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Orientalism - Edward Said

He finds the U.S. complicit when Hussein gassed his own people in Halabja in 1990. The U.S. is playing two sides of the same coin during the Iraq war with Iran in the 1980s, trying to get a leg up and come out on top after the two oriental nations gave each other a drubbing. Britain joins the U.S. in supporting Hussein up until Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and the reversal of western opinion.
             "Overwhelmingly Saddam Hussein;s crimes were committed during that period, and the U.S. supported him all the way through, with a good deal of enthusiasm. That tells us that just by elementary logic the crimes can't be the reason why we have to destroy the monster." p.67 .
             The U.S. is toying with Iraq to have complete and free control over Iraq's number one resource: oil. By offering up the red herring of Hussein's rampant crime history as if to suggest that the west even cares, is all part of the orientalist's bag of tricks. This fits appropriately with Balfour's assertion that ultimately the west is involved with the east to benefit itself. What's most interesting to note his how the US changes its tune a year latter by imposing sanctions on Iraq which effectively lend a hand to imperiling more people. We do this and all our underhanded dealings in Iraq for the purposes of our own (the West's) self-interest, namely to profit from the resources found there.
             "they have got under it far better government which not only is a benefit to them, but is undoubtedly a benefit to the whole of the civilized west.".
             In the modern Occidental vs. Oriental situation not much has changed from the west vs. east "us vs. them" ideas originally put forth by Balfour nearly a century ago. The same factors of division are involved as Said askes:.
             "Can we divide humans into categories based on culture, race, tradition, society, etc. and survive the consequences humanely?".
             These ideas still hold sway over the West's political motivations in the Oriental world.


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