| Description | Folder of presscuttings, telex reports and other documents relating to the events leading up to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in August 1990, beginning with reports in the Baghdad Observer and other media on Saddam's address to the nation on 17 July 1990, the 22nd anniversary of the July Revolution, in which he attacked Kuwait and UAE of betraying Iraq through economic sabotage of its oil production. There follows the text of a seven-page response by Kuwait's Foreign Minister (and later Emir), Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, further statements by Iraq Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz, reports on the military escalation in the Wall Street Journal and Financial Times, an article in Time magazine on Iraq's actions within the context of OPEC oil prices and regional production, a 23-page typed Press Release from the Iraqi Embassy in London entitled 'The Political Background to the Current Events' (12 September 1990) which includes an account of historical developments going back to the 19th century with discussion of Britain's role in recognising Iraq-Kuwait borders. An article by Laurence Marks from The Observer (February 1991), 'Iraq was Churchill's awkward invention', examines critically the story of Britain and France's 'carve-up' of the Middle East in 1921, while an earlier Guardian article 'Baghdad and the blind eyes' (November 1990) argues that the West had ignored warning signals about Iraq's intentions in the region. Telex reports from Reuters journalist Bernd Debussman comments on the significance of Persia's romantic history for Saddam's attitude towards other countries - a theme also considered in a book review of Samir Khalil, 'The Republic of Fear' (1990) and a Guardian article 'Vulnerable Society ripe for Cracking' (January 1991.) Other articles providing critical histories of the region include Kendal Nezan, 'Time for Britain to repay its debt to the Kurdish people' (1990), Robert Kaplan, 'Iraq: a History of Splits and Turbulence' (1991), a discussion of how the Gulf War threatens ancient archaeological treasures, and M.E. Yapp, 'The history that was hijacked' (1990). There is also a book review from 'La Monde' (August 1991) discussing three French books on Iraq, and a distressing Guardian report from Tahrir Hospital in Basra in the wake of Allied bombing in January 1991, 'Whitewash and bloodstains' by Ed Vulliamy. |