DId America cause the terrorism currently present in thew middle east?

Question

was the terrorism in the middle east casued by america funding iraq in 1900s gulf war?

Answer 1

No, if you know the history of the middle east, you can understand some of the reasons.

here is the short version:

1948 Iraq unsuccessfully wars with Israel (who declared their statehood)

1958 a military coup overthrows King Faisilll, and Iraq is declared a republic. The new Premier, General
Abdul Karim Kassem, suppressed communistic uprisings.

1961 the Kurds revolt, and demand autonomy. They believe they were owed a greater government
represented role.

1963 a Coup occurs in Iraq, killing General Abdul Karim Kassem. The coup is led by by Colonel Abd al-satarn Aref, along with the Ba'ath party. It is important to note that the Ba'ath Party was founded in Syria. The Ba'ath party advocates Pan-Arablsm (under their rule), secularism, and socialism (2 out of three would be a liberals wet dream). This same year Aref rids the government of the Ba'ath party.

1968 the Ba'ath Party rules again, after a bloodless coup of Aref (brother of original).

1970 Iraqi government signs a peace agreement with the Kurds, giving them more self-governance. Many details continued to be disputed.

1979 Vice President Saddam Hussein becomes president after President's resignation. Saddam
Immediately executes his political rivals.

1980 Iraq, under Saddam Hussein rule, invades Western Iran, claiming artillery attacks from Iran, along with a dispute over the waterways in the Persian Gulf. Although Iraq was initially successful, they were soon forced to withdraw from occupied Iran by early

1982. Iranian Ayatollah Khomeini vows to continue fighting until
Saddam's regime is toppled. Saddam resorts to the use of Chemical weapons, as a defensive. Iran is successful in capturing Iraqi territories over the next few years.

1987 Iran attacks Kuwaiti oil tanker in the Persian Gulf, sparking involvement from the United States, and several European nations.

1988 Iran is forced to accept the United Nations mandated cease-fire. Saddam uses this opportunity to use poison gas on Kurdish villages for their support of Iran during the war. Saddam rounds up Kurdish males and executes them, amounting to more than 200 thousand Kurdish deaths in 1988 alone. More than 300 thousand is the eventual death toll.

1990 Saddam invades Kuwait, claiming they are responsible for the ailing economy of Iraq and low oil prices. The U.N. imposes the first sanctions on Iraq.

1991 Persian Gulf war, between Iraq and a coalition of 32 nations begins. The U.S. led forces free Kuwait in approximately 4 days. The Kurd's and Shiite's attempt to overthrow Saddam, but they are not supported by the coalition, and are suppressed by Saddam. Iraq agrees to Coalition peace terms, including allowing
weapons inspectors full access to Iraqi facilities.

1993 U.S., Great Britain, and France, launch air strikes against Iraq, for breaking the agreement, and other provocations

1994 President Clinton authorizes bombing of Iraq, due mainly to Saddam's continued resistance of weapons inspectors.

1997 The United Nations Disarmament Commission reports it's conclusion that Iraq has continued to conceal information on biological chemical weapons, and missiles.

1998
(Jan) Saddam completely cuts off cooperation with U.N. weapons inspectors.
(Feb) The U.N. negotiates a peaceful solution. Saddam continues to impeded U.N. Inspectors
(Oct) Saddam once again completely cuts off cooperation with U.N. weapons inspectors.
(Nov) Iraq agrees to cooperate completely with U.N. weapons inspectors.

(Dec) United nations chief weapons inspector says that Saddam is not following through with his promise. United States and Great Britain launch air strikes on Iraq.

1999 Air strikes continue (for years under the Clinton Administration) in Iraq, mostly in the no fly zones.

2002 The United Nations updates the 11 year old sanctions against Iraq. The new sanctions are more restrictive of military and duel use equipment. United Weapons inspectors are allowed for the first time in 4 years into Iraq. Soon afterwards former weapons inspector, Scott Ritter, who received $400,000 for his 2000 documentary from an Iraqi businessman, is vocal about his opinion that no weapons violations occurred in Iraq.

2003
(Jan) Weapons inspectors discover and report a violation of 11 undeclared, empty chemical warheads in Iraq. The U.N. reports that Iraq has still not accepted the disarmament demanded upon them.

(Feb) Weapons inspectors discover Iraq is in possession of particular missiles, which violate the mandates. The missiles have a range that can reach Israel. The United States, along with Great Britain, lobbies for the United Nations to take military action against Iraq. They do not call for a vote on the resolution due to lack of support. It is noteworthy, that France, Germany, and Russia were not behind the use offorce by the United Nations. It is also noteworthy, that France, Germany, and Russia all had oil contracts with Iraq.

Answer 2

Religion does not cause terrorism from what I have found from my own research into case studies. Religious language in the context of terrorism is a relative new thing. However, certain interpretations can be used by terrorist groups in order to reach their goals. Since the Iranian revolution and the success of groups like Hezbollah (Party of God) in Lebanon, groups have become more and more religious. Also there is the matter of the Arab Mujaheddin in Afghanistan and the glorification of martyrdom within that conflict. For example Fatah (Yasser Arafat's group) picked up much more recruits when it switched over to a more religious focus. Before Fatah had a more nationalistic notion that focused on the foundation of a Palestinian state and the eradication of Israel. (Before they officially renounced terrorism in 1988.) In an essay I did myself I compared a nationalist identity versus a religious identity. For this I used the Uighur and the Hui in China. Both are Muslim, but the Uighur are more disposed to conflict. What I came to find out was that religion was not the root cause of terror in that case studies and it rarely is. In short, besides Al-Qaeda religion is usually used as a means to expand their membership and gain fame as holy warriors with the common people.

Answer 3

The Middle East has beeen at war for over a century.

Terrorism has existed at least that long.

America FOUGHT Iraq in the 1991 Gulf War, the US did NOT fund Iraq.

There has been war and fighting in the region since before the founding of Islam in 610.

Answer 4

No. The peaceful people of Islam have used the same terroristic methods since Mohammed's foray to Medina. Beheadings, stonings, throat-slitting, public amputation, rape, castration; all have been intrinsic to the spread of Islam since its inception. The radicals might use the USA as an excuse in the present day to promulgate their cause, but that is no different then them using the Jews, the British, the Russians, the Slavs, or any other of the myriad declared enemies they've had through the millenia.

Islam was founded and spread on the point of the sword. It is little different today than it was 1300 years ago.

Answer 5

No, terrorism has been going on in the middle east for quite awhile now. What George Bush did is he created a whole new meaning and purpose to Islamic terrorism that will not subside for the next hundred years. Remember that these minor conflicts between the tribes has been going on for hundreds of years. George just put America into the big mix.

Answer 6

Why all the thumbs down for Malter? He's right. What terrorists are looking for is a receptacle for their anger and hatred. I can only speculate where it comes from but when you compare richer nations and contrast them with developing nations, almost always the personal freedoms of all its people seem to strongly correlate with success. We are free. And it works. Islamic nations are tangled in archaic dogma and they are lost in conflict and battle. This is not new. The attention it's getting is.

Answer 7

No - terrorism is caused by radical Islamic fundamentalists that hate Americans. It was caused by Clinton and Carter not responding to them.

Answer 8

Clinton & Bush both failed to take action on Bin Laden & the terrorists when they had a chance & now you can see the results of their inaction.