Saddam's War of Words: Politics, Religion, and the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait

289 Pages·2004·1.41 MB·English

by  Jerry M. Long

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3 IRAQI INVASION
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OF KUWAIT
WAR OF WORDS
jerry m. long
UniversityofTexasPress
Austin

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Copyright©2004bytheUniversityofTexasPress
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3 Requestsforpermissiontoreproducematerialfromthiswork
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Austin,TX78713-7819.
(cid:1)Thepaperusedinthisbookmeetstheminimumrequirements
ofANSI/NISOZ39.48-1992(R1997)(PermanenceofPaper).
LIBRARYOFCONGRESSCATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATIONDATA
Long,JerryM.(JerryMark),1951–
Saddam’swarofwords:politics,religion,andtheIraqiinvasionof
Kuwait/JerryM.Long.—1sted.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN0-292-70160-8(cloth:alk.paper)—ISBN0-292-70264-7
(pbk.:alk.paper)
1.PersianGulfWar,1991. 2.Iraq—Politicsandgovernment—
1979–1991. 3.Iraq—Politicsandgovernment—1991– 4.Arab
nationalism—Iraq—History. 5.Islamandpolitics—Iraq. I.Title.
DS79.72.L66 2004
956.7044'21—dc22
2003022364

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ng DiedintheKuwaitTheaterofOperations,January1991,
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69 Irememberyou,Ahmad,andweep
Allahyerhamak

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CONTENTS
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CHAPTER1 Introduction 1
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69 theInvasionofKuwait 8
CHAPTER3 HistoricalBackgroundandInter-ArabPoliticsafterthe
InvasionofKuwait 23
CHAPTER4 Iraq,DeepCulture,andtheEmploymentofIslambefore
theInvasionofKuwait 45
CHAPTER5 FiSabilAllah:IraqandtheEmploymentofIslaminthe
InvasionofKuwait 81
CHAPTER6 IslamandtheRegionatWar 139
CHAPTER7 ReflectionsonJihadandtheOtherGulfWar 160
CHAPTER8 ClosingReflection:TheViewfromtheMountains 185
Notes 187
Bibliography 239
Index 255

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PREFACE
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W Edward Gibbon observed of the various Roman divinities that the
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M’ peoplebelievedthemall,thephilosophersdisbelievedthemall,andthe
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D politiciansfoundthemallequallyuseful.SuchwasthecaseintheGulf
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S WarwhenIraqturnedtoreligionasaweapon,seekingtodelegitimate
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thecoalitionarrayedagainstit,whileappealingtootherArabstatesto
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3 Saddam’sWarofWordsfirstchartsthehistoricalcontextoftheGulf
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69 WarandadvancesspecificpoliticalreasonswhyIraqinvadedKuwait.
Italsoexaminesthe‘‘slowbaptism’’oftheIraqiBa(cid:2)thpartypriortothe
invasion, suggesting reasons the regime modified its secular ideology
toembraceaninstrumentaluseofIslam.Withthatbackground,Sad-
dam’sWarofWordsthenposesandseekstoanswerthesequestions:
HowextensivelyandinwhatspecificwaysdidIraqappealtoIslam
duringtheKuwaitCrisis?
Howdidelites,Islamists,andtheelusiveArab‘‘street’’respondtothat
appeal,bothinandoutofthecoalition,andwhydidtheyrespondas
theydid?
Whatlonger-termeffectsresultedfromthatappeal?
Whatimplicationsmaybedrawnfromthisuseofreligion?
Saddam’sWarofWordsarguesthatIraq’scalculatedappealtoIslam
was extraordinarily pervasive. It argues further Saddam proved effec-
tive in his fusing of two parallel global narrations (Arab nationalism
andIslam),elicitingbroadpopularresponse.Itfindsthecoalitionwas
compelled to mount a broad countercampaign, focused especially on
defending the religious legitimacy of employing non-Islamic forces
againstanIslamicregime.Theresultwasa‘‘waroffatwas,’’withacon-
tendinguseoftextsandtraditionsandcountercallstojihad.Thewar’s
end,however,sawareaffirmationoftheArabinterstatesystem,yetnot
in such a way that the ideas of an Islamic umma or a nation min al-
khaleejilaal-muheet(fromthegulftotheocean)ceasedtocarrycog-
nitiveandemotiveimportance.
Moreover,Saddam’sWarofWordsarguesthatneithersideinthewar
constitutedamonolithicforce;anditfindstheemploymentofIslamic

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