nuasownon am roam a uunm SIX muuwsm a|.unns|:sr rmsommmcoumms "P 'i"TtE' » ~"f' ‘ ‘\ 4% , J“ W ym;.~u- »~ glhlkigsu L » “ End of War?. 2; Understanding the Gulfwu 3;AWn=B\d!tonGnml Illusions 13; ‘L Muslims my againstlmperialism. .. 1s;M=u§»§s$ mum.“ . .. 1s';1>m}>Léuv¢s T1 oftheGu1fWa!. .19;WhntCanWe Do‘?. 22;Letwrs. 23;T1mku'sQuest for Peace and ~ Unity. .. 31;O1nent Concerns. .. 36;Thinking Allowed. .. 40. 2: . THE ULFWAR All the articles on the Gulf war were written before the middle of February, with the exception of 'End of War '. This is because of the constraints that a monthly magazine like ours has to work with. Nonetheless, the editorial board hopes that the articles will enhance our understanding of what has been happening in the Gulf region and in West Asia. -EDITOR END OF WAR? t tbe time of writiD&. adlfted? If the United States' cootrol cml' puts of Iraq • lnq .. wilhdmriDI ,.. aim - a it il obrioas aow a leftw to force a c.... of A hm Kawail. It ila - il dle dellncdoa of the J0ft1111MDt Ill ....... Or, uz? till withdrawal. Tbere il lnqi mlitlry lpplntul ad Weawn coatrol Oftl', aad .. c r 11 n... n. 1Jiaimd sa.• tbe emaculadoa of rr.ideat occupatioll of, &aq may be dollaot wat a ce•eftre. Wdem au.ela't ........... Uled to coen:e other West JtWIDtltbe .... tOJOOL It ..... il ewry....,. that A.-..... - ..,....By the II ftiY c1ea' that the lJDitecl it wll coatillae the wu. Tbe IDclepeDdeat....u.decl ODel - ...... pw_.tWIJ DOt US.W cc.Udoa may try to iato acapdq .... repoaal .... ..,...... ........ ....... c:oatrol.,... ... leCidy ltrUct1n wltll tile ....a&aql.....-. ad the rest of Souda Iraq . Uaited Slates. ita falcrum. We doa'11mow wllat wll Tbere IN)' be IOIDe •rt of After an. ... 't tile ...... after dail. ODce Iraq occupatioD of Iraq for a ............t of a _..IICW'ity .......... campletly wldle Tbe Ualled Statll ... atrudln - of tile primlry ,._ bwlit wlllaodltiel hlalllelmaywatto .. ollju:..... of tbe Uaited .... to • _., W?l tbe w ........, 'JII'OieCUtiat .....·to-tiiiWOidtof Prnideat Iaiit? wm there be ,._... hal otber powedul ...... ....., .... Soriet UJdDa. ... die Iraqi ............, to accept aad ..,l_tIll die odw UN ......__._.... by wllicll aD the II ....,ladoal lpllt,.. lteloludoa 660? If r.q II folad to accept tile edller --a.doal, wllat wiD be die co~ ~Mall Iraq acceptl ... tbe CIAIL.a ......._ ........... ~ UN .....do• w!l die UDited IODIEI FROM A BAGHDAD IHELTER AFTER A HIT BY U1 ................ be ~·= Gl•• the ......... of the us. the .... libly continue. 2 States in the Golf war? tbird stroftltlt military in the - especially iD the last 41 Whatever it is, the United world - apart from beiDa the days - the United State$ States and its allies can be ODiy auclear power in the and itJ aWes llhould eXJ*f sure that there will be no whole of West Aaia? political instability and sqdal pace and stability in West Aslo11111 the United tensions for a lona whiJe to Alia, if lnq's military is States and ita allies are engaged come, repdle• of whether destroyed or itsleadenhip in this game of double Sadclan Huaaien is in power .humiiated. Cm the United standards and hypocrisy there or not. States hope to get away with will be w.idespreacl resentment What this means is that the datruction of tbe Iraqi and hatred towards them in even if the actual w• ends nUiitlry when it has actively Wat Alia. After what bas soon, there will be no peace eacOUfltled the pwtb of the happened in that part of the in West Asia. For there caa lmeli Milled forces iato the world in the bit 7 months be no peace without justice. 0 Understanding the Gulf War ... 1) Aliran, it is said, is pro-Saddam Since there is a great about this since it needed all the in the Gulf War. deal of confusion and money it could get for the We are neither pro-Saddarn nor misunderstanding about the economic and social reconstruction anti-Saddam. When Saddam Gulf War, CHANDRA of the country, following its eight­ year war with Iran. Hussein invaded Kuwait on 2 MUZAFFAR has tried August 1990, we joined the rest of to clarify issues through Iraq also accused Kuwait of the world in condemning him. No stealing oil from the Rumaila oil­ a question and answer field. Most of this oil-field is in country has the right to invade format. or annex another country. We Iraq. It has been alleged that the abhor the use of force in inter-state relations. Aliran has continued to criticise the occupation of Kuwait US TROOPS IN A MOCK and demanded the withdrawal of ATTACK: The Gulf War is not Iraqi forces from Kuwait. about getting rid of a dictator. 