What Would You Do?

What would you do if you were the president after 9/11? 9/11 just happened. Your biggest fear is al Qaeda gets help from a foreign Muslim government and attacks us with chemical or nuclear weapons. What would you do?

Possible Options Secure borders, secure air travel, increase spying on Muslim countries Use propaganda campaigns to make the USA look better to Muslims Encourage Americans to better understand Islam in general Wait for the next attack Pre-empt another attack on the USA by attacking another country first

Bush Decides to Attack Where Should He Strike? Red countries are those with al Qaeda presence before 9/11. Source: US State Dept. 2001

Axis of Evil President Bush’s 2002 State of the Union address listed 3 countries as the most likely to sponsor terrorism against the USA Iraq, Iran, North Korea

North Korea Defiant toward USA since Korean War Recently tested a nuclear device Sold missiles to Iran. Have severe food shortages. Have no known ties to al Qaeda

Iran Considered major oil producer Ruled by extremists Depicted population as moderate Muslims; most are Shi’ia (like al Qaeda)

Media Images of Moderate Iranians in General Population

Iranian Street

Iran’s State Sponsored Terrorism Iran openly supports terrorist groups like Hezbollah and Hamas Iran brazenly pursues nuclear capability Iran openly calls for the destruction of Israel Recently, Iran sent car bombs into Iraq to kill American soldiers Iran is mostly Shi’ia, like al Qaeda

Why do you think Iran feels threatened today by the USA? (Look to both sides of Iran.)

Headlines in Summer ’08: Iran Tests Missiles

Iranian Missile Range Iraq.

Iraq

Has long history of strained relations between three factions Kurds in the north Sunni Muslims in the center Shi'ia Muslims in the south

In the south the Iraqi government launches a campaign against the Shi’ias, including Shi’ia Marsh Arabs. Much of the marshland is drained. Villages are razed and their occupants deported. Up to 200,000 Marsh Arabs flee. As many as 150,000 are killed. The Shi’ia holy cities of Najaf and Karbala are attacked and over 100 Shi’ia clerics disappear. Beginning in March chemical weapons filled with sarin gas and CS (tear) gas are dropped from helicopters onto targets in and around Najaf and Karbala. A no fly zone is imposed on Iraq's southern regions.

Kurds – Northern Iraq Thousands of Kurds were killed by Saddam’s SCUD missile attacks

Iraqi SCUD Missile launcher

Iraq in the 1990s The USA was in a low- level conflict with Iraq all through the 90s. Iraq shot at US jets almost daily during the 90s. The Air Force would shoot back. The No-Fly zones were created to protect Kurds in the North and Shi’ia in the South.

Iraqi Terrorism In 1993, agents working with the full support of Saddam Hussein tried to kill former President George H.W. Bush. President Clinton responded by destroying their intelligence center.

Regime Change Congress and the Clinton White House authorized the CIA to work towards getting rid of Saddam Hussein in 1998.

1998 Operation Desert Fox Hundreds of air strikes against Saddam Hussein’s Iraq took place as a result of his violations of the No Fly Zone.

9/11 After the September 11 attacks, the Bush White House had little patience for Saddam Hussein who: –Had an obvious hatred for the United States –Unlike al Qaeda, had billions of dollars in oil revenue –Killed his own people with chemical weapons –Tried to kill the President’s father –Has in the past worked to build a nuclear device –Refused to cooperate with United Nations weapons inspectors who were there to ensure he wasn’t making chemical weapons –Threatened our Middle Eastern friends: Israel, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait

Relevant Quotes from the President Bush "Right now, Iraq is expanding and improving facilities that were used for the production of biological weapons... Iraq has made several attempts to buy high-strength aluminum tubes used to enrich uranium for a nuclear weapon." - President Bush on September 12, 2002 to the UN General Assembly

"It [Iraq] possesses and produces chemical and biological weapons. It is seeking nuclear weapons... And surveillance photos reveal that the regime is rebuilding facilities that it had used to produce chemical and biological weapons." - President Bush on October 7, 2002 in Cincinnati "Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised." - President Bush on March 17, 2003 in his Address to the Nation

Iraq War Resolution The US Congress, in 2002, voted to authorize the use of force against Iraq. It stated that Iraq “developed and used weapons of mass destruction, [...] harbored and supported terrorists, committed outrageous human rights abuses, and defied the just demands of the United Nations and the world."

