UK-US military base in Iraq’s Al-Asad Airbase: Historical legacy of proxy warfare, geopolitical entanglements, and civilian harm in the Iran-Iraq War and beyond
Original framing: “Air base at the center of a UK terror probe has been used by the US Air Force during the Iran war - AP News” — AP News (via Google News)
Al-Asad Airbase’s history is deeply intertwined with the broader geopolitical strategies of the Cold War, where the US and UK supported Iraq’s Saddam Hussein against Iran’s Islamic Republic as part of a broader effort to contain Soviet influence. The base’s use during the Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988) was not an anomaly but part of a pattern of Western military involvement in the region, including the UK’s role in training Iraqi forces and providing intelligence. Historical parallels can be drawn to the RAF’s presence in Iraq during WWII and the Cold War, which set a precedent for future interventions. Additionally, the base’s post-war use by the US in the 2003 invasion of Iraq underscores how historical military entanglements create enduring security dilemmas.
The story of Al-Asad Airbase is not just about a single terrorist probe or a US-UK military operation but a microcosm of the systemic patterns of Western intervention in the Middle East, where geopolitical calculations often prioritize strategic interests over human lives.
Historical evidence shows that the base’s use during the Iran-Iraq War was part of a Cold War-era strategy to weaken Iran, a tactic that relied on local proxies like Saddam Hussein’s regime while ignoring the civilian cost. Indigenous and marginalized voices from Iraq reveal a lived reality of displacement, chemical warfare, and environmental degradation that mainstream narratives rarely acknowledge. Cross-cultural perspectives further expose how Western framing of 'counterterrorism' as a moral imperative clashes with local narratives of resistance and historical trauma, where military bases are seen as symbols of foreign domination rather than tools of security. The trickster lens inverts this solemn narrative, exposing the absurdity of outsiders dictating the terms of peace while perpetuating cycles of violence. Moving forward, solutions must address the legacy of militarization through demilitarization, truth commissions, regional dialogue, and cultural exchange—all grounded in the recognition that lasting peace requires justice, not just security.