Paper 1 Section B/E: Conflict and tension in

June 2020

Q1: Source A opposes Saddam Hussein. How do you know?

Explain your answer using Source A and your contextual knowledge. Study Sources B and C in the Sources Booklet.

Answer:

features of the source. For example, answers may refer to details of the image which project Saddam Hussein in a negative light, and link explicitly to factual knowledge; eg the date of the cartoon in 1991 is when Saddam’s forces had been defeated and expelled from Kuwait; Saddam boasted of winning the ‘Mother of all Battles’, when in fact it is he who is being punished by a ‘mother’ figure which represents the coalition. For example, the cartoon shows Saddam being ‘punished’ and humiliated by a figure representing the coalition.

Q2: How useful are Sources B and C to an historian studying the invasion of Iraq

in 2003? Explain your answer using Sources B and C and your contextual knowledge.

Answer:

In analysing and evaluating sources, students will draw on their contextual example, the context of the time in which source was created, place, author’s evaluate the relationship between the sources based on analysis of For example, students might recognise that while provenance determines the different purposes for each source, they still provide unwitting testimony of the contrasting claims about military action over Iraq. In assessing utility, Source C might be seen as a rich source as it exposes Kurdish relief as the persistent threat from Saddam’s chemical attacks had been lifted; although it uses language which is extreme, the testimony was valid because of was supported by documented evidence of Iraqi policy against Source B would be used by historians as further evidence of the well-known Arab view that America’s actions were explained by its insatiable need for oil which was threatened by Saddam’s regime. However, its anti-US prejudice does affect its validity. For example, the cartoon was designed to provoke hostility against the United States because Palestinians felt America always took Israel’s side against their interest in setting up a Palestinian state. On the other hand, the report in the British newspaper was backed up by knowledge of Saddam’s attacks on the Kurdish minority inside Iraq using chemical weapons. For example, students may suggest that the cartoon is useful as it provides evidence that Arabs thought that the US acted purely out of self-interest for oil; Source C proves useful as it shows how a British newspaper backed invasion by publishing stories to support an anti-Saddam point of view. to the enquiry point, for example, the cartoon suggests that America were only interested in maintaining oil supplies.

Q3: Write an account of how the end of the Iran–Iraq War led to problems in the region.

Answer:

with complex sequencing and reasoning supported by a range of accurate and example, to an analysis of how/why tension increased at different stages and /or showing understanding about how much each part of the sequence increased tension and led to a crisis. For example, an answer might offer an additional consequence to that exemplified in L3 (ie the threat to international peace from Saddam’s attack on Kuwait). For instance, Arab states such as Saudi Arabia would regard Saddam’s ambitions and rising power as a significant problem and would support the West’s intervention against him. developed sequencing and reasoning supported by a range of accurate factual analysis of how/why tension increased at one stage in the process. For example, one consequence was Saddam Hussein’s aim to rebuild Iraq’s wealth following the Iran-Iraq War by threatening Kuwait and seizing its oil; however this would create international tension because the West would oppose this threat to its oil supplies. For example, both Iran and Iraq had suffered huge casualties and were economically and militarily exhausted; the West had supported Saddam Hussein’s campaign against Iran’s Islamic Revolution. should demonstrate their ability to construct and develop a sustained line of reasoning which is coherent, relevant, substantiated and logically structured.

Q4: ‘The main reason for the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 was to capture

Osama bin Laden.’ How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer. [SPaG 4 marks] 206G8145/1b/e

Answer:

explanation of the relationship between causes supported by detailed factual For example, students will make a judgment about the way reasons interacted; they may argue, for instance, that while bin Laden played a key role as an individual in focussing and organising opposition against the West it was more important to remove the Taliban and prevent Afghanistan being used as a terrorist base and haven and thereby stem the impact of jihadis against US For example, students may focus on bin Laden’s key role in forming al-Qaeda and organising its campaigns against US targets, referencing 9/11 and other global attacks such as on US embassies in Africa. Bin Laden was blamed for provoking and exporting Holy War on the West and for the Fatwa against US citizens. Hence the US imperative to capture him. Students may additionally identify alternative factors, such as 9/11, which led to Bush and the West pursuing a ‘War on Terror’, part of the campaign against the ‘axis of evil’ - the defeat of the Taliban in Afghanistan was supposed to deprive al-Qaeda of its training bases and hasten its defeat. Afghanistan had the reputation as a ‘rogue state’ - the strict imposition of Sharia law was considered so distasteful and extreme in its execution that this provided another reason for military action. For example, students may focus on bin Laden’s key role in forming al-Qaeda and organising its campaigns against US targets, referencing 9/11 and other global attacks such as on US embassies in Africa. Bin Laden was blamed for provoking and exporting Holy War to the West. Hence the US imperative to of bin Laden who was blamed for organising al-Qaeda and masterminding attacks on the West. attacking Afghanistan, it could undermine al-Qaeda terrorist bases there. For example, to destroy the Taliban regime and its policies of which the West • The learner’s achievement in SPaG does not reach the threshold