 |
|
 |
|
The United States and Iraq: Choices & Predictions This lesson looks back at the history of U.S. relations with Iraq in order to better understand U.S. objectives today. It asks students to focus on critical choice points occurring In the history of U.S. policy initiatives on Iraq. By attempting to predict U.S. policy choices, students not only gain an understanding of what actually led to today's crisis, but also perceive that there were real policy alternatives available and are encouraged to think about why there were roads not taken. Students may be disturbed to learn much of this information, which has been omitted or overlooked in the typical media portrayals of U.S.-Iraqi relations. Invite students to reflect on why this information is not common knowledge and encourage students to find alternative sources of information. The lesson will take two to three class periods. Materials Needed:
Suggested Procedure: 1. Inform students that they will examine critical choice-points faced by U.S. leaders. Students will predict how the U.S. responds in each case, and explain the likely rationale of U.S. leaders. Tell students that they will learn later what the real decisions were. 2. Put students in groups of three, and distribute copies of U.S. Government Response Options. Go through the options, and make sure they understand each one. For instance, you may need to explain economic sanctions as policies prohibiting the world community from exporting certain products to, or importing specified products from, the target country. 3. Distribute copies of Iraq Situation #1 . Students discuss this situation in groups and individually write their group's prediction and the likely reasons for it. Students share their group's answers and rationale with the large class. 4. Distribute Iraq Situation #s 2-10 following the same procedure, making predictions for each situation, writing and sharing before moving on to the next one, until students have made predictions for all ten situations. (This can take one and a half to two class periods.) 5. After students have finished all ten problems, distribute copies of The U.S. and Iraq: Discussion Questions. Go over the questions, explaining that they will need to write responses in preparation for the discussion. You may choose to have students write longer pieces on only one or two. You may also choose to have them discuss before they write. 6. Distribute copies of U.S. Government Actual Responses on Iraq. As you read them together out loud, tell students to highlight and take notes on essential information to help them on the writing assignment. After sharing each response, briefly have a few students compare the real decisions with their predictions. 7. Students write on Discussion Questions for homework. Use questions to guide a discussion. You may later wish to use these questions to generate persuasive essay topics after the film. This lesson was prepared by Hyung Nam, a teacher in Portland, Oregon. A version appears at the "Teaching About the War" site of Rethinking Schools. Reprinted by permission. U.S. GOVERNMENT RESPONSE OPTIONS Predict how the U.S. government will respond in each case and explain the likely reasons for its decisions. The range of possible options can include one or more of the following, in varying degrees and combinations:
IRAQ SITUATIONS #1-10 NOTE TO THE TEACHER: Pass out each situation separately and allow students to complete each one before handing out the next one. Situation #1: (1982 )Iran-Iraq War Iraq is now in the second year of war against Iran, its neighboring country. An Islamic revolution recently overthrew the Shah, the King of Iran, who was supported by the U.S. State Department and C.I.A. U.S. officials are concerned that if Iran begins to dominate the region, "anti-American extremist" Shiite-Muslim factions could spread to pro-U.S. oil-rich countries such as Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Some U.S. officials are considering taking Iraq off the list of sponsors of terrorism, while many in Congress object. The U.S. might begin to sell weapons to Iraq in order to prevent Iranian power and influence in this region. What will the U.S. government do? Review the U.S. Government Response Options and predict how the U.S. government will respond. Explain in writing the likely reasons for its decision. Situation #2: (1983) Iraq Uses Chemical Weapons Against Iran Donald Rumsfeld, President Reagan's special envoy (who will later become Pres. George W. Bush's Secretary of Defense), meets with Saddam Hussein. Rumsfeld knows that Saddam has been working on nuclear weapons. In 1984 Rumsfeld meets again with Saddam right after reports that the Iraqi military has been using chemical gas against Iranian soldiers to stave off defeat. (The use of chemical weapons was outlawed by the 1925 Geneva Protocol as weapons of mass destruction.) Some members of the U.S. government want to allow Iraq to buy equipment including computers, "dual-use" chemicals (usable for civilian or military purposes), anthrax bacteria, and helicopters. They also consider giving satellite information to Iraq to aid them in their fight against Iran. How will the U.S. government respond to reports of chemical weapons? Review the U.S. Government Response Options and predict how the U.S. government will respond. Explain in writing the