Saddam Hussein
After Ayatollah Khomeni ousted the shah of Iran, Islamic fundamentalism threatened to engulf both Iraq and Kuwait. The U.S. backed Saddam Hussein with weapons and Kuwait lent money to help finance the long and ugly Iraq-Iran war that killed tens of thousands of Iraqis.
Following the truce, Kuwait demanded full repayment plus interest and ignored Iraq’s protest that Kuwait should write off those loans as being its fair share of the cost of the war fought with Iraqi lives to save them.
To help finance repayment, Iraq then demanded the return of the long-disputed border oil fields. When Kuwait refused, Iraq asked the American ambassador what the U.S. would do if Iraq occupied those oil fields? “Nothing,” replied the ambassador--but after that occupation the U.S. prompted the U.N. to declare war.
Why is Saddam vilified? Why are the Iraqis still burdened with the U.S.-U.N. sanctions?
BILL ROSS
Santa Ana
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