Wednesday, August 28, 2013

The History of US Military Middle Eastern Adventures

The Middle East has been an American military play thing for 60 years.

US bombs Libya in 2011.
1953 - Iran
The CIA organizes a military coup to over throw the democratic government of Iran and installs a brutal dictatorship under the pro-American Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The blowback from that adventure are still being felt today.

1957 - Eisenhower Doctrine
Citing "International Communism", President Eisenhower declared that the United States had the right to intervene militarily anywhere in the Middle East that it wishes.

1957 - Syria
A CIA funded coup failed in August when the Syrian Army officers turned the bribe money over and confessed the conspiracy. In September, the US massed 50,000 soldiers on the Turkish-Syrian border, threatening to invade.

1958 -Lebanon
The pro-American Christian President Camille Chamoun of Lebanon was unpopular within his country. The US sent 14,000 troops and a fleet of 70 ships to insure he stayed in power until he could be replaced by another pro-American Christian.

1970 - Jordan
The US Sixth Fleet supports the Jordanian monarchy during a civil war with Palestinians. Reaction by the Soviet Union dissuaded the US from landing troops. Jordan prevailed without US troops. This civil war was the Black September remembered by the terrorists during the 1972 Olympics.

1979 - Afghanistan
US provides military support to Mujahideen several months before the Soviet invasion of the country. The intent is to destabilize the pro-Soviet government in the country. Indeed the goal of the military support was to induce the Soviets to invade and get bogged down in a quagmire.

1980 - Iran-Iraq War
The US urges Saddam Hussein to invade Iran and during the subsequent war provides arms and aid to both sides of the struggle.

1982 - Lebanon
President Reagan sends Marines as part of a "peace keeping" mission that was actually part of a coordinated action with Israel to expel the Palestine Liberation Organization from Lebanon. The Marines retreated after their headquarters were bombed.

1986 - Libya
President Reagan orders the bombing of Libya's two largest cities in retaliation of an explosion in a Berlin nightclub that killed two Americans.

1991 - Kuwait
In 1990 Iraq occupies Kuwait, saying the territory had been stolen from them in 1961 by the British. The US organized a multinational force of nearly one million soldiers to liberate Kuwait the next year. Since then the US has maintained a constant military presence in Saudi Arabia.

1991 - Iraq
After liberating Kuwait the United States urged Kurds and Shi'ites to rebel against the Hussein regime in Iraq. When they did the US stood back and let them be slaughtered.

1998 - Afghanistan
The US bombs Mujahideen camps in retaliation for embassy attacks in Africa. These Mujahideen were the same people, including Osama Bin Laden, who the CIA armed and funded in the 1980's.

2001 - Afghanistan
In retaliation for the 9/11 attacks, the US launches an invasion with the intent of overthrowing the Taliban government (succeeded) and wiping out al-Qaeda (failed).  The occupation and war continues to this day.

2003 - Iraq
In retaliation for the 9/11 attacks that Iraq had nothing to do with, the US launches an invasion with the intent of overthrowing the Saddam Hussein government and establishing a pro-US puppet state.

2008 - Syria
US Special Forces attacked civilians in eastern Syria because they were suspected of helping Iraqi insurgents.

2011 - Libya
US led a coalition of NATO forces that bombed Libyan government facilities in support of the rebels in the Libyan Civil War.

Middle Eastern countries that have been attack by the US in the past year:
Afghanistan - Part of the continuing US military occupation of the country.
Pakistan - Numerous drone strikes.
Yemen - Numerous drone strikes.

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