Iraqi Recovery

Throughout the twentieth century Iraq's fate has always depended to a large degree on the disposition of other nations, either the dominant Western powers such as Great Britain and the United States or the six nations that surround it. Iraq has always been a nation that perceives itself--usually correctly--as being at the mercy of other countries in many ways. Even internally the significant Kurdish population in the north and the "subordinate majority" of Shi'a Muslims in the south have long resented domination by the Sunni Muslims (Bahgat 40). The current regime, Saddam Hussein and his Baathist Party, have been in power since 1979, tolerating little opposition and proceeding on the assumption that Iraq must fight to protect itself. This led to the devastating war with Iran, which lasted throughout most of the 1980s, and the 1990 invasion of Kuwait which ended with expulsion from that nation by an American-led international alliance determined to preserve the status quo in the oil-producing regions. The Persian Gulf War was very brief but Hussein's retention of power and continued unwillingness to compromise led to the terrible economic embargo which extended throughout the entire decade of the nineties and brought about great suffering and a sharp decline in the nation's status from a once promising center of modernization to a frightening new level of impoverishment. The effect has been so overwhelming, according to U.S. Congressman Tony Hill, that even if the sanct

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rgency--even though it would damage Hussein--because Turkey (a NATO member) is opposed to such action. The government has, however, engaged in "brutal repression" repeatedly--even employing chemical weapons against Kurd insurgents (Bahgat 41). The principal religious sects in the predominantly Muslim nation are the dominant Sunni Muslims (32-37 percent) and Shi'ite Muslims (60-65 percent), who "have never enjoyed economic benefits and political rights equal to their Arab Sunni counterparts who have dominated the political system in Iraq" since independence (Bahgat 41). The Shi'a majority shares its religion with Iran and enmity between Iran and Iraq has a great deal to do with Iraq's fear that the Shi'ite government founded by the late Ayatollah Khomeini would extend its power to southern Iraq and cause this large majority to rise up against Baghdad. These problems seem insoluble and even though it should be apparent that "forced assimilation cannot guarantee long-term domestic stability," under Hussein's leadership "violence against the Shi'is and the Kurds reached an unprecedented level" (Bahgat 42). Despite the swift victory of the allied forces in the Gulf War Saddam Hussein was not ejected from power. Although U.S. po

Category: Foreign - I