-- Critical Media Literacy
in Times of War

IRAQ UNDER SANCTIONS:

What have you learned from the media?

Did military action against Iraq end with the 1991 cease-fire?
No, a U.S.-led air war against Iraq has persisted for more than a decade. In 1991, U.S. and British aircraft started patrolling "no-fly zones" in Iraq while periodically attacking strategic targets. These operations escalated in late 1998 with "Operation Desert Fox," a three-day bombing campaign. Reliable estimates suggest that this unofficial air war has claimed hundreds - if not thousands - of Iraqi lives.
In 2001, CNN reported that at least 350,000 sorties (aircraft missions) had been flown over the "no fly zones" since 1991. From 1998 onward, U.S. and British aircraft have launched an average of one bomb or missile attack against Iraq every three days. A 2000 Washington Post article reported that these attacks had killed 300 Iraqis (over 200 of them civilians) and injured 800 in an 18-month time span. Air attacks escalated in number and severity in 2002, hinting at the possibility of even larger military operations.

Did Iraq "kick out" the U.N. weapons inspectors in 1998?
No, media reports from 1998 verify that the U.N. decided to pull the inspectors out of Baghdad due to ongoing disagreements with Iraq. However, many recent media reports incorrectly state that Iraq "kicked the inspectors out".
A recent analysis by FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting) reveals how various media outlets presented contradictory versions of this story in both 1998 and 2002. Below are some examples:
[Associated Press]
"The chief U.N. weapons inspector ordered his monitors to leave Baghdad today after saying that Iraq had once again reneged on its promise to cooperate - a report that renewed the threat of U.S. and British airstrikes." -- Associated Press, December 16, 1998 "Information on Iraq's programs has been spotty since Saddam expelled U.N. weapons inspectors in 1998." -- Associated Press, September 7, 2002
[Los Angeles Times]
"Immediately after submitting his report on Baghdad's noncompliance, Butler ordered his inspectors to leave Iraq." -- Los Angeles Times, December 12, 1998 "It is not known whether Iraq has rebuilt clandestine nuclear facilities since U.N. inspectors were forced out in 1998, but the report said the regime lacks nuclear material for a bomb and the capability to make weapons." -- Los Angeles Times, September 10, 2002
[National Public Radio]
"The United Nations once again has ordered its weapons inspectors out of Iraq. Today's evacuation follows a new warning from chief weapons inspector Richard Butler accusing Iraq of once again failing to cooperate with the inspectors. The United States and Britain repeatedly have warned that Iraq's failure to cooperate with the inspectors could lead to air strikes." -- Bob Edwards, National Public Radio, December 16, 1998 "If he has secret weapons, he's had four years since he kicked out the inspectors to hide all of them." -- Daniel Schorr, National Public Radio, August 3, 2002
[CNN]
"This is the second time in a month that UNSCOM has pulled out in the face of a possible U.S.-led attack. But this time there may be no turning back. Weapons inspectors packed up their personal belongings and loaded up equipment at U.N. headquarters after a predawn evacuation order. In a matter of hours, they were gone, more than 120 of them headed for a flight to Bahrain." -- Jane Arraf, CNN, December 16, 1998 "What Mr. Bush is being urged to do by many advisers is focus on the simple fact that Saddam Hussein signed a piece of paper at the end of the Persian Gulf War, promising that the United Nations could have unfettered weapons inspections in Iraq. It has now been several years since those inspectors were kicked out." --John King, CNN, August 18, 2002