THE IRAQ WAR: OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM 2003-2010
The Iraq War
BACKGROUND / GLOBAL SITUATION / CAUSES
BACKGROUND / GLOBAL SITUATION / CAUSES • Iraq has had a long history of colonialism (markedly because of their oil) and they desire no western presence in the middle east; labeled a jihad, or holy war • The Persian Gulf War defeats the Iraqi Army in their invasion of Kuwait, but Saddam’s regime is not removed from power and they are becoming more of a menace; defying multiple UN sanctions. • Fear of Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraqi possession. • The conflict with Iraq is changed by the World Trade Center Attacks in 2001. • George W. Bush announces that the “war on terrorism” will extend beyond the borders of Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom), hinting of the second war on Iraq that was to come in 2003. • Increased civil liberties violations at the hand of Saddam’s regime • Many people criticized the Bush Administration for going after the “wrong guy”; that Osama Bin Laden was responsible for the 9/11 bombings
Many criticize interest in the region…altruism or oil???
2002 Political Cartoon depicting George W. Bush “hunting”
Commentary on the nature of Saddam’s Civil Liberty Abuses
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Terrorism is not a new thing French Jacobinism “Subdue by terror the enemies of liberty, and you will be right, as founders of the Republic.” --Reign of Terror instigated by Maxmilien Robespierre in 1793 Robespierre's sentiment laid the foundations for modern terrorists, who believe violence will usher in a better system
TERRORISM
Ku Klux Klan Chechnyan terrorism Oklahoma City bombing •
Terrorist acts from several Middle Eastern countries emerges in the 1970s, 1980s, & 1990s – sometimes referred to as “religious terrorism” Iranian Hostage Crisis (1979) Air Plane Hijackings and Embassy Bombings First World Trade Center bombing
Other attacks on transportation systems
“The history of terrorism is as old as humans' willingness to use violence to affect politics.” – Amy Zalman, Ph.D
TERRORISM •
Terrorism is distinguished from other acts of violence, and from war, by always having these four characteristics: Terrorists violate the rules of modern warfare, established in acts called the Geneva Conventions and Hague Conventions; or they are actors (e.g., sub-state groups) who can't declare war legitimately Its goal is to achieve political change Its targets are symbolic of the political issue in question Acts of terror are designed to get attention from the public and media.
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Terrorist Activities Car Bombings Suicide Missions
Rocket Propelled Grenades IEDs Assassinations
Terrorism can be defined as “Criminal acts intended or calculated to provoke a state of terror in the general public, a group of persons or particular persons for political purposes are in any circumstance unjustifiable, whatever the considerations of a political, philosophical, ideological, racial, ethnic, religious or any other nature that may be invoked to justify them.” — Declaration on Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism (General Assembly resolution 49/60, paragraph 3)
The “Coalition of the Willing” The Iraq War
ALLIANCES / LEADERS
UNITED NATIONS / COALITION FORCES Total Coalition Countries 60 50 40 30
Total Coalition Countries
20 10 0 2003 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2010 March Dec March Aug. 1 31
“Coalition of the Willing” a post-1990 political phrase used to collectively describe participants in military or military-humanitarian interventions for which the United Nations Security Council cannot agree to mount a full UN peacekeeping operation.
NATO •
The NATO Alliance committed itself to helping Iraq create effective armed forces and, ultimately, provide for its own security by establishing the NATO Training Mission-Iraq (NTM-I) in 2004.
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It was permanently withdrawn from Iraq on 31 December 2011
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The NTM-I was set up in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolution 1546 and at the request of the Iraqi Interim Government.
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It was not a combat mission. The aim of NTM-I was to help Iraq develop a democratically-led and enduring security sector.
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NATO remains committed to this partnership and, in April 2011, decided to grant Iraq partner status.
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Video on NATOs commitment against global terrorism (4:41)
NOV. 2011 - About 200 experts from NATO and partner countries gathered in Brussels on 28 November 2011 for the first conference on “New Challenges to Global Security” organized by NATO’s new Emerging Security Challenges Division.