likely reasons for its decision. Situation #3 (1988) Iraq Uses Banned Weapons on the Kurds Saddam orders his military to drop bombs with poisonous mustard gas, sarin, vx gas and tabun against the Kurds (an ethnic minority group) in northern Iraq. Saddam's cousin in the government known as "Chemical Ali" says, "Who is going to say anything? The international community?" Many officials in Congress, the State Dept. and White House are concerned about Saddam's use of banned weapons. The U.S. Senate considers a resolution that proposes sanctions against Iraq. What will the U.S. government do? Review the U.S. Government Response Options and predict how the U.S. government will respond. Explain in writing the likely reasons for its decision. Situation #4 (July 1990) Iraq Threatens Kuwait Saddam Hussein accuses neighboring Kuwait of drilling $2.4 billion worth of Iraqi oil at the border between Iraq and Kuwait while Iraq was locked in war with Iran and also accuses Kuwait of bringing down the international price of oil by over-selling. Iraq argued that this practice caused its treasury to lose billions of dollars while its war debt mounted. Saddam calls this an "economic war" against Iraq and demands $10 billion in compensation, threatening war with Kuwait. The Kuwaiti government ignores these demands and Saddam amasses troops at the border. The U.S. government sees Kuwait as a friend in the region. Saddam checks to see what is the U.S. stance on his threat to invade Kuwait. The U.S. Ambassador, April Glaspie, responds, "We're watching you. We're concerned about the bellicose statements that you've been issuing. But our fundamental feeling is that we have no direct vested interest in Arab-Arab disputes, including the dispute that you're having with the Kuwaitis over the mutual border that you share." Will the U.S. help settle the conflict to help maintain peace in the Middle East? Will they clearly warn Saddam not to invade? What will the U.S. government do? Review the U.S. Government Response Options and predict how the U.S. government will respond. Explain in writing the likely reasons for its decision. Situation #5 (August 2, 1990) Iraq Invades Kuwait The Iraqis walk out on talks when the Kuwaitis refuse to meet their demands. Saddam Hussein's army invades Kuwait. The United Nations Security Council and the Arab League immediately condemn the Iraqi invasion. Four days later, in Resolution 661 the Security Council imposes an economic embargo on Iraq that prohibits nearly all trade with Iraq. Iraq responds to the sanctions by annexing [taking over] Kuwait on August 8, prompting the exiled Kuwaiti monarchy to call for a stronger international response. With control of Kuwait, Saddam has control of one-fifth of the world oil supplies. If Saddam were to continue to invade into Saudi Arabia, he would have control of 40% of the world's oil. Saddam indicates that he is willing to negotiate a withdrawal from Kuwait in exchange for his demands. Arab countries want a chance to mediate in order to resolve the conflict peacefully. Many American citizens are wary of another war, after the experience of Vietnam. There are many in Congress who also question the idea of going to war. Will the U.S. try to negotiate a diplomatic solution or prepare to go to war against Iraq's invasion? What will the U.S. government do? Review the U.S. Government Response Options and predict how the U.S. government will respond. Explain in writing the likely reasons for its decision. Situation #6 (Jan. 17, 1991) Iraqi Water and Electrical Facilities Targets The U.S. is leading a coalition in a war to make Saddam's troops retreat from Kuwait. Iraq's infrastructure for clean water, sanitation and electrical power is an essential life-support system for the country. The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency considers the strategy of extensively bombing Iraqi infrastructure, predicting a huge impact on Iraqi civilians with children being the most in danger of sickness and death from diarrhea and acute respiratory infections. Comprehensive post-World War II government studies had concluded that "the dread of disease and hardships imposed by the lack of sanitary facilities were bound to have a demoralizing effect upon the civilian population," and that there was a "reliable and striking correlation between the disruption of public utilities and the willingness of the German population to accept unconditional surrender." Will the U.S. government attack Iraqi water and electrical facilities? Review the U.S. Government Response Options and predict how the U.S. government will respond. Explain in writing the likely reasons for its decision. Situation #7 (Jan. 1991) Depleted Uranium The United States and Great Britain prepare to attack Iraq in order to force Iraqi troops out of Kuwait. There is a new and powerful weapon at their disposal: tank and rocket shells made in part from depleted uranium 238, a metal 1.7 times more dense than lead. These shells can pierce armor - including tanks. In fact, they cut through armor "like a hot knife through butter." The problem with this weapon is that depleted uranium creates a fine, aerosol-like, radioactive and chemically toxic dust. And it doesn't ever go away; it has a half-life of 4.5 billion years. U.S. military studies indicate that use of depleted uranium 238 on the battlefield