going to war with iraq 1998 bill clinton signs the “iraq liberation act”.- regime change becomes...

7
Going to War with Iraq 1998 Bill Clinton signs the “Iraq Liberation Act”.- Regime change becomes official U.S. policy nuary 2001 ddam’s removal becomes top priority of Bush’s national security tea August 2001 Bush received a briefing with the title: “Bin Laden determined to strike in the U.S.”. ptember 11, 2001 Quaeda attacks the United States.- Within hours Donald Rumsfeld as s aides to see whether or not the evidence is good enough to hit ddam Hussein at the same time as Osama Bin Laden.

Upload: gwen-hunt

Post on 14-Jan-2016

214 views

Category:

Documents


2 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Going to War with Iraq 1998 Bill Clinton signs the “Iraq Liberation Act”.- Regime change becomes official U.S. policy January 2001 Saddam’s removal becomes

Going to War with Iraq

1998

Bill Clinton signs the “Iraq Liberation Act”.- Regime change becomes official U.S. policy

January 2001

Saddam’s removal becomes top priority of Bush’s national security team.

August 2001

Bush received a briefing with the title: “Bin Laden determined to strike in the U.S.”.

September 11, 2001

Al Quaeda attacks the United States.- Within hours Donald Rumsfeld asks his aides to see whether or not the evidence is good enough to hit Saddam Hussein at the same time as Osama Bin Laden.

Page 2: Going to War with Iraq 1998 Bill Clinton signs the “Iraq Liberation Act”.- Regime change becomes official U.S. policy January 2001 Saddam’s removal becomes

July 2002

Scott Ritter, former UN Chief Weapons Inspector, stated that “while we were never able to provide 100% certainty regarding the disposition of Iraq’s proscribed weaponry, we did ascertain a 90-95% level of verified disarmament.” Later he added that “the CIA knew this … and they definitely knew that Iraq represented a threat to no one when it came to weapons of mass destruction.” Still, the current government tried to sell the war to the American people.

September 2002

Condoleezza Rice makes her infamous statement that “we don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud" based on an alleged Iraqi purchase of uranium from Niger. Documents supporting this claim are later identified as forgeries.

Page 3: Going to War with Iraq 1998 Bill Clinton signs the “Iraq Liberation Act”.- Regime change becomes official U.S. policy January 2001 Saddam’s removal becomes

January 2003

Hans Blix states that weapons inspectors had not “found any smoking guns”. President Bush repeats the false claim that Iraq tried to purchase uranium from Niger to develop nuclear bombs.

February 2003

Colin Powell presents the government’s case for war at the UN and says that ”what we are giving you are facts and conclusions based on solid intelligence”.

November 2002

The UN Security Council passes UN Resolution 1441 designed to force Iraq to give up all weapons of mass destruction. In the following months weapons inspectors search throughout Iraq.

Page 4: Going to War with Iraq 1998 Bill Clinton signs the “Iraq Liberation Act”.- Regime change becomes official U.S. policy January 2001 Saddam’s removal becomes

March 20, 2003

The United States and the United Kingdom attack Iraq in what will be known as “Operation Iraqi Freedom” (although it was almost called “Operation Iraqi Liberation” based on the act of 1998. Why the change?

No weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) were ever found, but hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians were killed.

March 17, 2003

George W. Bush states that “intelligence gathered by this government leaves no doubt that the Iraqi regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised.” The UN weapons inspectors’ request that said intelligence be made available for verification went unanswered. Not able to persuade the Security Council that Iraq poses a threat, the US and the UK withdraw plans for a new UN resolution that would back military action.

Page 5: Going to War with Iraq 1998 Bill Clinton signs the “Iraq Liberation Act”.- Regime change becomes official U.S. policy January 2001 Saddam’s removal becomes

Questions

Who declared in 1992 that it was wise not to invade Baghdad and “get bogged down in the problems of trying to take over and govern Iraq”?

Who said in 2000 that “if we are an arrogant nation, they will resent us. If we are a humble nation, but strong, they will welcome us”?

How many U.S. soldiers have died in the Iraq war thus far?

How many U.S. soldiers have been maimed for the rest of their life?

How much money has the war in Iraq cost us thus far?

Dick Cheney

George W. Bush

About 4,500 as of January , 2012

Perhaps up to 100,000?

$ 802 billion and counting

Last but not least, how many Iraqis have been killed in Gulf War I and II?

We may never know, but estimates range from a minimum of 115,000 up to 750,000

Page 6: Going to War with Iraq 1998 Bill Clinton signs the “Iraq Liberation Act”.- Regime change becomes official U.S. policy January 2001 Saddam’s removal becomes

The Ground Truth?

Wedding portrait of a Marine who had been burned severely over much of his body during his service in Iraq.

The costs of geopolitics , lies, and the silence of nations of “patriotic” sheep …

So, why exactly DO we fight?

Is this the “New American Century” American citizens can identify with?

Page 7: Going to War with Iraq 1998 Bill Clinton signs the “Iraq Liberation Act”.- Regime change becomes official U.S. policy January 2001 Saddam’s removal becomes

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." George Santayana