U.S LEADERS •
U.S. President George W. Bush (2000-2009)
Vice President Dick Cheney (2000-2009) Secretaries of State Colin Powell (2000-05) & Condoleeza Rice (2005-09) Secretaries of Defense Donald Rumsfeld (2001-06) & Robert Gates (2006-09) •
U.S. President Barrack Obama (2009-current) Vice President Joe Biden (2009-current)
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (2009current) Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta (2009current
President George W. Bush is seen at a National Security Council meeting in the White House Situation Room Monday, March 24, 2008, during a video teleconference with General David Petraeus, Commander of the MultiNational Force-Iraq; and Ryan Crocker, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq. White House photo by Eric Draper
IRAQI LEADERS •
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein Sons Uday and Qusay Hussein (Both killed by U.S. troops in Mosul on July 2003)
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Iraqi Playing Cards
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Leaders Today
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Chart of Current Leaders
Uday (left) and Qusay Hussein in a photograph recovered from the Hussein family private photo lab --BENJAMIN LOWY/CORBIS FOR TIME
The Iraq War
TIMELINE OF MAJOR EVENTS
1990-1999: THE FIRST GULF WAR AND WEAPONS INSPECTIONS •
Invasion of Kuwait – Aug. 2, 1990 120,000 troops cross border in all out invasion
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U.S. Military Operations – Operation Desert Shield & Operation Desert Storm
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UN Resolution 687 - Iraq must unconditionally accept removal of all chemical and biological weapons and not to acquire or develop nuclear weapons
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UNSCOM & No-Fly Zones – UN Resolution 715 Iraq must submit to United Nations Special Commission; Iraq banned from using all aircraft
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Cheney’s “Quagmire” Comment - 1994 interview with the American Enterprise Institute defending decision not to invade Iraq after Persian Gulf War
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Oil-for-Food –Resolution 986 provided Iraq opportunity to sell oil in exchange for humanitarian needs and other UN services
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Operation Desert Fox – Dec. 1998 Saddam ends Iraqi corporation with UNSCOM and accuses UN of espionage; Clinton (4 days before impeachment vote) orders 4 day bombing of key military facilities…all without UN Security Council approval
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UNMOVIC – Dec. 1999, United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission replaces UNSCOM
2000-FEBURARY 2003: WEAPONS INSPECTIONS •
U.N. Weapons Inspections – Iraq says they won’t be let back in; Iraq stops exporting oil; U.S. threatens Iraq “If anybody harbors a terrorist, they’re a terrorist.” –George W. Bush Nov. 26, 2001 (shortly after 9/11 attacks)
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President George W. Bush’s “Axis of Evil” Speech – describes Iraq, Iran, and North Korea
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U.N. Resolution 1441 – gives Iraq a “final opportunity to comply with its disarmament obligations under relevant resolutions of the Council.” – UN, Nov. 8, 2002
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Secretary of State Powell at United Nations – while UNMOVIC leaders report that no “smoking gun” was found (WMDs), it did not mean they were not out there…then Sec. of State Colin Powell presents the UN with Washington’s evidence of WMDs and terrorism links.
2001
MARCH-DECEMBER 2003: START OF THE U.S.IRAQ WAR •
“Coalition of the Willing” – US State Department names 30 countries prepared to be publically associated with US action against Iraq (mostly Great Britain and Australia as a presence)
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Operation Iraqi Freedom - March 19, 2003, Announced to the American people the beginning of a “broad and concerted campaign” to disarm Iraq
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“Shock and Awe” Campaign – March 21, 2003, a massive aerial assault at hundreds of targets in Iraq
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U.S. Takes Baghdad – April 9, 2003, Iraqi civilians cheer, statue of Saddam toppled
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UNAMI – UN Resolution 1500 establishing the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq
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Saddam Hussein Captured in Operation Red Dawn - U.S. troops found him in an underground "spider hole" near his hometown of Tikrit on December 14, 2003 after seven months of hide-and-go-seek; Saddam's identity was quickly verified by scientific testing
CAPTURE OF BAGHDAD AND OF SADDAM
Saddam Statue Topples As viewers watched on television, Marine Gunnery Sergeant Leon Lambert and Corporal Edward Chin prepared to bring down the statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad’s Firdos Square. Photograph by Alexandra Boulat.