could lead to cancers of the lung and bone, kidney damage, non-malignant lung disease, neuro-cognitive disorders, chromosomal damage and birth defects. Use of depleted uranium shells could not only contaminate Iraqi soldiers and Iraqi and Kuwaiti civilians, it could also poison the tens of thousands of U.S. and British troops who will attack the Iraqi military after depleted uranium shells have been used. Will the U.S. military use depleted uranium shells and warn the troops and equip them with special masks to avoid contamination? Will they use the shells and not warn the troops? Will they not use depleted uranium weapons? What will the U.S. government do? Review the U.S. Government Response Options and predict how the U.S. government will respond. Explain in writing the likely reasons for its decision. Situation #8 (March 1991) Shiite-Kurd Rebellion Iraqi troops have now retreated from Kuwait. Shiites in southern Iraq and Kurds in the north rebel against Saddam, trying to overthrow him. If Shiites in Iraq gain power, they could join with Shiites in Iran and strengthen their influence in a region that has a majority of the world's remaining oil reserves. Will the U.S. support the rebels or allow Saddam to smash them? What will the U.S. government do? Review the U.S. Government Response Options and predict how the U.S. government will respond. Explain in writing the likely reasons for its decision. Situation #9 (1998) Sanctions Hurt Civilians United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) releases a report indicating that the sanctions (started in 1991 to pressure Iraq to disarm its weapons of mass destruction) have resulted in the deaths of over half a million Iraqi children (5,000 per month). 250 Iraqis die each day as a result of the sanctions. After almost 8 years of sanctions, Saddam Hussein has not met all requirements to disarm. Iraq's national economy had declined to one-fifth of its size in 1979, but Saddam continues to rule and maintain his many palaces while Iraqi civilians suffer. Conditions in Iraq include untreated sewage, no clean water, shortage of food and medicine, and highly inflated prices for everything. According to the Geneva Conventions, civilians are not to be targeted in war or economic sanctions. What will the U.S. government do? Review the U.S. Government Response Options and predict how the U.S. government will respond. Explain in writing the likely reasons for its decision. Situation #10 (1998-2002) No-Fly Zone The U.S. and Britain (France withdrew from this coalition), without United Nations authority, have been patrolling and bombing in "no-fly zones" in Iraq. The U.S. and Britain say that they patrol these regions to protect the lives of minority groups that Saddam might threaten. The U.S. and Britain engage in almost daily attacks on Iraqi anti-aircraft emplacements. They launch major bombing episodes in response to alleged significant movements of Iraqi armor in border areas. U.S. and Britain allow pilots to strike any part of the Iraqi air defense system, not just those directly targeting U.S./British aircraft by firing on them or by "locking on" radar detectors to U.S./British planes. The result is up to 5 tons of bombs dropped on Iraq per month with 144 civilians (members of minority groups in the region) killed and 446 injured in 1999 alone. Critics say the bombings violate the United Nations Charter by using military force to allegedly "police" illegal "no-fly" zones that have never been authorized by the U.N. Security Council or by the U.S. Congress. Will the U.S. continue to enforce these "no fly zones?" What will the U.S. government do? Review the U.S. Government Response Options and predict how the U.S. government will respond. Explain in writing the likely reasons for its decision. U.S. GOVERNMENT ACTUAL RESPONSES ON IRAQ Situation #1: (1982) The Iran-Iraq War The Reagan-Bush administration took Iraq off its list of countries that support terrorism, and sold weapons despite heated objections from some members of Congress. Situation #2: (1983) Iraq Uses Chemical Weapons Against Iranians The U.S. State Dept. news release said, "The United States strongly condemns the prohibited use of chemical weapons wherever it occurs." However, the official condemnation was not backed by any action. The U.S. State Dept. also added that the U.S. "finds the present Iranian regime's intransigent refusal to deviate from its avowed objective of eliminating the legitimate government of neighboring Iraq to be inconsistent with the accepted norms of behavior among nations." More importantly, the U.S. government:
