US manipulation of the Middle East (For HC)

[kentonio]

So you're just going to ignore the governments you've overthrown, the dictators you've funded, the assassinations, the endless plotting? Or do you really not know that much about what your country has done around the world in the last half century or so?

Mostly that was South America. North Africa and the Middle East was all Britain.

Also France.

Ok where shall we start..

Iraq maybe..

Plan to oust Qasim

In February 1960, the United States planned a coup against the government of Iraq headed by dictator Abd al-Karim Qasim, who two years earlier had deposed the Western-allied Iraqi monarchy. The US was concerned about the growing influence of Iraqi Communist Party government officials under his administration, as well as his threats to invade Kuwait, which almost caused a war between Iraq and England.

According to the Church Committee, the CIA planned a "special operation" to "incapacitate" an Iraqi Colonel believed to be "promoting Soviet bloc political interests in Iraq." The aim was to send Qasim a poisoned handkerchief, "which, while not likely to result in total disablement, would be certain to prevent the target from pursuing his usual activities for a minimum of three months." During the course of the Committee's investigation, the CIA stated that the handkerchief was "in fact never received (if, indeed, sent)." It added that the colonel: "Suffered a terminal illness before a firing squad in Baghdad (an event we had nothing to do with) after our handkerchief proposal was considered."

Then there's that little matter of Saddam gassing the Kurds..

U.S. government authorized the sale of dual use chemicals and biological material to Iraq

A review of thousands of declassified government documents and interviews with former U.S. policymakers shows that U.S. provided intelligence and logistical support, which played a role in arming Iraq in its war with Iran. Under the Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush administrations, the U.S. authorized the sale to Iraq of numerous dual use items that had both military and civilian applications, including chemicals which can be used in manufacturing of pesticides or chemical weapons and live viruses and bacteria, such as anthrax and bubonic plague used in medicine and the manufacture of vaccines or weaponized for use in biological weapons.

A report of the U.S. Senate's Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs concluded that the U.S. under the successive presidential administrations sold materials including anthrax, and botulism to Iraq right up until March 1992. The chairman of the Senate committee, Don Riegle, said: "The executive branch of our government approved 771 different export licenses for sale of dual-use technology to Iraq. I think its a devastating record."[10] According to several former officials, the State and Commerce departments promoted trade in such items as a way to boost U.S. exports and acquire political leverage over Hussein.[11]

Terrorism and Iraq? That's why the last Iraq war happened right?

In 1982, the United States extended credits to Iraq for the purchase of American agricultural commodities, the first time this had been done since 1967. More significant, in 1983 the Baathist government hosted a United States special Middle East envoy, the highest-ranking American official to visit Baghdad in more than sixteen years. In a U.S. bid to open full diplomatic relations with Iraq, the country was removed from the U.S. list of State Sponsors of Terrorism. Ostensibly, this was because of improvement in the regime’s record, although former United States Assistant Secretary of Defense Noel Koch later stated, "No one had any doubts about [the Iraqis'] continued involvement in terrorism... The real reason was to help them succeed in the war against Iran."[13] In 1984, when the United States inaugurated "Operation Staunch" to halt shipment of arms to Iran by third countries, no similar embargo was attempted against Iraq because Saddam Hussein's government had expressed its desire to negotiate an end to the war. All of these initiatives prepared the ground for Iraq and the United States to reestablish diplomatic relations in November 1984.

Hmm, what country shall we try next?

[kentonio]

Iran perhaps, that's fairly topical after all..

In 1953, Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadeq was overthrown by a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)-organized coup, in what has been called "a crucial turning point both in Iran's modern history and in U.S. Iran relations." Many Iranians argue that "the 1953 coup and the extensive U.S. support for the shah in subsequent years were largely responsible for the shah's arbitrary rule," which led to the "deeply anti-American character" of the 1979 revolution.[13]

So what about the Shah?

In the late 1970s, American President Jimmy Carter emphasized human rights in his foreign policy, including the Shah's regime, which by 1977 had garnered unfavorable publicity in the West for its human rights record.[27] That year, the Shah responded to Carter's "polite reminder" by granting amnesty to some prisoners and allowing the Red Cross to visit prisons. Through 1977, liberal opposition formed organizations and issued open letters denouncing the Shah's regime.[28] [29]

At the same time, Carter angered anti-Shah Iranians with a New Years Eve 1978 toast to the Shah in which he said:

Under the Shah’s brilliant leadership Iran is an island of stability in one of the most troublesome regions of the world. There is no other state figure whom I could appreciate and like more.[30]

Wonder how the Iranians felt about all this? Let's fast forward to the hostage crisis..

In Iran, the incident was seen by many as a blow against American influence in Iran and the liberal-moderate interim government of Prime Minister Mehdi Bazargan, who opposed the hostage taking and resigned soon after. The hostage takers felt that their action was connected to the 1953 American-backed coup against the government of Prime Minister Mosaddeq.

"You have no right to complain, because you took our whole country hostage in 1953."

said one of the hostage takers to Bruce Laingen, chief U.S. diplomat in Iran at the time.[36] Some Iranians were concerned that the United States may have been plotting another coup against their country in 1979 from the American embassy.[36]

Iran-Iraq war?

American intelligence and logistical support played a crucial role in arming Iraq in the Iraq-Iran war, although Bob Woodward states that the United States gave information to both sides, hoping "to engineer a stalemate.

[DinoDoc]

Sorry Ken. Your country takes the cake for screwing up the entire Middle East for its handling of Palestine. Though I will admit that was a stupid statement by HC given that we are an Imperial power after all.

[kentonio]

Sorry Ken. Your country takes the cake for screwing up the entire Middle East for its handling of Palestine. Though I will admit that was a stupid statement by HC given that we are an Imperial power after all.

I've never tried to sidestep Britains responsibilities in that part of the world, but whereas we ****ed the place up thoroughly in the first half of the 20th century, the 2nd half was America's gameshow.

[Hauldren Collider]

You got me this time, but don't think I'll stop blaming Britain for the world's problems whenever I can find an excuse.

[kentonio]

Fair play.

[regexcellent]

US involvement in the Iran-Iraq war was playing both sides against the middle for maximum damage.

[kentonio]

Yeah, that's kind of the point.