“When compared to authorized photos of the raid and its aftermath, this picture does appear to be genuine as there are apparently no regulations prohibiting U.S. soldiers from carrying personal cameras into battle, so many do, according to a CNN report. Other unofficial photographs of the Iraq conflict have circulated widely on the Internet.” http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_saddam_capture9.htm
2004: YEAR ONE •
Abu Ghraib – Taguba Report (March) and Leaked pictures on internet (April)
“Early this year [2004], the senior U.S. Army commander in Iraq authorized a major investigation into the American Army’s prison system there. The fifty-three-page report that resulted, which was written by Major General Antonio M. Taguba and was not meant for public release, was devastating. Taguba found numerous instances of “sadistic, blatant, and wanton criminal abuses” of Iraqis by American soldiers at the Abu Ghraib prison, located twenty miles west of Baghdad. This systematic and illegal abuse, Taguba reported, was perpetrated by members of the 320th Military Police Battalion, and also by members of the American intelligence community. There was considerable evidence to support the allegations, Taguba added, including “detailed witness statements and the discovery of extremely graphic photographic evidence”; the photographs, which were taken by American soldiers while the abuse was going on, were not included in the report, Taguba said, because of their “extremely sensitive nature.”” -http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2004/05/03/slideshow_040503#slide=2#ixzz1lqgpeOUw •
Key Excerpts from the Taguba Report
ABU GHRAIB CONTROVERSY
A hooded and wired Iraqi prisoner at Abu Ghraib prison who reportedly was told that he would be electrocuted if he fell off a box. http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2004/05/03/slidesho w_040503##ixzz1lqehvY7G
Two American soldiers pose behind a pyramid of hooded and naked Iraqi prisoners
2004: YEAR ONE (CONTINUED) “Fighting in Fallujah” •
Iraqi Interim Government – UN endorses the reestablishment of Iraqi sovereignty and the interim constitution takes effect; Saddam is given to new government
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Operation Phantom Fury – Securing Fallujah – Nov. 2004 - a U.S. success after 8 days
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WMD Search Ends – None found
2005: YEAR TWO •
Iraqi Elections – 60% turn out…a great day in the history of Iraq!
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Operation Lightening – May - a move to crackdown on insurgents in Baghdad; meant to prove whether or not Iraqi troops were ready to act offensively without U.S. support
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Trial of Hussein Begins – tried for crimes against humanity committed two decades ago; pleas not guilty
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Haditha Killings – 8 U.S. Marines charged with deaths of unarmed Iraqi civilians; Evidence of a massacre never materialized, and the original reports by the news media, and Congressman John Murtha, have been thoroughly discredited. Every Marine was cleared of charges of murder and cover-up.
2006: YEAR THREE •
New Iraqi Government – some internal conflict, but Shia and Sunni’s manage to continue to compromise
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Al-Zarqawi Killed – a mastermind behind hundreds of bombings, kidnappings, and beheadings in Iraq is killed by an airstrike
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Iraq Study Group Report – December recommends to Bush 79 things to do to try to pull Iraq back from what they have analyzed to be a situation that is “grave and deteriorating”
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Hussein Hanged - Video Footage was released from a cell phone showing him being taunted before hanging
2007: YEAR FOUR • U.S. Troop Surge – 5 additional U.S. Army brigades to Iraq to support Iraqi army operations in and around Baghdad • Iraq War is “civil war” – U.S National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iraq admits the term “accurately describes key elements of the Iraqi conflict” • Ba’ath Party Returns – Iraqi government approves a draft of a law allowing some former members to return to their official posts…dangerous! • Bush vetoes withdrawal Legislation – he said “it makes no sense to tell the enemy when you plan to start withdrawing.” • Deadliest Year – 899 troop deaths; surpassed 2004 when 850 died
2008: YEAR FIVE •
Iraq attacks decline – 70% decrease since 2007
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Iraq calls for U.S. withdrawal timetable
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Iraq sets U.S. troop withdrawal date – Iraqi Parliament passes law requiring all US forces to withdraw from Iraq no later than December 31, 2011.