In private, the U.S. considered "any major reversal of Iraq's fortunes as a strategic defeat for the West."(National Security Defense Directive 114 and sworn affidavit from former National Security Council official Howard Teicher) Rumsfeld did not criticize Saddam when he met with him but only mentioned in passing to the Iraqi foreign minister that Iraq's use of chemical weapons "inhibited" U.S. efforts to assist Iraq. Situation #3: (1988) Saddam Uses Banned Weapons Against the Kurds The White House under Ronald Reagan and George Bush blocked the Senate resolutions for sanctions. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Murphy wrote, "The U.S.-Iraqi relationship is . . . important to our long-term political and economic objectives . . . We believe that economic sanctions will be useless or counterproductive to influence the Iraqis." Michael Dobbs reported in the Washington Post (12/30/03) that Iraq's gassing of the Kurds "provoked outrage on Capitol Hill and renewed demands for sanctions against Iraq. The State Dept. and White House were also outraged - but not to the point of doing anything that might seriously damage relations with Baghdad. "Although US arms manufacturers were not as deeply involved as German or British companies selling weaponry to Iraq, the Reagan administration effectively turned a blind eye to the export of "dual use" items such as precursors for chemical weapons and steel tubes that can have military and civilian applications. In December of 1988, Dow Chemical sold $1.5 million of pesticides to Iraq which could be used as chemical warfare agents." Situation #4: (July 1990) Iraq Threatens war against Kuwait According to Iraqi transcripts - there were no official U.S. transcripts of the meeting - the U.S. government maintained the stance that the U.S. did not have an opinion on Arab-Arab conflicts. Ambassador April Glaspie disputed parts of the Iraqi transcript but admitted that a "great deal" of it was accurate. However, beyond this one disputed meeting, the U.S. made no public warnings against Saddam's actions in late July. The U.S. prepared for war if Iraq invaded and, in July, the Pentagon was busy running its computerized command post exercise, initiated in late 1989 specifically to explore possible responses to "the Iraqi threat" - which, in the revised war plan 1002-90, had replaced "the Soviet threat" - the exercise dealing with an Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. At the war games exercise at the Naval War College in Newport, RI, participants were also being asked to determine the most effective American response to a hypothetical invasion of Kuwait by Iraq. Situation #5: (August 2, 1990) Iraq Invades Kuwait The U.S. government allowed only 48 hours for Arab mediation and agreed to only one brief attempt at negotiation in January 1991 (one week before war). The U.S. convinced Saudi Arabia to allow the U.S. to amass over 200,000 troops for war against Iraq. In November, the U.S. led the UN Security Council to pass a resolution demanding that Iraq withdraw unconditionally by Jan. 15 or face a U.N. military action. President George H.W. Bush appealed to the American people, "Our jobs, our way of life, our own freedom and the freedom of friendly countries around the world will suffer if control of the world's great oil reserves fell into the hands of that one man, Saddam Hussein." Situation #6 (Jan. 1991) Iraqi Water and Electrical Facilities Targeted The U.S. military destroyed Iraq's infrastructure. Over 100,000 air missions dropped 88,000 tons of bombs (equivalent of seven and a half Hiroshimas) in 42 days resulting in an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 immediate civilian deaths and over 100,000 dead troops. The Pentagon admitted later that non-military facilities had been extensively targeted for political reasons. A U.S. Air Force planner during the Gulf War said, "Big picture, we wanted to let people know, ÔGet rid of this guy and we'll be more than happy to assist in rebuilding. We're not going to tolerate Saddam Hussein or his regime. Fix that, and we'll fix your electricity." On February 15, Saddam offered to withdraw from Kuwait and follow all U.N. resolutions, but President Bush rejected his offer as a "cruel hoax." Situation #7 (Jan. 1991) Depleted Uranium The U.S. did use (and is still using in the current war in Iraq) depleted uranium. According to Dr. Helen Caldicott, writing in the Baltimore Sun, by the end of the Gulf War, the United States left between 300 and 800 tons of depleted uranium 238 in anti-tank shells and other explosives on the battlefields of Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. 696,628 U.S. troops served in the Gulf War I - 183,629 filed for service-related disabilities. It's unknown how many of these may have been caused by exposure to depleted uranium.
President of National Gulf War Veterans Resource Center, Paul Sullivan, reported, "More than 436,000 U.S. troops are confirmed to have entered into those areas of radioactive toxic waste. And sadly, some soldiers camped in areas contaminated by depleted uranium radioactive toxic waste for up to two months without any idea, without any warning at all." Basra Cancer Professor Dr. Anuar Abdul Mehsen said, "If we compare the mortality rate, that is the number of patients who die because of cancers, in 1988, we had only 34 patients who died because of cancer. But in 1998, we recorded 428 patients who died because of cancer. Cancers that normally affect elderly people, now they are seen in younger age groups. I have a patient who has cancer of the ovaries who is 11 years old." Situation 8: (March 1991) Shiite-Kurd Rebellion U.S. and Coalition forces stopped the fight against Iraqi forces in southern Iraq and did not go after Saddam in Baghdad. The U.S. also allowed Saddam to use armed helicopters to kill the rebels. Situation 9: (1998) U.N. Sanctions Hurt Civilians The U.S. did not push for the removal of sanctions. Instead, the U.S. led the U.N. in maintaining sanctions. The U.S. determined which products were allowed to enter Iraq. Medicines and chlorine needed