Iraq - Timeline

1918

After the defeat of the Ottoman Empire the UK occupied Iraq. Uprisings against British rule were punished with extensive bombings and the use of poison gas, in effect treating Iraq as an opportunity to experiment with 'modern' weapons. [1]

1932

Iraq became nominally independent, but was dominated by the British who had air bases in the country.

1940

The UK effectively re-occupied Iraq, fearing that the Iraqi government might side with the Axis powers.

July 1979

Saddam Hussein became President.

1980-1988

Iraq attacked Iran and the fighting lasted 8 years. The US and other Western nations supported Saddam, even supplying him with chemical and biological weapons [2]. The US also gave some support to Iran, though it was less than to Iraq since the US considered Iran the greater threat.

1990

Although political dissent was a dangerous activity, Saddam's Iraq had excellent educational and health facilities. According to a UNESCO report: "The Education system in Iraq, prior to 1991, was one of the best in the region, with over 100% Gross Enrolment Rate for primary schooling and high levels of literacy, both of men and women. The Higher Education, especially the scientific and technological institutions, were of an international standard, staffed by high quality personnel." [3] The modern health system had resulted in the reduction of child mortality by nearly a half since 1980.

25 July 1990

After Iraq complained that Kuwait was stealing its oil by employing slant-drilling and the Kuwaitis refused to discuss the matter, Saddam consulted the US ambassador, who assured him that the US would not intervene in the event of an Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. [4]

1 August 1990

Iraq invaded and occupied Kuwait. The US immediately condemned the occupation. It was determined to attack Iraq, military plans for which had been drawn up long before, in order to gain influence in the region and to give a warning to Third World countries. [5]

16 January 1991

The Gulf 'War' started. Between 100,000 and 200,000 Iraqis were killed, compared to US casualties of 148, many of whom were killed by friendly fire. During the bombing campaign the country's infrastructure such as hospitals, dams and irrigation systems, food processing and distribution systems and water purification plants were deliberately destroyed. [6] In a notorious incident at Mutlaa Gap, on the "Highway of Death", the US bombed and strafed a column of retreating Iraqi soldiers and fleeing civilians, resulting in the incineration of thousands of people.

1992-2003

The sanctions imposed by the US resulted in the deaths of millions of Iraqis, including at least 500,000 children. The causes were the lack of clean water, the breakdown of the medical services and the large amount of depleted uranium [7], caused by the bombing, coupled with the sanctions. Denis Halliday [8], the UN Humanitarian Aid Co-ordinator resigned in protest at what he called the genocide of the Iraqi people.

Except for 1994 and 1995 the US and British constantly bombed both military and civilian targets in Iraq. [9]

13 January 1998

Iraq blocks an inspection by a US-dominated team (Unscom) and accuses it of spying for America, a charge that was later found to be true. [10]

17 November 1998

Unscom inspectors return to Iraq.

16 December 1998

The UN orders weapons inspectors out of the country after Unscom chief Richard Butler (a CIA agent) issued a report saying the Iraqis were still refusing to co-operate. US air strikes on Iraq begin hours later. Later the US government and the corporate media would claim that "Saddam kicked out the weapons inspectors".

2001-2003

The propaganda campaign to use the attack on the US of 11 September 2001 as an excuse to attack Iraq hots up. The main reasons given are:

• Iraq was involved in 9/11. Even though there was absolutely no evidence for this, most US citizens actually believed it to be true after an intensive campaign by the corporate media.
• Iraq had Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs). The UK even produced the "Dodgy Dossier", a so-called intelligence document, much of which had been plagiarised from various unattributed sources. [11] No WMDs have ever been found. [12]
• Iraq was attempting to procure material for nuclear weapons. The evidence given consisted of crudely forged documents. [13]

March 2003

The 'Coalition of the Willing', mostly the US and the UK, invaded Iraq. The invasion was preceded by a "Shock and Awe" campaign that killed and terrorised many civilians.

2003-

Western corporations plunder Iraq. [14] For example, the value of contracts awarded to Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg, Brown and Root in Iraq for 2003 was $4.5 billion. [15] Vice-president Dick Cheney has close financial links to Halliburton.

2003-

More and more stories emerge of the torture and deliberate killing of Iraqi civilians by US forces, despite the media blackout imposed by the occupation and the dangerous situation for journalists. [16]

September 2004

US forces seal off the city of Fallujah, using hunger and lack of water to drive the inhabitants out. Males between 16 and 55 are not allowed to leave. After two months of aerial bombing the US forces enter the city, in many cases shooting anything that moves. After two weeks the city is in ruins, with 36,000 of the city's 50,000 homes destroyed, along with 60 schools and 65 mosques and shrines. [17]

Notes

[1]	Our last occupation by Jonathan Glancey, 19 April 2003.
[2]	Anthrax for export by William Blum, April 1998 and How did Iraq get its weapons? We sold them by Neil Mackay and Felicity Arbuthnot, 08 September 2002.
[3]	The Destruction of Iraq’s Educational System under US Occupation by Ghali Hassan, 11 May 2005.
[4]	Iraq by Mark Zepezauer, September 1994. From the book The CIAs Greatest Hits.
[5]	The 1991 Gulf Massacre: The Historical & Strategic Context of Western Terrorism in The Gulf by Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed, 02 October 2001.
[6]	The devastation of Iraq by war and sanctions by Ramsey Clark.
[7]	US Foreign Policy/US use of Chemical Weapons
[8]	An interview with Denis Halliday by Miriam Ryle, 17 April 1999
[9]	U.S. Bombing Watch: Archive of U.S. Bombings, Invasions and Occupations of Iraq from CCMEP (Colorado Campaign for Middle East Peace), 2005.
[10]	CIA Was With UN in Iraq for Years Ex-Inspector Says by Philip Shenon, 23 February 1999.
[11]	Wikipedia: Dodgy Dossier.
[12]	Weapons of Mass Destruction Were a Fantasy From the Start by Gwynne Dyer, 05 May 2003.
[13]	Niger and Iraq: the war's biggest lie? by Neil Mackay, 13 July 2003.
[14]	Money for Nothing by Philip Giraldi, 24 October 2005.
[15]	The corporate plunder of Iraq by Dave Whyte, 11 February 2006.
[16]	Iraq: the human toll by Ed Vulliamy, 06 July 2003; Farah tried to plead with the US troops but she was killed anyway by Peter Beaumont, 07 September 2003; Torture and Lies as Policy: America's Criminal Occupation by Roger Normand, 30 June 2004.
[17]	A name that lives in infamy by Mike Marqusee, 10 November 2005.