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Oversight agency cites “massive waste” in reconstruction of Iraq
May 2008 McCain (then presidential hopeful) Vows “No Surrender”
2009: YEAR SIX
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari (2nd L), inspects damage to his ministry building after a bombing on Wednesday on August 22, 2009 in Baghdad, Iraq. 11 high-ranking security officials from the Iraqi army and police were detained for investigation. ( August 21, 2009 - Photo by Muhannad Fala'ah/Getty Images Europe)
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U.S. hands over GREEN ZONE CONTROL to Iraqi Government – area in Baghdad including Saddam’s presidential palace
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U.S. Embassy in Iraq opens – HUGE structure with security in mind
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Obama announces end of combat mission in Iraq by Aug. 31, 2010
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Remaining Non-U.S. Coalition Forces leave Iraq – no “Multi-National Force”; US is one of the last “Coalition of the Willing” formed in 2003
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Deadliest attack of 2009 – Attack on Iraqi Foreign Ministry Building
2010: YEAR SEVEN • Multi-National Force-Iraq becomes United States ForcesIraq • Official end to U.S. Combat operations in Iraq • Wikileaks publishes classified U.S. military logs on the War in Iraq – documents suggest U.S. commanders ignored evidence of torture by the Iraqi authorities; also, that civilian deaths were put at over 66,000 of around 109,000 total deaths
2011: YEAR EIGHT •
Iraqi Leaders and al-Sadr debate U.S. troop departure – some Sunnis wanted the U.S. to stick around for their protection fearing domination by Shiite majority
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New U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta makes first trip to Iraq
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United States declares official end to War in Iraq with Final Troop Drawdown – a small ceremony was held
One photographer’s depiction of the intersection of technology and war – in this photo, a tattered flag flies from a cell phone antenna. Photo: Todd Hido
The Iraq War
METHODS / TACTICS / TECHNOLOGY
METHODS / TACTICS / TECHNOLOGY •
Network-Centric Warfare v. Guerilla Warfare
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Examples of Warfare used by the U.S. Ground Troops / Special Operations and Conventional Air Support / Air Raids (especially in beginning “shock and awe”) Use of Private Military Corporations (PMCs) Capture of Major Leaders (deck of cards approach) Teaching / Mentoring the Iraqi Military / Propaganda
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Examples of Warfare used by Iraq Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) Suicide Bombers
Attacks on Sunni Mosques (or other cultural / religious centers) Internet (May 2004 – Video released of beheading of Nick Berg)
METHODS / TACTICS / TECHNOLOGY A large IED explosion picture from Iraq. Note the telephone pole just to the left of the base of the explosion, and the Bradley IFV farther to the left on the road.
The Iraq War
EFFECTS / LESSONS LEARNED / CRITICISMS
ESTIMATING WAR DAMAGES* •
Cost - U.S. war damages estimated at around $1-$3 trillion
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Cost - Iraq war damages estimated at around $394.4 billion; lost 27 years of economic prosperity
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Death / Injury - 66,081 people total lost their lives (estimated 4,500 U.S. service members); 176,382 people sustained injuries (30,000 wounded)
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Displacement – 1.9 million Iraqis to emigrate, 2.65 migrated internally to avoid conflict
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Iraq has experienced free elections and has a government that is a democratic coalition of Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds (all who lived under Saddam’s vicious regime)
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Psychological Effects
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Panetta, Obama’s Secretary of Defense said to the troops at an official ceremony ending the war “You will leave with great pride – lasting pride secure in knowing that your sacrifice has helped the Iraqi people to begin a new chapter in history.”
