Knowledge Tree
Relations (1)
related 4.00 — strongly supporting 15 facts
George H.W. Bush's administration directed U.S. foreign policy toward Iraq, ranging from providing financial support and dual-use technology during the Reagan years {fact:10, fact:11} to orchestrating the military response and rejecting diplomatic negotiations following the invasion of Kuwait {fact:3, fact:7, fact:12, fact:14}.
Facts (15)
Sources
The Persian Gulf TV War by Douglas Kellner (http://www.gseis.ucla ... pages.gseis.ucla.edu 15 facts
claimDouglas Kellner claims that major U.S. newspapers, news magazines, and television networks failed to criticize or debate the wisdom of the George H.W. Bush administration's decision to deploy troops to Saudi Arabia.
claimJim Hoagland assumed that Iraq planned to invade Saudi Arabia and that only a military blow from President George H.W. Bush could prevent this.
perspectiveDouglas Kellner argues that President George H.W. Bush could have prevented the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait by directly contacting Iraq or making a public statement warning Iraq of the consequences of invading its neighbor.
claimThe George H.W. Bush administration decided early in the crisis to use military force to resolve the conflict with Iraq, effectively abandoning serious consideration of a negotiated settlement.
accountThe London-based Mideast Mirror reported that King Hussein of Jordan brought a peace proposal from Iraq to President George H.W. Bush, in which Saddam Hussein expressed willingness to negotiate a withdrawal of Iraqi troops from Kuwait, provided that U.N. sanctions were lifted and the U.S. military buildup in Saudi Arabia ended, with the exception of the restoration of the al-Sabah clan in Kuwait.
claimAccording to Salinger and Laurent (1991) and Emery (1991), Iraq sought to negotiate a deal to resolve the Gulf crisis, but the Bush administration refused to negotiate.
claimDouglas Kellner claims that the George H.W. Bush administration exaggerated the number of Iraqi troops in Kuwait and the threat to Saudi Arabia to scare the Saudis into accepting U.S. troops and to justify the U.S. military buildup and eventual military action.
claimDuring the Reagan administration, Vice-President George Bush intervened to secure over $5 billion in controversial loans to Iraq and advocated for the export of dual-use technology to Iraq that had military applications.
claimThe George H.W. Bush administration used mainstream media to manufacture an Iraqi threat to Saudi Arabia, thereby legitimizing the deployment of U.S. troops in the region.
quoteNoam Chomsky (1990) criticized the U.S. media's portrayal of George Bush's reaction to Iraq's August 12, 1990, peace proposal, stating: "Television news that day was featuring a well-staged presentation of George Bush the dynamo, racing his power boat, jogging furiously, playing tennis and golf, and otherwise expending his formidable energies on important pursuits, far too busy 'recreating' (as he put it) to waste much time on the occasional fly in Arab garb that he might have to swat. As the TV news clips were careful to stress, the President's disdain for this irritant was so great that he scarcely even broke his golf stroke to express his contempt for what the anchorperson termed Hussein's 'so-called offer,' not to be regarded as 'serious.' The proposal merited one dismissive sentence in a news story on the blockade in the next day's New York Times."
claimJim Hoagland urged President George H.W. Bush to take urgent and forceful military action against Iraq to save his presidency.
claimIn a Washington Post column titled 'Bush and the Beast of Baghdad,' Mary McGrory urged President George H.W. Bush to bomb Iraq following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.
claimThe Bush administration dismissed Iraqi peace offers because President George H.W. Bush demanded the unconditional withdrawal of Iraq from Kuwait.
claimThe United States government, under George Bush, prioritized protecting Saudi Arabia and Israel and preventing Iraq from wielding political influence or controlling oil prices in the Middle East.
claimIn October 1989, nine months before Iraq invaded Kuwait, George Bush signed a top-secret directive ordering closer ties with Baghdad and authorizing $1 billion in loan guarantees to finance Iraq's purchase of U.S. agricultural products.