Road to 9/11 and Beyond

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The U. S. Foreign Policy

• Road to 9/11 and Beyond

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Role of U. S. in Foreign Wars

• Iraq war (Iraqi Freedom)
• AfghanistanTaliban
• Iraq Persian Gulf War(Desert Storm)
• Iraq/IranWar
• Afghanistan/Soviet War

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Operation Iraqi Freedom Current Military Action
2003 -
Reasons To UN for the invasion of Iraq

• Iraq violated several UN resolutions (16)
• Weapons of Mass Destruction
• Saddam Hussein is a tyrant who must be removed
• Iraq has a history of employing WMDs on
  neighbours

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Gulf War 1990 - 1991 Reasons for Iraqi Invasion

• Iraq had long considered Kuwait to be a part of
  itself. (The old Babylonian Empire)
• With Iraqs unsuccessful invasion of Iran, it
  thought Kuwait was an easy target
• Iraq claimed that Kuwaiti oil rigs were illegally
  tapping into Iraqi oil fields.

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US policy during Gulf War

• A week before the war broke out, US ambassador
  April Glaspie met Hussein and told him
• We have no opinion on your Arab - Arab
  conflicts, such as your dispute with Kuwait.
  Secretary (of State James) Baker has directed me
  to emphasize the instruction, that the Kuwait
  issue is not associated with America.

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US policy during Gulf War

• US changes its position abruptly, and condemns
  Iraqi invasion
• US launches offensive, defeats Iraq stopping at
  Bagdad
• Saddam is allowed to stay in charge to avoid
  sectarian violence.
• Forced to disarm his weapons and comply with UN
  restrictions (Reason we invaded in current war.
  He did not comply with all restrictions)

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Iran Iraq War 1980 - 1988

• US backs Saddam. Iraq had a secular government
  and saw him more moderate and easy to work with.
  
• To fight the Iranian Khomeini regime who created
  a Islamic theocracy taking over our US embassy
  and keeping American hostages over 400 days.

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US supports Iraq throughout the Iran-Iraq War

• US approves sale to Iraq of 5 Boeing Jetliners
• Removes Iraq from its list of nations supporting
  terrorism
• Washington extends 400 million credit guarantee
  for US exports to Iraq
• CIA establishes direct Washington-Baghdad link to
  provide military intelligence
• US condemns Iraqs use of chemical weapons but
  doesnt support any Council action against Iraq

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Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan 1978 - 1988

• 1979 Soviet Union invades Afghanistan
• 1980 Soviet establishes puppet regime (gov.
  run by Soviets)
• 1986 US begins supplying Mujahideen Stinger
  missiles, enabling them to shoot Soviet
  helicopters (Osama bin
• Ladens Group)
• 1988 Soviet Union begins pulling out troops
• 1996 Taliban seize control of Kabul,
  introduce hardline
• Islamism
• 2001 Following 9/11, US invade Afghanistan,
  take out Taliban

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CIA Coordinating In Afghanistan

• CIA supplied
• Assault rifles, grenade launchers, mines and SA-7
  light antiaircraft weapons, tons of C-4
  explosives, long-range sniper rifles, anti-tank
  missiles
• Extensive satellite reconnaissance data of Soviet
  targets, military plans, Communications devices,
  targeting devices directly links to US-Navy
  satellites

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Osama bin Laden and the Taliban

• One of the first non-Afghan volunteers to join
  the ranks of the mujahideen was Osama bin Laden.
  Osama was from Saudi Arabia.
• Bin Laden recruited about 4,000 volunteers and
  worked closely with the CIA
• In 88, with U.S. knowledge, bin Laden created Al
  Qaeeda, a group of Islamic terrorist cells spread
  across at least 26 countries
• In 94, a new group, the Taliban (Pashtun for
  "students"), emerged.
• The Taliban swept across most of the exhausted
  country finally capturing Kabul 1996 US aware of
  Talibans policies.

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• U.S. support for Taliban continues until 98,
  when Washington blames Bin Laden for the bombing
  of the U.S. embassies in Kenya
• Taliban's refusal to extradite bin Laden- not its
  atrocious human rights record- led to UN-imposed
  sanctions
• Following 9/11, US launches war against its
  former allies, overthrows the Taliban and
  establishes a democracy in Afghanistan.
• Plans to uphold UN resolutions to invade Iraq

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