The Global Story Jeremy Bowen: Trump has called for an Iran uprising. The lessons from Iraq in 1991 loom large
19 snips
Mar 14, 2026 
Jeremy Bowen, BBC international editor and veteran foreign correspondent, offers a concise warning from history. He recalls 1991 uprisings and allied inaction, traces long-term fallout from the Gulf Wars, and examines recent calls for Iranian revolt plus the geopolitical risks of regime removal. Short, pointed reflections on unintended consequences and regional shifts.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Bush's 1991 Call Sparked Deadly Miscalculation
- Jeremy Bowen recounts President George H.W. Bush's 1991 Patriot factory speech urging Iraqis to "take matters into their own hands."
- Some Iraqi Shias and Kurds did rise, assumed US backing, and were brutally suppressed when coalition forces did not intervene.
Military Restraint Left Rebels Vulnerable
- The uprisings failed because Saddam retained helicopters and launched a counter-offensive that killed thousands of civilians.
- The coalition's refusal to intervene left Kurds and Shias exposed and forced a later humanitarian rescue for some but not all.
Each Gulf War Sowed The Seeds Of The Next
- Bowen links successive Gulf Wars as causes for later instability and extremism.
- He traces a chain from 1991 to 2003 and then to the regional rise of Iran's influence and jihadist groups.