So what exactly would you be prepared to die for?

Former Member

The reason he was a key ally is because he was prepared to do the dirty work for the US- namely the use of force against Iran.

He wasn't the only key ally in the region of course, or the biggest- that honour falls to Israel- but it is still correct to state that brutal dictator Saddam Hussein was a key ally of the US for many years and that he Americans supported him and gave him weapons and WMDs.

Incidentally, what dual use exactly do agents such as mustard gas, sarin, tabun, and VX have???

Methinks you're falling for the Washington propaganda machine a bit there. The Americans supplied weapon-grade chemical agents to Iraq with the sole purpose of being used as WMDs. Let's be clear about that.

Former Member

Without wishing to be cynical I've never seen any reputable source for direct supply of gas to Iraq, though I've seen a lot of sites repeat it as if it as gospel. There's isn't a doubt that dual-use was supplied by the US amongst others, including Germany etc.

Of course even if the US supplied WMD it could also be painted as the US looking to clear up its mess, whilst the Germans shrugged and went 'its not like its anything to do with us.'

But to be fair a lot of arguments on the US and Iraq seem to be either circular or happily twist whichever evidence to say the US is always the bad guy..

eg the circular
Anti-war activist 'The US supported Saddam'

Me 'Why do you say that?'

AWA - 'Because he supplied them with weapons'

Me - 'But what evidence do you have for that?'

AWA - 'The evidence is.... that the US supported Saddam'


or the other argument is:

The USA supplying country x with more weapons than the USSR means that x was a US client.

The USSR supplying county y with more weapons than the USA still means that country y is a US client.

Former Member

Iraq, although officially non-aligned, had a friendly relationship with the Soviet Union for much of the '70s - that all changed with the invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, which soured relations to the point where the Soviet Union refused to deliver weapons that Iraq had already paid them $1 billion for.

It was then that the US was only too happy to cozy up to Iraq, under the same "my enemy's enemy is my friend" policy that saw them offer so much support to Osama Bin Laden.

Former Member

Voodoo Ray wrote:

Iraq, although officially non-aligned, had a friendly relationship with the Soviet Union for much of the '70s - that all changed with the invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, which soured relations to the point where the Soviet Union refused to deliver weapons that Iraq had already paid them $1 billion for.

It was then that the US was only too happy to cozy up to Iraq, under the same "my enemy's enemy is my friend" policy that saw them offer so much support to Osama Bin Laden.

Given that following the Shah's fall Iran became one of the major supporters of various elements of the Mujahdeen wouldn't it also have been in the USSR's interests to stop a state which was basically killing there soldiers and in term to have a relationship with one of that states main enemies.

And whilst I have no doubt there may have been short term sulks the Soviet Union was still providing significant amounts of weaponary to the Iraqis after 1980.

Former Member

i'd die to protect my personal freedoms,

Former Member

NQA wrote:

Given that following the Shah's fall Iran became one of the major supporters of various elements of the Mujahdeen wouldn't it also have been in the USSR's interests to stop a state which was basically killing there soldiers and in term to have a relationship with one of that states main enemies.

Yes - at the time, good relations with Iraq were desirable to both the Soviet Union and the United States, which is why both countries went about seeking them.

There wasn't much in the way of ideals or morality involved in anybody's dealings with Iraq in the '70s and '80s, just a hard-nosed protecting of various countries' strategic interests, and to bring the thread lurching back to its original topic, certainly nothing worth taking a bullet in the face for!