Bowen: Trump has called for an Iran uprising but the lessons from Iraq in 1991 loom large
Bowen: Trump has called for an Iran uprising but the lessons from Iraq in 1991 loom large
Three decades ago, I witnessed firsthand the fallout of a U.S. president urging an uprising while offering minimal backing. The event unfolded in February 1991 at a Patriot missile plant in Massachusetts, where the first Gulf War’s cutting-edge weaponry was being assembled. That speech by George H.W. Bush, delivered during the initial phase of the conflict, left a lasting mark on my memory. Today, as Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu echo similar rhetoric toward Iran, the echoes of that past decision feel eerily familiar.
At the time, the coalition’s air forces were decimating Iraqi forces and their cities, with ground troops poised to invade Kuwait. The U.S. and its allies had already caused civilian casualties, including over 400 in an airstrike on Amiriyah. Despite claims that the attack targeted a command center, I saw the evidence: children, women, and elderly survivors, and the smoldering remains of the shelter. The visual and emotional impact stayed with me, shaping my understanding of how political speeches can influence real-world outcomes.
“There’s another way for the bloodshed to stop…and that is for the Iraqi military and the Iraqi people to take matters into their own hands and force Saddam Hussein, the dictator, to step aside…”
Bush’s words, though brief, ignited hopes among some Iraqis. Yet when the war concluded, a ceasefire allowed Saddam to retain control. The Shia in the south and Kurds in the north, emboldened by the president’s endorsement, launched rebellions. The coalition, however, stood by, leaving the regime to retaliate. Helicopters, once used to crush dissent, turned the tide against the rebels, killing thousands. By then, I was in the Kurdish mountains, where families carried the bodies of their children—small, wrapped bundles—after nights of cold and disease.
That war’s aftermath lingered for years. Air patrols, no-fly zones, and permanent bases in Saudi Arabia became fixtures. It was there, in the shadow of foreign troops, that Osama bin Laden began organizing Al Qaeda. The cycle of conflict repeated itself: one war sowed the seeds for the next. In 2003, the second Bush administration toppled Saddam, a move Iran celebrated as a victory. Now, the third Gulf War aims to dismantle Iran’s growing influence, with Israel viewing its nuclear ambitions as existential. Trump’s call for an Iran revolt, however, raises questions about whether the same pattern will unfold again.