to treat drinking water were banned as dual-use chemicals. The U.S. said that Saddam Hussein's lack of cooperation was the real cause of extending the sanctions and increasing the suffering of the Iraqi people. Situation #10 (1998-2002) No-Fly Zone The U.S. and Britain continued the no-fly zones, saying that the purpose was to protect the ethnic groups. They blamed Saddam for locating military equipment near civilians. Sources of Information William Blum Killing Hope: US Military and CIA Intervention Since WWII "Iraq 1990-1991: Desert Holocaust" reprinted in http://members.aol.com/bblum6/iraq2.htm Washington Post 12/30/02 "US Had Key Role in Iraq Buildup" Michael Dobbs reprinted in http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/iraq/saddam/2002/1230buildup.htm Newsweek/MS NBC 9/23/02 "Supporting Saddam: The US Helped Build Up the Leader It Now Seeks to Oust" Christopher Dickey and Evan Thomas reprinted in http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/iraq/attack/2002/0923monster.htm National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 82, "Shaking Hands with Saddam Hussein: the U.S. Tilts toward Iraq, 1980-1984", http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB82/ (Has links to declassified documents and photo and video clips of Rumsfeld shaking Saddam's hand.) Frontline: Gulf War (transcript) http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/gulf/script_a.html OPLAN 1002 Defense of the Arabian Peninsula (Information on U.S. military objectives and planning In the Middle East before Gulf War I) http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/oplan-1002.htm Institute for Policy Studies, "Detailed Analysis of October 7 Speech by Bush on Iraq printed in http://www.commondreams.org/views02/1009-10.htm Steven Zunes Foreign Policy in Focus Special Report #12 - The Gulf War: Eight Myths http://www.fpif.org/papers/8myths/index_body.html Iraqjournal.org, "The Saddam in Rumsfeld's Closet" Jeremy Scahill available on http://www.commondreams.org/views02/0802-01.htm Hidden Wars of Dessert Storm (film transcript) http://www.hiddenwars.com Sarah Graham-Brown and Chris Toensing, Middle East Research and Information Project, "Why Another War? A Backgrounder on the Iraq Crisis, 2nd Ed." http://www.merip.org/iraq_backgrounder_102202/iraq_background2_merip.pdf The U.S. and Iraq: Discussion Questions Review your predictions and the actual outcomes of each situation and answer the following questions referring to specifics to prove your point. 1. Has U.S. policy on Iraq been consistent or inconsistent? If consistent, what is the common thread that ties it together? If inconsistent, how do you account for the inconsistencies? 2. What do you think are the consequences of U.S. policy in Iraq from 1982-1998:
3. Discuss the quote from Assistant Secretary of State Richard Murphy that "The U.S.-Iraqi relationship is . . . important to our long-term political and economic objectives." What were U.S. political and economic objectives in the Middle East? 4. Former U.S. Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, once said: "Oil is too important a commodity to be left in the hands of the Arabs." What does that reveal about U.S. political and economic objectives? 5. Pick 2 or 3 of the choices the U.S. government made and discuss why you agree or disagree with those decisions. 6. Discuss the U.S. decision to use depleted uranium and to bomb water and electrical facilities. Is this a case of the end justifies the means? Is it OK to knowingly harm civilians in war? 7. What do you think about Saddam Hussein being given assistance by the U.S. while he was using "Weapons of Mass Destruction?" Why do you suppose the U.S. government criticized his past use of Weapons of Mass Destruction to justify the current war if they turned a blind eye during the period he was actually using them? 8. How do U.S. government decisions of the past help you understand the current war? 9. What questions do you have that are raised by the information in this lesson?
You can also download the Bowling For Columbine TEACHER'S GUIDE
Welcome to the Bowling For Columbine TEACHER'S GUIDE. The lessons and activities in this GUIDE are designed to help students develop critical thinking skills, historical analysis, and open their minds on many universal issues. The individual units may easily be adapted to many levels and taught across the curriculum - Social Science, [History, Civics, Psychology, Sociology, Political Science] Language Arts, [English, Writing, Poetry], Humanities, Drama/Theatre, Film, ESL, Media/Journalism, Speech/Communications... You can review the guide page by page on the website, download a PDF of each section or the whole guide. So, go do that magic we call education! And, be sure to share, share, share! We would love to hear from you. Send your feedback or ideas to share with other educators to: teacher@michaelmoore.com. Click here for the full, chapter by chapter Bowling For Columbine TEACHER'S GUIDE
|
Table of Contents 2. General questions for class discussion or written essays 4. More in-depth questions for discussion or essays by topic 5. The United States and Iraq: Choices & Predictions 7. Silent Discussion of Fahrenheit 9/11 10. Thinking in Pictures, Feeling in Words 11. What is Terrorism? Who are the Terrorists? 13. Acknowledgements and Contributors
|
 |
|