The USA and Allied Forces Invade Iraq - March 2003

But Wait a Minute! Did Saddam Hussein have anything to do with 9/11?

Saddam Hussein is a Sunni Muslim al Qaeda is comprised of Shi’ia Muslims Most Americans think Saddam Hussein helped al Qaeda on 9/11 Did he?

In September 2003, President Bush admitted publicly that Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with the September 11 attacks Here is the connection. Right here!

Why Did We Attack Iraq?

It was a pre-emptive attack. Bush attacks Iraq before they help terrorists attack us. Bush strongly felt because of Saddam’s past, the Iraqi leader would give WMDs (Weapons of Mass Destruction) to terrorists to use on our cities. Bush did not want to wait for another 9/11 so he attacked Iraq, took over, and tried to create a model democracy in the Middle East.

Criticisms of the Iraq War

#1 Faulty Intelligence Bad intelligence claimed Iraq had stores of WMDs all over Iraq.

#2 Pre-emptive Wars are Illegal The United Nations provides a forum for diplomacy to resolve problems between nations so that war is a last resort The United Nations agree that it is illegal to go to war unless your country is in immediate danger

#3 Iraq Provided a Concrete Location for a War on Terror Should the USA have put more soldiers in Afghanistan to fight Taliban and al Qaeda soldiers instead of invading Iraq? There was no proof of an al Qaeda presence in Iraq before the war Muslims may now see the United States as an aggressor in a Muslim country

#4 Is the War About Oil?

Do Natural Resources Influence Defense? Would the United States have expelled Iraq from Kuwait if Kuwait or Saudi Arabia hadn’t sold so much oil to the United States? Would the USA work as hard to stabilize the Middle East if there was no oil?

Burning Oil Fields During Gulf War

#5 Is Iraq a Threat? Some believe Iraq had no means to attack the people of the United States Iraqi SCUD missiles could not reach the USA

However... Saddam Hussein was a threat to the region. He already invaded Kuwait, threatened Saudi Arabia and launched SCUD missiles at Israel during the first Gulf War. Hussein could, in theory, give WMD to terrorists to attack the USA. Saddam Hussein was certainly a threat to his own people.

Mission Accomplished? The US troops spent fighting “insurgents” who could have been Saddam loyalists, Shi’ia jihadists, individuals who wanted revenge for their family member’s death, al Qaeda (who are in strong numbers after the invasion), or hit men paid for by Iranians.

Why So Violent after 2003? The CIA dropped pamphlets telling the Iraqi army to leave their units and go home. Soon after the US military took over Iraq, all members of the Iraqi army were fired. As a result, 300,000 young men with arms and military training were angry and had hungry families.

Is the Iraq War a War in the Traditional Sense? The traditional definition of war with 2 armies fighting each other to death is not the case in Iraq today. Iraq is dangerous, but 2008 was much safer. 418,000 died in WW2 48,000 died in Vietnam War 4,481 died in Iraq War (as of 9/30/11) 32,195 wounded in Iraq 40,000 US troops in Iraq

Is the Iraq War a Success? Iraqi boy given water by US soldier in 2007

Success? In 2005, Iraq had its first election since the invasion. The people elected the Iraqi National Assembly (a legislative branch).

Success? By 2008, violence had decreased. “…civilian deaths have dropped from a peak of nearly 4,000 a month from December 2006 to January 2007 to about 500 a month as of May [2008], and U.S. troop deaths have dropped from 126 in May 2007 to an all-time low of 19 in May 2008.” Source: CNN

But... Thirteen months after the beginning of the Iraq troop surge of 2007 the U.S. Department of Defense claimed “…the security, political and economic trends in Iraq continue to be positive; however, they remain fragile, reversible and uneven.” Iran continues to send roadside bombs into Iraq.

Iraqi troops are up to 500,000. Soon they will take over the fighting and our troops will come home.

When Will US Troops Come Home? President Obama announced that all US combat troops will leave Iraq by the end of President Obama stated that the US will become a “partner” who will help Iraq finish training and equipping its military forces.

Key Questions 1. Did Iraq pose an immediate and present danger to the United States?

Key Questions 2. Was a pre-emptive invasion against Iraq legal, justifiable?

Key Question 3. Is America safer as a result of the Iraq War? 4. Is the Middle East safer?