the U.S. military being permanently stationed in Saudi Arabia. This is also the reason why we didn't give any kind of help whatsoever to the Iraqi Shiite uprising, nor the kurds. And the sanctions, even though Iraq DID comply, was to keep Saddam weak and an easy kill later.
- Afghanistan? Well, for decades now the U.S. oil interests have been seeking to secure access to the Caspian Sea oil and natural gas reserves and to secure a pipeline transporting it to where they could remove it from the area. But for one reason or another they just couldn't make that a reality. That is not until a "Bin Laden" using a group of people created by the CIA attacked the U.S. on September 11th when (coincidentally) all the major U.S. oil players who had been trying to secure Afghanistan and the surrounding area just so happen to be in the White House or have direct connection to the White House. And with the President himself being the son of an oil baron, the son of a former CIA director, and a long family friend to a man who we are told attacked us because he was so angry that U.S. troops were on the holy soil of Saudi Arabia -- occupying bases that he and his family built for the U.S.
Lets not forget that a former UNOCAL consultant Hamid Karzai is now the new leader of Afghanistan...
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