The Gulf Crisis and New World Order — Page 369
The Gulf Crisis & The New World Order was also aware of Iraq's genocide against the Kurds, massive human right violations, and illegal diversion of U. S. agricultural loans to buy arms. The last accusation includes charges that Bush tried to cover up the loan diversions in violation of U. S. laws. And during this period, assert critics, the administration lied to Congress over its secret aid to Iraq and blocked efforts to impose sanctions on Bagbdad. . . . . . . . The U. S. originally urged Saddam to invade Iran in 1980. At the same time, the U. S. and Israel covertly sold $5 billion of arms to Iran. When Iraq appeared to be losing the war, the U. S. intervened massively to save Iraq and its then ally, Kuwait, from being overrun by Khomeini's armies. After the war, the U. S. continued to arm and finance Iraq as a counterweight to militant Iran. . . . . . . . The Bush administration knew well that desperate Iraq bad a plan to seize part of Kuwait's oil fields along the Iraqi border. As tensions mounted between Iraq and Kuwait, the U. S. ambassador to Baghdad informed Saddam that Washington "took no position in Arab border disputes. " The U. S. was clearly giving Saddam the green light to go ahead and grab part of Kuwait. . . . . . . The embarrassed administration now concedes its past policy towards Iraq was a mistake. But was it? America's long-term Mideast strategy is to prevent any state, except Israel, from becoming too powerful. S o the U. S. aided and encouraged both Iraq and Iran to first fight one another to exhaustion, then finally helped Iraq to beat Iran. Saddam was built up until be got too strong. Then, be was undone by Desert Storm. In the end, the Mideast remained in pieces while the U. S. reigns supreme over the region. The Democrats, smelling blood may manage to bit the administration with criminal charges - and before the elections. But they may not stick. After all, Bush was continuing the standard Mideast policies of his predecessors: Divide, promote tumult - and rule. " 369