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Radio War Nerd #344 — Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait, with Aamer (Patreon)

Published:
2022-08-31 17:49:17
Imported:
2023-06

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Content

Guest: Aamer 

Recorded: August 29, 2022

Aamer returns to talk about Saddam Hussein's 1990 invasion of Kuwait, which Aamer's family lived through. First we discuss the invasion & occupation. After the break Aamer explains the origins of "the little fort" and the Sabah family, and traces the relationship between Kuwait and Iraq through the 20th-c.

Map & Photos:

*Map of invasion

*Battle of the Bridges

Previous episodes with Aamer:
-The Grand Mosque Seizure (EP #298)
-Inglorious Qataris' Bustards (EP #279)
-Bahrain (EP #268)
-Arab Conquests Series:
--Arab Conquests, Part I: Pre-Islamic Arabia to Muhammad (EP #246)
--Arab Conquests, Part 2: Rise of a New Empire (EP#249)
--Arab Conquests, Part 3: From Khorasan to Egypt (EP #251)
--Arab Conquests, Part 4: Reign of Ali to Battle of Karbala (EP #255)

Total time: 1:49:49

Direct link to this episode's mp3 here 

Files

Comments

Jordan Velasco

I was hoping for Partition pt 2 but Aamer is a pleasant surprise. One of the funniest guests

William

Happy birthday RWN - they haven't shut you down yet

Cameron Young

Really solid episode, part 2 on the end of the occupation and the US entering the war would be interesting

xnfec

That was really good. Lots I didn't know before so might need a second listen. Iraq trying to join the league of nations has parallels with John trying to get wifi. Related to the previous episode, I came across this review in the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/aug/30/ghosts-of-empire-what-kwasi-kwartengs-book-tells-us-about-him Apparently, Kwasi Kwarteng, a UK Cabinet minister who is in line to be the next chancellor, wrote a book about the empire. I'm not planning on reading it but his views, according to my reading of the review, seem at odds with his party. Apparently there is a "Nanny" story there too. And a correction that he went to Cambridge rather than Oxford.

Doug Cartel

noriega was hitler, saddam was hitler, kim was hitler, putin is hitler, oops all hitlers

Doug Cartel

it is still incredibly insane to me that the Call of Duty video games unironically tried to blame the Highway of Death on Russia

David Andrews

Aamer is a great guest and this was an interesting topic. I did want more on how this war was sold to the American people who still think it was extremely noble.

nick dee
>>90767200

i remenber playing it and i was legit shocked. i felt insulted

SJ

Maybe Saddam misinterpreted April Glaspie's obvious "we have no opinion" shrug-off none-of-our-beeswax comments, lol, like Putin misinterpreted Biden's Jan 2022 ok-ing a "minor incursion" by Russia in the Ukraine's east. The parallels of a relatively weak provocateur, loads of private financial interests, manipulative US govt messages, a faltering US-led capitalist/imperial system in desperate need of refocus and legitimization, hysterical "Western" media and sledgehammer PR machines, noble-plucky David vs neo-Hitler Goliath narrative, incensed Congressmembers and moral panics, meticulously scripted "international community" (US and friends, inc the UN) response are pretty clear. But what a difference, or is there one?, 30 years makes between Kuwait/Iraq vs The Ukraine/Russia and Taiwan/China. The stakes seem even higher, and the outcome today seems far more likely to go against US declared interests. Thirty years ago, the US empire was run by comparatively smooth operators who were enjoying the USSR collapse and the final dissolution of the international left, and now, it's a near-entirely delegitimized and demented gerontocracy of social darwinistic hedonists and nihilists. The US empire is still vastly superior to its opponents in military and media terms, but what were its distant grand horizons 30 years ago look more like a rapidly approaching cliff these days.

Kevin Hickey
>>90767871

I was 11 at the time and I remember a lot of ppl on tv saying it was basically to exorcise the ghosts of Vietnam and defeat.

Anonymous
>>90832406

"The US empire is still vastly superior to its opponents in military and media terms" Media, yes, Military? That is far less clear, and was very murky to being with. The USA was able to fight the PLA to a status quo stalemate in Korea in '53. And MacArthur was desperate to use nukes so the USA could win. Does the USA really have a prayer against the PLA today, without going nuclear?

Evan Scott
>>90767871

Bit obvious but have you listened to Blowback? The first season goes into great detail about that

Anonymous

I was a child in Qatar at the time, and something I remember is the huge fear in Qatar that Saddam, once Kuwait had been captured, would continue rolling right down the eastern seaboard of Saudi and into Qatar, capturing the oil and gas fields for use as bargaining chips to hold onto Kuwait with. Not sure how rolling through Shiia east Saudi would have gone, but am sure it wouldn't have been much harder than Kuwait given the distance from Jeddah and Riyadh. Would have been a massive over extension of forces, but given the actual outcome of the Kuwait invasion, probably not a worse idea than driving into Kuwait City and staying there. Early memories of being evacuated after a few bombs landed around Doha. And being issued a gas mask by the British Embassy. My dad carried a bottle of ammonia and a hatchet with him at all times "because imagine the gas comes down, and you're stood next to someone without a gas mask. What do you think they're going to do."