Subgroup 3: Legacy & Universe
Obligation
Subgroup 2: Genocide Roots
Kurdish Genocide Numbers and Statistics
- 180,000 killed
- 10,000 injured
- 90% of villages were destroyed
- 70% of those who dissappeared were battle-age males
- 1,754 schools destroyed
- 270 hospitals destroyed
- 250 towns exposed to chemical weapons
Us vs. Them
- Iraqi Regime under Saddam Hussein vs. Kurdish Region of Iraq
Recycling Propaganda
- The iraqi used the same propaganda that they used in the Iran-Iraq war.
- "As each phase of the operation triumphed, its successes were trumpeted with the same propaganda fanfare that attended the victorious battles in the Iran-Iraq War”
Ethnic Roots
- Kurdish were known for being nomadic
- Kurds declined the land offered in the Treaty of Serves - 1920
- Treaty of Laussane split Kurds up into four regions amongst Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Iraq - 1923
Concentration "Complexes"
Innocent child attacked at Halabja.
- The Kurds who survived the attacks were forced out of their homes and into concentration/resettlement camps.
- Those who survived the mass killings there were relocated to other camps.
Driven by Politics
- Iran-Iraq War - 1980-1988
- Iraqi Kurds allied with Iran
Religious Rationales
- While religion was not a main factor of the genocide, it was used as a crutch to justify actions and drive groups apart
- Al-Anfal Campaign was named after a chapter in the Qur'an, implying religious justifications
One-sided Battle: War Based Justification
- Iran-Iraq War ends in stalemate in 1988
- Kurdish Genocide justified by Kurd's betrayal
- Common Iraqi desire to make up for lives lost in the unsatisfying Iran-Iraq War
Al Anfal Campaign Phase I:
Halabja
- Halabja killed at least 5,000 through use of chemical warfare.
"Chemical Ali"
•Cousin of Saddam
•aka Ali Hassan al-Majid
•Secretary General of the Northern Bureau of the Baath Party
•Crimes against humanity
Saddam Hussein
•Dictator of Iraq
•Mastermind behind campaign
•Forcibly removed Kurds from their homes
•Targeted his own people
•Desire to monopolize rich oil and water resources
•Ordered Chemical Ali to carry out the Al-Anfal Campaign
Reasons
"The Promised Land"
1. The Iran-Iraq and acts of genocide were combined
- The ICC claims these acts were a part of the war effort and not actually genocide
2. An international tribunal is not established in Iraq
- Court does not hold jurisdiction over the crimes committed
3. America's involvement in the war
•August 1920- Paris Peace Conference
•Kurds offered the promise of independence
•Reality: left to carve out country of other nations
•Spatial Extent: Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria
Subgroup 1: History, Background -Information & Identity
ICC & Prosecution
Political Power
• Kurdistan Regional Government
• 20% of Iraqi parliament
• Saleh, Zebari, Talabani
• Changing demographics in government
Iraqi Business
• Rich natural resources
• Exxon and Chevron
• Job market
• Financial power
- ICC is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for war crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity, and crimes of aggression
- The ICC did not prosecute Iraq for the act of genocide
- Although Suddam Hussein was tried in an Iraqi court for crimes against humanity
http://www.wnpt.org/productions/nextdoorneighbors/kurds/survival.html
Post Saddam Iraq
Rebuilding Iraq
Cultural Advances
• Kurdish as a national language
• Loyalty
• Strength
• Influenced by Kurdish interests
• Masoud Barzani and Jalal Talabani
• Federalism
o Protection
• Representative government
Introduction (Al-Anfal Campaign)
Kurdish Genocide
Before Genocide
- America supported plan for Kurdish democracy in the 70s
- but then switched to support Iraqi government for economic reasons
- Beginning of Iran-Iraq war
•Campaign initiated in 1988
•Goal: crush Kurdish independence
•Military campaign that involved 8 main phases
Background Info: The Kurds
America's role in the genocide
•Fourth largest ethnic group without its own nation
•Left to carve out a living in other people's countries
•Shattered dream
•Continuous quest for independent nation
- Supported Iraqi government during genocide
- Sold Iraq chemical weapons used at Halabja
- Actions during genocide part of bigger diplomatic scheme
After Genocide
- blamed Halabja on Iraq
- September 11th destroyed any relationship with Iraq
- use of Halabja and Kurdish genocide against Saddam Hussein
Iranian journalists at Halabja
By Alex Ku, Anthony Chan, Emma Reynolds, Annie Tasto, Shya Chand, Tanvi G, Rameen D