The United Nations, the United States, and Iraq: Are we going to war? :: Essays Papers

The United Nations, the United States, and Iraq: Are we going to war? This paper was originally written over a week before the due date. As it was edited, events unfolded that may not be reflected in the following paragraphs. Printing the paper for final submittal, I can’t help but feel that it is not finished. Today seems to be a pivotal moment in the conflict with Saddam Hussein. Iraq is located in Western Asia, between Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan, Turkey, and Iran. 95 percent of its 23 million inhabitants are Muslim, with a 5 percent Christian minority. The official language of the State is Islam while ethnically the population is made up of Arabs, Kurds, Aramaic, and Azerbajanes. Between 1534 and 1918, Iraq was part of the Ottoman Empire. Afterwards, it was occupied by the British, until its independence in 1930. In 1958, the monarchy in place was overthrown and the Republic was established. In 1963, the Baas party assumed power until Saddam Hussein’s election in 1979. Between 1980 and 1988 the Iran-Iraq war ensued. Further turmoil followed when Hussein’s dictatorship invaded Kuwait in 1990, thus originating the Gulf War. The United States reacted by launching Operation Desert Storm, between January 17 and February 29, 1991, with the support of Egypt, Syria, Morocco, and other Arab States. The end of the war was marked by Kuwait’s liberation, the instatement of international sanctions on Iraq, and the implementation of an embargo on that has proven devastating to the Iraqi people. Saddam Hussein, on his part, has resorted to repressing all types of opposition (including, among others, Kurds and Shiites). The result is a tense relationship between Baghdad and the United Nations. From an economic standpoint, Iraq holds significant power because it is the second country in the world in oil reserves. Members of the UN Security Council that support military intervention see this approach as a way to keep Hussein from threatening to gain control of other countries in the Gulf and thus their oil. These countries want to protect oil deposits in the Arabian Peninsula while keeping Hussein from using weapons of mass destruction. By removing Saddam Hussein from power and implementing a democratic regime in Iraq, the United States also aims to eradicate what it considers to be a terrorist-harboring State. The United Nations, the United States, and Iraq: Are we going to war? :: Essays Papers The United Nations, the United States, and Iraq: Are we going to war? This paper was originally written over a week before the due date. As it was edited, events unfolded that may not be reflected in the following paragraphs. Printing the paper for final submittal, I can’t help but feel that it is not finished. Today seems to be a pivotal moment in the conflict with Saddam Hussein. Iraq is located in Western Asia, between Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan, Turkey, and Iran. 95 percent of its 23 million inhabitants are Muslim, with a 5 percent Christian minority. The official language of the State is Islam while ethnically the population is made up of Arabs, Kurds, Aramaic, and Azerbajanes. Between 1534 and 1918, Iraq was part of the Ottoman Empire. Afterwards, it was occupied by the British, until its independence in 1930. In 1958, the monarchy in place was overthrown and the Republic was established. In 1963, the Baas party assumed power until Saddam Hussein’s election in 1979. Between 1980 and 1988 the Iran-Iraq war ensued. Further turmoil followed when Hussein’s dictatorship invaded Kuwait in 1990, thus originating the Gulf War. The United States reacted by launching Operation Desert Storm, between January 17 and February 29, 1991, with the support of Egypt, Syria, Morocco, and other Arab States. The end of the war was marked by Kuwait’s liberation, the instatement of international sanctions on Iraq, and the implementation of an embargo on that has proven devastating to the Iraqi people. Saddam Hussein, on his part, has resorted to repressing all types of opposition (including, among others, Kurds and Shiites). The result is a tense relationship between Baghdad and the United Nations. From an economic standpoint, Iraq holds significant power because it is the second country in the world in oil reserves. Members of the UN Security Council that support military intervention see this approach as a way to keep Hussein from threatening to gain control of other countries in the Gulf and thus their oil. These countries want to protect oil deposits in the Arabian Peninsula while keeping Hussein from using weapons of mass destruction. By removing Saddam Hussein from power and implementing a democratic regime in Iraq, the United States also aims to eradicate what it considers to be a terrorist-harboring State.