Sunny Guantanamo (Re: Speaking of the Geneva convention)

[Steve Schear]

At 07:19 AM 12/19/2003, Jim Dixon wrote:
>On Fri, 19 Dec 2003 Freematt357 at aol.com wrote:

>If Saddam had been less of an idiot, if he had left Kuwait alone, he would
>be relaxing in one of his palaces today and his sons would be out
>snatching women off the street, torturing people who had annoyed them --
>you know, having a good night out.

[Jim, don't you ever do a bit of research on historical topics before
spouting off?  Google is your friend.  Use it.]

 From Ramsey Clark's excellent "The Fire This Time".
http://www.firethistime.org/linesscript.htm TRACK 3 : LINES IN THE SAND

-----------------------------------------
One day after the Cease Fire, Kuwait announced plans to increase oil
exports in defiance of OPEC quotas. The price of crude began to slide. In
June '89, they stepped up production again. Iraq was hard hit.

[1/74.] SHAKIB OUTAKI  OIL ANALYST

For every fall of a dollar in the price of a barrel of oil, Iraq lost a
billion dollars in income.

While Iraq was at war, Kuwait had moved into the Rumailia oil field,
shifting a border disputed since colonial times. In November, Kuwaiti
officials met with the CIA and agreed:

"to take advantage of the deteriorating economic situation in Iraq [] To
put pressure on that countrys government to delineate our common border.
The CIA gave us its view of appropriate means of pressure." [1]

As oil prices collapsed, Kuwait demanded that Iraq repay its wartime debts.

In December, the United States invaded Panama  without rebuke from the UN
Security Council. The Soviet Empire was in chaos, the global pattern of
relationships changing. US War Plan 1002  devised to counter a Russian
threat in the Gulf - was updated, and now posed Iraq as the enemy.

Early in 1990, General Norman Schwarzkopf briefed congress:

"Middle East oil is the Wests lifeblood. [.] It is going to fuel us when
the rest of the world has run dry." [2]

Schwarzkopf advocated a permanent US presence in the Gulf. But in the wake
of Soviet collapse, there were calls to cut military spending. New enemies
had to be found. A white paper was drawn up which identified Iraq and
Saddam Hussein as:

".the optimum contenders to replace the Warsaw pact." [3]

There was just one problem. According to the US Army War College:

"Baghdad should not be expected to deliberately provoke military
confrontations with anyone." [4]

US intelligence indicated that Iraqs desire was to reduce the army and
repay their debts.

But high unemployment made de-mobilisation impossible, inflation on the
dinar was forty percent and rising, and the price of oil continued to fall.



In May 1990, Saddam Hussein protested at Kuwaits continuing overproduction:

"Were it possible we would have endured [] but I say that we have reached
a point where we can no longer withstand pressure." [5]

The Kuwaitis were dismissive, as an American official recalled:

"When Iraqis came and said: Cant you do something about it? the Kuwaitis
said: Sit on it. And they didnt even say it nicely. they were
arrogant...they were terrible." [6]


Charles Allen, the CIAs Officer for Warning predicted that Iraq would
invade Kuwait. His report was shelved.

In a diplomatic offensive, Iraq sent envoys to Arab states until Kuwait
agreed to a summit. On July 10th new quotas were settled. On the 11th,
Kuwait rejected them and announced plans to further increase production by
October. Saddam Husseins patience was exhausted.

[9/63.] Dr. PHOEBE MARR - US NATIONAL DEFENCE UNIVERSITY

I think he came to believe [.] that Kuwait was over-producing oil not in
its own interests but because it was goaded into that by the United States,
in an effort to weaken Iraq.

On July 15th, the Iraqis wrote to the Arab League and the UN Secretary
General listing their grievances; on the 17th Saddam Hussein accused Kuwait
of economic warfare; on the 18th, troops were sent to the border.

Saddam Hussein summoned US Ambassador Glaspie and asked her to clarify the
American position.

"I have direct instructions from the President to seek better relations
with Iraq. [] Our opinion is that you should have the opportunity to
rebuild your country. But we have no opinion on Arab-Arab conflicts like
your border disagreement with Kuwait." [7]

As the crisis escalated, King Hussein of Jordan went to Kuwait to try and
broker a compromise, to be told:

"We are not going to respond..... If they don't like it, let them occupy
our territory..... we are going to bring in the Americans." [8]

As Iraqi forces moved to the front line, the Assistant Secretary of State
was questioned in Congress:

"If Iraq, for example, charged across the border into Kuwait [.] in that
circumstance, is it correct to say [.] that we do not have a treaty
commitment which would oblige us to engage US forces?"

"That is correct." [9]

On the 2nd of August, Iraq invaded.



---------------------------------------

steve
Charles Allen, the CIAs Officer for Warning predicted that Iraq would
invade Kuwait. His report was shelved.

  "War is just a racket ... something that is not what it seems to the
majority of people. Only a small group knows what its about. It is
conducted for the benefit of the very few at the expense of the
masses."  --- Major General Smedley Butler, 1933