“این عکس یک پسر کوچک در حال بازی با یک توپ است”

“This photo shows a little boy playing with a ball.”
Khaled Tavakoli

Speaking and writing about an event or incident such as a chemical bombing, especially for those who have witnessed the depth of the tragedy up close, felt it with their skin and flesh, and were involved in it, is a difficult task. However, this does not mean that those who are trying to analyze the causes and consequences of the chemical bombing cannot write well about this tragic event and convey the truth. Chemical weapons, unlike other weapons of mass destruction that only harm the body’s surface, also damage the victim’s internal organs. Additionally, since in the chemical bombing of Halabja and Sardasht, residential areas and civilians were the main targets, the social organization and community relationships of the city are also destroyed and damaged. Therefore, chemical bombing creates a difficult situation and understanding this situation, which will harm both society and individuals from within, requires a kind of “empathetic introspection” in order to have a better and more comprehensive understanding of the incident, its victims, and its

To investigate such incidents, multiple questions can be raised and their answers can be sought. The focus of this short text is on the role of modernization and modernity in the occurrence of such tragedies. In other words, it refers to three factors that influence the use of chemical weapons, namely the technology of making chemical bombs, instrumental rationality, and assimilation or the policy of homogenization, all of which have Western and modern origins. Historically, it is evident that countries like Germany, England, and America have been at the forefront in this field and have sent hundreds of thousands of people to their deaths through the use of these weapons.

There is no doubt that all the weapons used in a chemical bombing are produced in Western countries and are products of experimental sciences and factories rooted in modern countries. Therefore, it is clear that the technology used in countries like Iraq, which has used chemical weapons against its opponents and innocent civilians, could never have been developed without the help of the West.

Rationality as expressed by Max Weber is a phenomenon that has developed and gradually spread to other regions of the world in the West. In instrumental rationality, disregarding societal values, tools are chosen and utilized in the best way to achieve a goal. Chemical bombing in particular and modern weapons in general are all based on this type of rationality. If the goal is to suppress opponents, what better weapon than chemical bombs can achieve this goal?

Cultural assimilation or simulation, like instrumental rationality and technology, has emerged in the West and gradually taken the form of the nation-state as a new social organization in the world. Cultural simulation and genocide have become one of its main methods in dealing with diversity and plurality. As nation-states emphasized a unified national identity, they used the policy of cultural homogenization towards minorities in order to ultimately create a unified social identity within the masses and make everyone similar to what they wanted and build the nation-state on it. We must not forget that Saddam did

In fact, a self-serving government can easily align itself with the above cultural elements (such as technology for making chemical weapons, instrumental rationality, and homogenizing policies) and use them to achieve its goals. These governments eagerly pursue these elements and impose enormous costs on their societies. However, what can prevent a disaster in this situation is the adoption and belief in “human rights”, “democracy”, and power distribution, which was not and is not acceptable in countries like Iraq during Saddam’s era – even now.

In reality, the main reason for using chemical bombs against the Kurds in Iraq was the existence of tyranny and self-serving behavior, or better put, the lack of democracy, which did not accommodate the policies and demands of the Kurdish separatists and did not recognize their cultural diversity. Saddam’s Arab-Iraqi nationalism and self-serving behavior could never accept democracy and its components, but it could easily absorb technology, instrumental rationality, and homogenizing policies. Selective adoption of

The Kurds, who have been the primary victims of chemical bombings in recent years and are still being targeted by ISIS, have always been the subject of anger and outrage because they have tried to distribute and emphasize centralized and absolute power over cultural and political diversity. “Papering over” power and recognizing diversity and otherness, without incorporating democratic values, will not be possible or achievable. In fact, it can be said that although the Kurds may not directly prioritize the spread of democracy as their main demand, the unintended result of their political activities and struggles – if given the opportunity – would be nothing but democracy.

In summary, it can be said that what reduces the likelihood of production and use of chemical weapons in a country to a great extent is belief in human rights, democratic values, and the establishment of political structures based on them. Kurds have always been the target of their own anger and resentment because they have been advocates of power distribution – in the form of autonomy or federal government – and that is why the rulers of Iraq did not hesitate to commit crimes and genocide in order to implement their policy of assimilation and cultural homogenization. Therefore, in order to reduce such crimes and atrocities, we must be careful not to adopt selective elements of Western culture and civilization, as it can be disastrous, and if it is not accompanied by democracy, it will only make corrupt rulers even more corrupt.