Iraqi Arms - weapon scud chemical biological

The Gulf War

Arms build up in Iraq

"It is becoming increasingly clear, that George Bush, operating largely behind the scenes throughout the 1980s, initiated and supported much of the financing, intelligence, and military help that built Saddam's Iraq into the aggressive power that the United States ultimately had to destroy." -- Ted Koppel, NightLine, ABC News 06/09/1992
Before the war the U.S. was a "friend" of Iraq, giving it intelligence on Iran, agricultural credit (which Saddam would convert for other uses), shielding it from criticism at the U.N., even giving it biological weapons. In 1984 when the U.N. confirmed Iraq was using mustard and nerve gasses against Iranian "human wave" attacks in border war, the U.S. State Department issued only a mild condemnation, and went on to restore diplomatic relations with Iraq, in addition to opposing U.N. action against Iraq. In 1988 Iraq used chemical weapons again, against Kurdish minority in Halabjah, but the U.S. continued to maintain agricultural credits with Iraq, and President Reagan even blocked congressional sanctions against Iraq. "Until 1990, Iraq was a very close ally of the United States. Just before Iraq invaded Kuwait.. Bob Dole lead a delegation to Iraq to improve relations, the US approved grain credits of 2 billion dollars to Iraq, and up until the day before the invasion the US was very cozy and everyone is saying Iraq used chemical weapons against the Kurds.. that was in 1988, so for 2 years after Iraq allegeldly used these chemical weapons against the Kurds, the United States continued to coddle Saddam and provide him with everything he needed.. and its well documented now that all of Iraqs military.. was built up with the help of French, British, German, Italian, and US help.. so its no good now going back and saying Saddam Hussein is the problem.. I think he is a problem but he's not the only problem.. And its not either of those governments who armed Saddam Hussein who's suffering.. its not Saddam Hussein who's suffering.. its the innocent Iraqi people.. who.. 1 million of whom have died as a result of sancitons. Now I don't know any example in history where weapons of mass destruction have claimed such a toll, certainly not in Iraq and there are many people who think that those sanctions are a weapon of mass destruciton." - Ali Abunimah

Today (late 1999), Iraq's GDP is 2 percent of the Pentagon (U.S. Military) budget for 1999, and 10 percent its GDP before the Gulf War. But still the U.S. leaders and media, portray it as a monsterous threat to world peace.

Articles:

Made in America by Dennis Bernstein (San Francisco Bay Guardian 02/25/1998)
Hypocrisy Seen in U.S. Stand on Iraqi Arms by Robin Wright (L.A. Times 02/16/1998)
The U.S. vs. Iraq: A Study in Hypocrisy By William Blum (02/09/1998)
Saddam's Anthrax: Made in the U.S.A. (Middle East Realities 03/10/1998) The Maryland origin of Saddam's Anthrax was also admitted by American arms inspector Scott Ritter in a lecture at Brown University, Rhode Island, December 01/1998
The Arming of Iraq. Testimonies and reports.
IRAQGATE: The Big One That (Almost) Got Away Who Chased it -- and Who Didn't by Russ W. Baker (Columbia Journalism Review 03/1993). The Arming of Saddam and other scandals.