Little Known Facts in the U.S.- Iraq Debate:
- Iraq, about the same land area as California, was created in 1920 when the French and the British divided up the formerly Ottoman-controlled lands in the Middle East. Read more about Iraq's History.
- In 1945 Iraq was one of the founding members of the United Nations.
- Between 1985 and 1990, the U.S. Department of Commerce approved 771 licenses for exporting $1.5 billion worth of dual-use items (items with both civilian and military uses) to Iraq.
According to the 1994 Riegle Report, biological materials such as anthrax and West Nile virus were among the U.S. exports shipped to Iraq.
- From March 19, 2003, the day war was declared, to January 30, 2005, the day of Iraq's first free election, the U.S. contributed over 80% of the troops in the conflict.
- As of April 2002, according to the Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS), 21 different countries are either known, probable, or possible possessors of weapons of mass destruction.
- April Glaspie, former ambassador to Iraq, met with Saddam Hussein on July 25, 1990. Saddam asked her what the U.S. position would be if Iraq invaded Kuwait. Six days later Saddam's armies attacked Kuwait. To see her response, click here.
- Saddam Hussein received a key to the city of Detroit in 1979, soon after he became president of Iraq.
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