The Persian Gulf War
Citing disagreements over territory, oil production limits and money owed, Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990. The United Nations and a coalition of 39 countries, led by the United States, opposed the invasion. In January 1991, after the Iraqi government refused to withdraw, the coalition forces launched airstrikes against Iraq and the occupying forces in Kuwait. Iraqi missiles were fired at Israel and Saudi Arabia. In February, the ground war began. The Iraqi army was defeated after 100 hours of fighting. In March, Kurdish and Shiite uprisings broke out. They were soon crushed by Iraqi forces, and refugees streamed into Turkey and Iran. In April, to protect the Kurds, the coalition set up a "no-fly" zone, banning Iraqi aircraft north of the 36th parallel. A southern no-fly zone to protect the Shiites was established in August 1992.
The embargo and weapons inspections
As part of the formal cease-fire agreement, Iraq agreed to destroy all of its chemical and biological weapons, dismantle its nuclear weapons program, and submit to U.N. inspectors. In September 1991, the first U.N. inspection team entered Iraq, and found evidence that its nuclear weapons program was more advanced than had previously been believed. Iraqi cooperation with the United Nations didn't last long. In 1993, coalition forces hit Iraq with airstrikes twice - once for refusing to remove missiles from southern Iraq, and once in retaliation for a plot to assassinate former President Bush.
In 1994, large numbers of Iraqi soldiers moved toward the Kuwaiti border, but retreated in the face of a U.S. military buildup. In 1997, Iraq barred Americans from U.N. inspection teams, but after Russian mediation they were allowed to return. In 1998, Iraq declared that presidential palaces were off-limits to inspectors. It backed down under threat of force, but inspectors reported that the Iraqis were still not complying. U.N. inspection teams were permanently withdrawn from Iraq in 1998, and the United States and Britain launched four days of sustained airstrikes dubbed Operation Desert Fox.
In January 2002, President George W. Bush called Iraq part of an "axis of evil," and began threatening the use of force to bring about a "regime change" in Baghdad. On Nov. 8, the U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution requiring Iraq to allow weapons inspections or face "serious consequences."
Iraq: Facts and figures
ABOUT IRAQ
Capital: Baghdad
Population: 23.3 million, slightly larger than the population of Texas
Population density: 139 people per square mile
Languages: Arabic (official), Kurdish
Religion: Iraqis are primarily Muslims (Christians and others account for only 3 percent of the population). The country has about 60 percent to 65 percent Shiite Muslims, and 32 percent to 37 percent Sunni Muslims.
Area: About 167,400 square miles, slightly more than twice the size of Idaho
Government: Republic
Leader: President and Prime Minister Saddam Hussein
GDP (2001 estimate): $57 billion
Monetary unit: Dinar
Crude oil reserves (2000 estimate): 113 billion barrels
Industries: Textiles, chemicals, oil refining, cement
Agricultural products: Grains, including wheat, barley and rice; dates; cotton
Military: Army: 424,000; navy: 2,000; air force: 30,000; air defense command (missiles): 17,000; security and border guards: 44,000
Missiles: Short-range missiles of various types, including Scuds, capable of reaching Israel
Nuclear warheads: Not yet
Terrorist links: Sponsors dissident activity overseas and supports various terrorist groups, allowing some to maintain offices in Iraq
Web site:
http://www.iraqi-mission.org
KEY PLAYERS
Biographical information about Saddam Hussein and his family is hard to pin down. No official biography is available for Saddam, and information about his children is spotty. But here are some facts about the family, drawn from various sources:
SADDAM HUSSEIN
Full name: Saddam Hussein al-Tikriti
Born: April 28, 1937, in Iraq's Tikrit District, north of Baghdad
Family: Married Sajida Khairalla in 1963; two sons, three daughters
Education: Student, University of Cairo law school, 1962; law degree, University of Baghdad, 1971
Early years: In 1959, Saddam participated in an assassination attempt on Iraqi Prime Minister Abdul Karim Kassim. He was wounded, and lived in exile in Syria and Egypt for four years. He returned to Iraq in 1963.
Political career: Joined Baath party in 1957; acting deputy chairman, Revolutionary Command Council, 1968-69; deputy chairman, 1969-79; chairman, 1979 to present; president of Iraq, 1979 to present; prime minister, 1994 to present
UDAI SADDAM HUSSEIN
Alternate spellings: Odai, Uday
Born: 1964
Business and political career: Controls Iraqi media, including a major television network and newspaper; runs a militia group; heads Iraq's Olympic committee
Assassination attempt: In December 1996, an assassination attempt failed, leaving him severely wounded.
QUSAY SADDAM HUSSEIN
Alternate spelling: Qusai
Born: 1966
Business and political career: Thought to head Iraq's internal security forces, possibly the nation's Special Security Organization, which interrogates and executes political enemies and their families, and guards Iraq's chemical and biological arsenal
Assassination attempt: In August 2002, Qusay was wounded in the arm during an assassination attempt.
OTHER RELATIVES
Two of Saddam's daughters married brothers, who defected in the mid-1990s and spoke of overthrowing Saddam.
They later returned to Iraq after being assured of their safety. The two men died several days after returning to Iraq in an alleged shootout.
TRIBAL LOYALTY
Tribal identity is strong in Iraq. Much of Saddam's government is made up of members of his family from Tikrit. Many of Saddam's personal protection unit, the Anm Al Khass, come from Tikrit.
Other tribes in Iraq include the Dulain, the Abu Hamdan, Zobeida and hundreds more. Previous Iraqi rulers have tried to crush the tribes, but Saddam has nurtured them, hoping to win their support.