In the beginning...      [Iraq Track Main Page and Menu]

It is amazing with all the known facts regarding the activities of Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq over the last two decades that any argument still exists as to the necessity of removing this major supporter of terrorism from power. With respect to U.S. national security after the events of September 11, 2001, any president neglecting to eliminate this growing threat would be irresponsible at best. We can debate about how the war is being run. We can complain about planning or troop levels. We mourn our courageous dead as we listen to the constant drumbeat of Bush-bashing from the democrats, the media, lunatic websites, and other clueless opportunity seekers hoping for a U.S. defeat - including former presidents and members of congress. History will prove that in the context of the "big picture" in the War on Terror - or of WWIII as many are suggesting - it was the right move.    Read the following material and be sure to check out all supporting links. Spend the time, get the facts.

Brief Saddam History
Saddam Hussein was born a few miles outside Takrit, Iraq in 1937. His father, Hussein al-Majid, died or abandoned the family shortly after his birth. As a youngster, he was influenced by the anti-western sentiments of the time. In 1957, Saddam joined the revolutionary Baath Party, a radical nationalist movement, after participating in an unsuccessful coup attempt against the monarchy of King Faisal II. King Faisal was soon overthrown in 1958 by army officers led by general Abdul Karim Kassem. In 1959, Saddam and a group of supporters unsuccessfully attempted to assassinate Kassem, and Saddam fled the country to Syria and Egypt. In 1963, General Kassem was assassinated by a group of Baath party army officers, prompting Saddam's return to the country. For several years he fought for more powerful positions, eventually ending up as Deputy Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council in 1968. By 1979 Saddam Hussein rose to the position of president at which point reports say he had many of his political rivals rounded up and killed to ensure his grip on power. In 1980, he launched a war against neighbor Iran that lasted eight years and left hundreds of thousands dead. During this time he ordered chemical attacks against Iraqi Kurds in the north suspected of siding with Iran. Thousands of civilians were killed, creating those now infamous pictures of DEAD CHILDREN IN THE STREET.

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First Gulf War
In August 1990, Saddam Hussein invaded a much smaller neighboring country, Kuwait, over the setting of oil prices, Iraqi debt, and boundary disputes. During this invasion, thousands of Kuwaiti citizens were imprisoned and tortured, with several hundred killed. Iraq officially "annexed" Kuwait, occupying the country for seven months. On August 6th 1990, the United Nations adopted Resolution 661 which imposed severe economic sanctions and trade restrictions on Iraq to cripple its economy and force it from Kuwait. This effort failed, and in January 1991, a U.S. led coalition launched a massive campaign of missile strikes and aerial bombing to force Iraq from Kuwait. In late February, the Iraqi army began pulling out of Kuwait, and on February 27th, U.S. President George H. W. Bush declared Kuwait liberated. On their retreat, the Iraqis set fire to over 600 oil wells, and it is estimated that eight million barrels of oil were spilled into the Persian Gulf. ( It's funny that you didn't hear much condemnation of Iraq from the environmentalists, then or now...) After the ceasefire, Iraqi Shiites in the south and Kurds in the north were given U.S. encouragement and promise of support for an uprising and possible coup against the Saddam Hussein regime. Unfortunately, no American support arrived, and these two groups were brutally crushed by the remaining loyal Iraqi military. No-fly zones were established in the north and south to protect these people from aerial attacks. There is on going debate over the U.S./UN decision to allow Saddam Hussein to remain in power at that time.

Read supporting source articles for the first Gulf War: