The background to Washington's support of Iraq was the January 1979 popular uprising that overthrew the pro-US Shah of Iran. The Iranian revolution threatened the West's control of oil. This brings us to another aspect of our second question regarding the West's moral track record: the issue of "regime change" in Iraq. What kind of regime would our 'moral crusaders' likely install after the fall of Saddam? Journalists take it for granted that it would be a major improvement. Writing in 1999, John Sweeney
declared:
"Life will only get better for ordinary Iraqis once the West finally stops dithering and commits to a clear, unambiguous policy of snuffing out Saddam. And when he falls the people of Iraq will say: 'What kept you? Why did it take you so long?' (Sweeney, 'The West created a monster. Now it's time to destroy him. As a good liberal, I personally vote for obliterating Saddam', The Observer, January 10, 1999)
That was not quite what the people of Iran cried out when US-supplied armoured cars took to the streets of Iran, Iraq's neighbour, in 1953, deposing the nationalist Mussadiq and replacing him with the Shah. According to then CIA agent Richard Cottam, "...that mob that came into north Teheran and was decisive in the overthrow was a mercenary mob. It had no ideology. That mob was paid for by American dollars and the amount of money that was used has to have been very large". (Quoted, Curtis, op., cit, p.93)
declared:
"Life will only get better for ordinary Iraqis once the West finally stops dithering and commits to a clear, unambiguous policy of snuffing out Saddam. And when he falls the people of Iraq will say: 'What kept you? Why did it take you so long?' (Sweeney, 'The West created a monster. Now it's time to destroy him. As a good liberal, I personally vote for obliterating Saddam', The Observer, January 10, 1999)
That was not quite what the people of Iran cried out when US-supplied armoured cars took to the streets of Iran, Iraq's neighbour, in 1953, deposing the nationalist Mussadiq and replacing him with the Shah. According to then CIA agent Richard Cottam, "...that mob that came into north Teheran and was decisive in the overthrow was a mercenary mob. It had no ideology. That mob was paid for by American dollars and the amount of money that was used has to have been very large". (Quoted, Curtis, op., cit, p.93)