The CASI Iraq Reader

Essential documents on Iraq

1. Introduction

'Understanding Global Issues: Iraq and the West' - An introduction to the history of Iraq and its conflict with the West, by Glen Rangwala. See also the accompanying annotated map.

2. The Beginning

Security Council Resolution 660 - Condemns the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and demands Iraq's immediate and unconditional withdrawal

Security Council Resolution 661 - Imposes comprehensive sanctions on Iraq and establishes a sanctions committee (the "661 committee") in paragraph 6 to monitor them

Security Council Resolution 678 - "Authorizes Member States ... to use all necessary means" to bring Iraq into compliance with previous Security Council resolutions if it did not do so by 15 January 1991

3 Initial Humanitarian Report

Humanitarian report commissioned by the Security Council, by Mr. Martti Ahtisaari, under-Secretary-General

4 American Motives

Statement by George Bush (Senior) in April 1991

'The Myth that all Iraq needs to do to lift sanctions is comply with weapons inspectors'

Review of Security Council Resolution 687 in Sanctioning Saddam by Sarah Graham-Brown (no online version at present time. Buy from Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com)

5 The Iraqi Kurds & Anfal

Human Rights Watch report on the treatment of the Iraqi kurds, including the Anfal Campaign

6 Oil for Food in 1991?

CASI 'Guide to Sanctions' article on an 'oil for food'-like proposal in 1991

Security Council Resolution 706 - Decides to allow emergency oil sale by Iraq to fund compensation claims, weapons inspection and humanitarian needs in Iraq.

Security Council Resolution 712 - Rejects the Secretary-General's suggestion that at least $2 billion in oil revenue be made available for humanitarian needs; instead allows total sale of $1.6 billion. Eventually rejected by Government of Iraq.

7 Compensation Commission

CASI 'Guide to Sanctions' article on the UN Compensation Commission

8 UN Demands and Monitoring

Security Council Resolution 688 - "Condemns the repression of the Iraqi civilian population" in the post-war civil war and "[d]emands that Iraq ... immediately end this repression".

'After the Ceasefire: Iraq, the Security Council and the Use of Force', Christine Gray, in British Yearbook of International Law 65 (1994), pp.135-74 (not online at present time).

Security Council Resolution 715 - Approves the plans of Unscom and the IAEA, including for long term monitoring. Iraq agreed to the monitoring system established by this resolution on 26 November 1993.

Excerpt from Tim Trevan's Saddam's Secrets reacting to Security Council Resolution 715:

"I still have my original copy of UNSCOM's plan. The margins are dotted with the comments I made as I read it for the first time. I had thought that I knew about the new-style, ultra-intrusive arms control verification regimes. At the time I thought that the provisions detailed in that [Unscom] paper were very intrusive. And I had considered myself to be in the vanguard of those who sought to introduce the most demanding verification regimes... My amazement at the extraordinary powers given to the Special Commission by the Security Council was clearly matched by the disbelief and anger felt by Iraqi officials when they read the same passages."

9 Oil For Food

Security Council Resolution 986 - New "oil for food" resolution, allowing $1 billion in oil sales every 90 days (we hope to have an annotated version of this resolution online soon)

'Hunger and Poverty in Iraq, 1991', Dreze & Gazdar. World Development, 20(7) (1992), 921-945 (not online at present time)

10 Amorim Arms Report

January 1999 report on disarmament and monitoring by the Amorim panel

11 Amorim Humanitarian Report

January 1999 report on the humanitarian situation by the Amorim panel

12 UNICEF '99

The press release of the 1999 Unicef humanitarian report

A questions and Answers sheet about the Unicef '99 report

A report by Mr Shah & Mr Ali researching into the reliability of the Unicef report (subscription required to view article)

13 Security Council Resolution 1284

Security Council Resolution 1284 - Replaces Unscom with Unmovic, demands Iraqi co-operation on prisoners of war, alters the "oil for food" programme, and discusses the possible suspension of sanctions in ambiguous terms. (we hope to have an annotated version of this resolution online soon)

14 Garfield Report

'Morbidity and Mortality Among Iraqi Children from 1990 Through 1998: Assessing the Impact of the Gulf War and Economic Sanctions' by Richard Garfield

15 Statistical Pitfalls and Responsibility

A report into the dangers when studying statistics concerning Iraq by Amatzia Baram

16 Mavrommatis Report

Human Rights report presented to the Security council, written by Andreas Mavrommatis, special rapporteur on Iraq

17 Disarmament

An article by former weapons inspector Scott Ritter on the need for 'Qualitative Disarmament'

UNSCOM's last report

18 Special Topic Report

An overview of the humanitarian and social situation in Iraq in 1999 presented to the Security Council

19 No-Fly Zones

'Containing Iraq: A Forgotten War' by Thomas E. Ricks

'No-Fly Zones: Rhetoric and Real Intentions' by Sarah Graham-Brown

20 Internal Opposition

Assessing the Iraqi Opposition by Faleh A. Jabar

An annotated index of Iraq's major opposition groups compiled by Glen Rangwala

21 ICRC Report

'Iraq: A decade of sanctions' written by the International Committee of the Red Cross

22 Iraqi Kurdistan

'Interventions and Rivalries in Iraqi Kurdistan' by Isam al-Khafaji

23 Chowdhury Report

A report from the UN Working Group On Sanctions, chaired by Anwarul Karim Chowdhury

24 A Way Out?

'The Iraqi Maze: Searching for a Way Out' by David Albright & Kevin O'Neill

25 Smart Sanctions

Security Council Resolution 1409 - Extends the oil-for-food programme by six months, and introduces a new import procedure. Only items on the annexed Goods Review List (GRL) are to be reviewed by the Sanctions Committee

'Iraq Sanctions Saga Continues Amid Policy Confusion' by Colin Rowat

26 Blair's Dossier

2002 dossier on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction capability, commissioned by Tony Blair.

Counter-dossier written by Alan Simpson, MP and Glen Rangwala and a critique of the claims made by the UK/US

This archive site is hosted by the Iraq Analysis Group, to whom queries should be directed