Thunder on the Tigris*
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Date: Hypothetical, March, 2003*                     
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Battle Location: North of Al-Mawsil, Iraq*
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Battle Type: US Advance vs UN Delay*
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Scenario description: After the fall of the Warsaw Pact, NATO's relevance increasingly came into question, both by European powers intent on building an effective union and by an increasingly unilateralist United States.  Throughout the 1990s, the issue was brushed under the rug and it was hoped that NATO would serve as a unifying agent for the new Europe.*
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The terrorist attack of September 2001 propelled the unilateralist tendencies of U.S. foreign policy into high gear.  The American president announced his intent to disarm Iraq by whatever means necessary.  While the Europeans had shared American outrage over the attack in September 2001, they were not convinced of the linkage between that event and the government of Iraq.*
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In particular, the governments of France and Germany were disquieted by the concept of a unilateralist America -- and particularly, the concept of an America in charge of the Middle Eastern oil supply and who showed open diplomatic contempt for their concerns.*
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Initially, France and Germany felt powerless to intervene, other than delaying in the United Nations.  Two events occurred to change this perception.  First, the U.N. refused to issue a second resolution approving military operations against Iraq; and second, the Russians announced their open opposition to an American invasion of Iraq and aligned themselves with the French and Germans.*
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The U.S. Government was displeased, but dismissed the new alliance as "irrelevant old-world politics."  Fearing a possible disintegration of the European Union and an unfriendly America controlling the Iraqi oil supplies, the three powers determined to drop an international airborne force on the road between Mosul and the Turkish border.  Their hope was the the U.S. Government would be shocked enough by this action to return to a diplomatic solution to the crisis.  This was not to be.  The U.S. forces invaded with great speed and almost overran the planned landing zones of the European paratroopers.  Hurred consultations by the U.S. troops with the Pentagon and the White House resulted in an order to continue the advance and to brush the Europeans aside if they resorted to force of arms.*
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NATO, and the concept of a trans-Atlantic alliance, were well and truly finished.*
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Note: This scenario is designed to be played with the human player as the UN against a U.S. AI.*
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Design by:  The Camo Workshop*
 

 