2) Isn't lnq's invasion of Kuwait an example of unprovoked aggression? It is not accurate to describe the invasion as "unprovoked aggression". Since 1988, a major economic conflict had been brewing between Kuwait and Iraq. The Iraqi government had accused Kuwait of deliberately pushing down the price of OPEC oil through overproduction. It has been estimated that oil-exporting countries in West Asia might have lost billions and billions of dollars as a result of low petroleum prices. Iraq in particular was very unhappy s revenue from this theft was used by Kuwait to help fmance Iraq during its 8-year war with Iran. This was what piqued Iraq when Kuwait demanded settlement of its debts after the war ended! Whether these allegations are true or not, the conflict between Iraq and Kuwait had been discussed at a number of bilateral and regional meeting~ since July 1988. In fact, there was a meeting in Jeddah between Iraq and Kuwait on 30 July 1990, two days before the invasion, but the deadlock could not be broken. It is interesting that even the Los Angeles Times - Washington Post in an article reproduced by the STAR on 22 January 1991 states 'Kuwait was over-producing; and when the Iraqis came in and said, "Can't you do something about it?" the Kuwaitis said, "Sit on it." And they didn't even ment not only refused to recognise And the United States, as its say it nicely. They were nasty Kuwaiti independence but even record in the last 45 years shows, about it. They were stupid. They attempted to invade Kuwait in is quite happy to give wholehearted were arrogant.' that year. In the early seventies, support to dictators and destroy So serious was the quarrel it revived discussions on Kuwaiti democratically-elected leaders. between the two states that sovereignty but to no avail. Didn't the United States support Saddam Hussein complained to This shows that the Iraq-Kuwait Sygman Rhee in South Korea? the then American Ambassador conflict has a certain background Wasn't it an ardent defender of in Baghdad on 25 July 1990 that to it which goes beyond the oil Ngo Din-Diem in South Vietnam? Kuwait was ''waging economic dispute of the last few years. It And what about its loyalty war against Iraq." He had hoped does not of course justify Iraq's to Ferdinand Marcos of the that the United States government, invasion and annexation of Kuwait. Philippines till almost the very as Kuwait's patron, would be able But it does nail the lie about end? Isn't it true that for a long to prevail upon the Emirate to 'unprovoked aggression'. while the United States supported change its attitude. General Pinochet in Chile - one of The deterioration in Kuwaiti­ 3) Whatever the provocation, the the most barbaric dictators in lraqi relations since 1988 should fact remains that the United recent history? These are just however be placed within the States had to get rid of a a few examples. The United States context of the latter's long­ dictator. After all, the United has been patron and protector standing territorial claim over the States is the champion of of countless bloodthirsty dictators former. Kuwait which was part of democracy. in Asia, Africa and Latin America. the province of Basrah was carved The Gulf War is not about What is worse, when it suits out by the British colonialists getting rid of a dictator. If Saddam its interests, the United States and established as a separate is a dictator, who is the Emir of government has had no qualms protectorate when Basrah and two Kuwait? Is the United States about eliminating democratically­ other provinces were integrated to restoring a democracy in Kuwait? elected leaders. Didn't it bring form Iraq. Before the eight-year It is not very well known that a down Chaddi Jagan of Guyana? war began in 1980, Iraq (except Parliament with very limited What did it do to Salvador Allende for brief periods in its history) powers was arbitrarily dissolved of Chile? Didn't the United never really accepted Kuwait as by the Emir when an MP asked States under Ronald Reagan an independent state. Right an innocent question about the and then George Bush create through the thirties there were telephone bill of one of the Kuwaiti conditions which de-stabilized the constant demands by the Iraqis princes. Kuwait, before the invasion democratically-elected Ortega to return Kuwait to them. The was nothing more than a feudal, government in Nicaragua? British resisted these demands and authoritarian state where the AI­ The United States government' finally granted independence to Sabah ruling family exercised does not care whether its ally is Kuwait in 1961. The Iraqi govern- absolute power. a dictator or its foe is a democrat.