Historical Amnesia
In all the barrels of ink that have been poured about the current US-Iran contretemps, how many times have you seen it mentioned that the US funded and armed Saddam Hussein in his invasion and 8 year war with Iran?
That the US supplied ingredients and technology for chemical weapons used against Iranian soldiers?
That war was only 20-25 years ago and killed an estimated 1 million Iranians. That policy was promoted and carried out by many of the same officials in this current US administration.
(Even today, the US is still providing safe haven in Iraq for the anti-Iranian terror group MEK as well as Kurdish separatist groups.)
So, you can see why they might be resistant to this administration's intentions and influence in Iraq.
I just think this is important as part of the broader context of the current situation, and yet it goes largely unmentioned.
That the US supplied ingredients and technology for chemical weapons used against Iranian soldiers?
That war was only 20-25 years ago and killed an estimated 1 million Iranians. That policy was promoted and carried out by many of the same officials in this current US administration.
(Even today, the US is still providing safe haven in Iraq for the anti-Iranian terror group MEK as well as Kurdish separatist groups.)
So, you can see why they might be resistant to this administration's intentions and influence in Iraq.
I just think this is important as part of the broader context of the current situation, and yet it goes largely unmentioned.
posted by mikevotes at
11:02 AM
3 Comments:
It should be said that that policy was not undertaken in a vacuum.
Arming Saddam and pointing him at Iran came fairly shortly after the Iranian revolution and hostage taking.
(And the Iranian revolution came as a response to the US's overthrow of Mossadeq.)
My point is that there have been a series of policies aimed at controlling the Iranians, at keeping the Shia in check, and each hostile attempt has failed and led to an even messier situation afterwards.
Mike
By
mikevotes, at 11:31 AM
On NPR, once in a great while, the history of Iran, Shah Reza Pahlavi, ayatollah Khomeini, the various players in the US, the Sunni/Shia divide, and the Wahhabists in Arabia will be alluded to.
For any big-picture background information, the best mainstream place to hear it is Air America, specifically from Randi Rhodes, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Mike Pappantonio.
Other than that, we have to get our history from books. Our media, particularly our tv media, has a long way to go before they regain any respect and credibility for thoroughness.
By
Anonymous, at 12:15 PM
I just don't know how you "cover" this tension, whether Iraq, or the nuclear weapons without explaining why the Iranians are doing what they're doing.
It forces a fall back of "they're crazy" which is so preferred in the US news.
All of America's enemies are crazy. Not one of them acts in a rational manner.
Mike
By
mikevotes, at 12:40 PM
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