Halabja: What really happened, and who was responsible? – Sourcework Exercise
The class will be divided into two teams. Each team needs to provide answers to each of the following questions, using the most appropriate source(s) from the list provided to help them.
TIP: If the discussion takes the form of a classroom debate, be prepared to challenge the reliability of your sources.
- Was the West justified in arming Saddam with chemical weapons during the Iraq-Iran War?
- Were the deaths of civilians part of general military operations rather than a deliberate act of genocide against the Kurds?
- If chemical weapons were used, is there any reliable evidence that they were most likely used by Iran rather than by Iraq?
- Is there any compelling evidence that chemical weapons were not even used at Halabja?
