Blowback A CIA term meaning, the unintended consequences of foreign operations that were deliberately kept secret from the American public. So when retaliation comes, the American public is not able to put it in context to put cause and effect together. How did 9-11 change American foreign policy? 9-11 gave a group of people who are committed to expansion of the American empire a reason and an opportunity to implement their plans militarily. The Bush Doctrine Doctrine of foreign policy that stresses: Preemptive strikes against potential enemies Military primacy Democratic regime change What does Gore Vidal believe the reasons were for why the US dropped the atomic bombs on Japan? To change the balance of power in the world To show off to and frighten Stalin To declare war on communism What does Bill Kristol believe is the great threat for the future of the world? The great threat for the future is not American power; it would be American weakness or American withdrawal. 1
What did President Eisenhower warn the US of in his farewell address? A permanent armament industry The Military-Industrial Complex. The Military-Industrial Complex Policy and monetary relationships between the military, defense industry, congress, and think tanks. These relationships can include political contributions, political approval for defense spending, lobbying to support bureaucracies, and beneficial legislation and oversight of the industry. What are some connections between US actions in the Middle East since the 1950s and our most recent war in Iraq? Let me tell you a little story The Iranian people democratically elected Dr. Mohammed Mossadeq to be Iran s Prime Minister, who s administration nationalized the AIOC in 1953. 2
Everyone, meet Dr. Mossadeq: Do y all know what nationalized means? Yeah, well the British government was none too pleased about this. And neither was the government of the United States. And so the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) engineered a coup to oust Dr. Mossadeq and overthrow Iran s nationalist government. The CIA was successful. 3
A government friendly to Western interests was re-installed under the control of the Shah, who became increasingly autocratic. The Shah was kind of a jerk. Jump forward a few years Many Iranians were none too pleased about this, as you might be able to imagine. The continued economic and cultural influence of the West and the repressive nature of the Shah's regime led to the Iranian Revolution of 1979. What started as popular revolution against the Shah by people from all walks of life, including everyone from communists to islamists, eventually became co-opted by the islamists, culminating in the establishment of an Islamic Republic. 4
The Shah was overthrown and exiled, and the new Islamic Republic of Iran was established, led by the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Everyone, meet Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini: Also a jerk. But he had a sweet beard! Then, starting in 1980 CE, Iran fought a war with Iraq that lasted until 1988 CE. The US openly supported Iraq throughout the war, supplying Saddam Hussein with several billion dollars worth of economic aid, technology, weaponry, intelligence and training. 5
But (and this is kind of a big but ) the US not-so-openly supported Iran in some ways too. (it is weird and complicated let me try to explain) Before the Shah was overthrown, the US had been supplying Iran with weaponry and intelligence. In fact, in 1979, before the Shah was ousted, the US warned Iran that Iraq was about to invade. Also (and this is the weirdest part) the Reagan administration covertly sold arms to Iran during the war and then secretly used that money to fund militias in Nicaragua the Contras. But that s a whole other story known as the Iran-Contra Affair. Overall, since the Iranian Revolution, US relations with Iran have not been so great. But through understanding our history, we can now begin to understand why. 6
The US government and the Saudi royal family have been kickin it since about 1933 CE. The two are still on relatively good terms today. Meanwhile Here s, yet, another part of the story: we turn a blind eye to Saudi Arabia s repressive government. They want our money; we want their oil. And as long as that oil is flowing But there is hope, as many women are fighting for equal rights in Saudi Arabia. Anyway 7
Suffice it to say, the US and Saudi Arabia have had a relatively stable relationship. (built entirely around oil) So when our old buddy, Saddam, invaded Kuwait in 1990, the Saudi royal family welcomed the US troops we stationed their to fight our old buddy. (A few Saudi s were none to pleased about US troops being stationed in the holy land. We ll come back to this later on in the story.) 1990 1991 CE, the First Gulf War Iraq wanted to annex Kuwait (for their oil) The US wanted to defend Kuwait (for their oil) and also to stop Iraq so that Saddam (who used to be our buddy) wouldn t endanger our allies in Saudi Arabia (again, oil). But wait, lets stop for a second. 8
Why is oil so important? OK, back to the story. THERE IS STILL SO MUCH TO TALK ABOUT! We haven t even talked about these guys yet Afghanistan s mujahideen: A pro-soviet government took power in Afghanistan in the late 1970s CE. Many Afghans were none to pleased about this. So they organized a resistance movement. At this point, the Soviets attempted to quash the resistance. 9
Which is when the US CIA began funding, arming, and training the mujahideen. This war in Afghanistan lasted through the 1980s CE, and was followed by a civil war in the 90s. We HAD to! I mean, come on! Yep! This dude: I bet you can t guess who was funded, armed, and trained in part by the US CIA during this conflict Osama bin Laden was from a wealthy Saudi family. Remember this, the First Gulf War? After fighting with the mujahideen he founded Al-Qaeda. He was a religious fellow with very extreme views. 10
Yeah, well bin Laden was none too pleased when the US stationed troops in Saudi Arabia the holy land to fight Saddam. This was a formative event in his life that helped to inspire his contempt for the West in general and the US specifically. And we all know what he helped do: And, of course, after that we invaded Afghanistan. 11
US War in Afghanistan, 2001 CE present. But we didn t stop there! Oh no. US War with Iraq (Second Gulf War) 2003 CE-? We also invaded Iraq. The war with Iraq is now over (supposedly) yet we are maintaining a force of private contractors that numbers at least 16,000 plus the largest embassy in the world: 12
What are some connections between US actions in the Middle East since the 1950s and our most recent war in Iraq? Why? That s what we re trying to figure out right now. 1953 overthrow of Mohammed Mossadeq in Iran by CIA Installation of the Shah s repressive regime in Iran Iran s revolution in 1979 brought the Ayatollah to power violently anti- American We then supported Saddam in Iraq in his fight against Iran This is why cynics in Washington say, we know Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, we have the receipts. Saddam invades Kuwait in 1990, we were scared he d invade Saudi Arabia as well We stationed troops in Saudi Arabia to fight Saddam Osama bin Laden resented Saudi Arabia for letting US station troops there and despised the US for invading the holy land Fear of losing power in Saudi Arabia led to more desire to take out Saddam to ensure control over Iraq s oil supply (second largest reserves) What are Think Tanks? Organizations that conduct research and engage in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profits, but some are funded by the government, advocacy groups, or businesses. What was one major influence the think tank, The Project for a New American Century, had on US foreign policy? They were designers of and advocates for the Bush Doctrine long before G. W. Bush was president Remember this dude? Bill Kristol The great threat for the future is not American power; it would be American weakness or American withdrawal. What were the reasons given by US political leaders for why the US needed to invade Iraq? Weapons of Mass Destruction Involvement in 9-11 Liberation of Iraqi people What landmark event took place on February 15, 2003? Largest international protest in world history Over 10 million people from all over the world protested the US going to war with Iraq before the war even began Were US political leaders entirely honest about their reasons? 13