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Ultimately, historians are left to evaluate the war and it’s effectiveness / ineffectiveness in years to come
*Sources include Iraq Body Count, the Brookings Institute, NGOs, & the U.S. government
THE INTERNET AND OTHER “INFORMATION AGE” TECHNOLOGY HAS CHANGED WAR •
Soldier websites
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Soldier blogs
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Easy assess to videos and photographs (Abu Ghraib)
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Anti war web sites
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NGOs and other “watchdog” groups looking out for civilian causalities and keeping militaries “honest”
“The reaction to my photo of Major Bieger cradling Farah, the little girl who died in his arms [after a car bombing], provoked a flood of messages and heartfelt responses from caring people around the world.” --Michael Yon, photographer, 2005.
THE INTERNET AND OTHER “INFORMATION AGE” TECHNOLOGY HAS CHANGED WAR “The insurgent groups are also exploiting something that US network-centric gurus [of the early 1990s] seem to have missed: All of us are already connected to a global media grid. Satellite television, radio, and the Internet mean that many of the most spectacular attacks in Iraq are deliberately staged for the cameras, uploaded to YouTube, picked up by CNN, and broadcast around the world.”
“The Army has set aside $41 million to build what it calls Human Terrain Teams: 150 social scientists, software geeks, and experts on local culture, split up and embedded with 26 different military units in Iraq and Afghanistan over the next year. The first six HTTs are already on the ground. The idea, basically, is to give each commander a set of cultural counselors, the way he has soldiers giving him combat advice.” -How Technology Almost Lost the War: In Iraq, the Critical Networks Are Social — Not Electronic By Noah Shachtman (2007)
OUR TECHNOLOGY MAY NOT OUTWIT THE ENEMY “Bush thinks the lesson of this reaction speed is that we should suppress information about our technology. But maybe the lesson is that we can't stop the spread of destructive technology and information, in which case we'd better concentrate on reducing the number of people who feel motivated to use it against us.” “Human limits also limit technology. Some of our technology fails because it asks too much of us. We designed a drone to be operated remotely by troops in a trailing vehicle, only to discover that riding in one vehicle while virtually driving another made soldiers carsick. We built an IED armor kit that made vehicle doors so heavy soldiers can't open them. We developed digital surveillance programs that capture so many precise images that the officers assigned to monitor them become overloaded and zone out.” -Technology lessons from the Iraq War By William Saletan (2007)
NATION-BUILDING IS TRICKY BUSINESS • • •
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Nation-building efforts take time, energy, and money Use of Private Military Corporations has its PROs and CONs Increasing troop involvement with out clear vision can be dangerous Americans today do not have patients for long, drawn out missions…we live in a “I want everything quick” society There are many other regions of instability in the world today, how will we deal with them? Iran Afghanistan North Korea Many say we should be focusing on things at home
2008
“Nation Building in America” September 2010
OUR GLOBAL SOCIETY IS QUICK TO CRITICIZE •
Unilateralism v Multilateralism, U.S. criticized for being arrogant
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WMD theory turned up empty, Bush and CIA criticized
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Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay
August 2010 – parody on toppling of Saddam statue in 2003
“Why Doesn’t the World Support Us?”
DISILLUSIONMENT OVER THE WAR AND THE FUTURE
BIBLIOGRAPHY •
“Estimating War Damages Sustained by Iraq (2003-2010).” http://www.huffingtonpost.com (accessed February 2012)
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ProCon.org. “Timeline, 1990-2011.” USIraq.ProCon.org. http://usiraq.procon.org/view.resources.php?resourceID=000670 (accessed Jan 10, 2011)
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North Atlantic Treaty Organization. http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-B763088A82FD0184/natolive/organisation.htm (accessed February 2012)
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“Terrorism.” United Nations. http://www.un.org/en/globalissues/terrorism/ (accessed February 2012)
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“Terrorism Issues.” About.com http://terrorism.about.com/od/t/g/Terrorism.htm (accessed February 2012)
