`` And when I talked about genocide against the Kurds , he talked about the genocide that I was committing against the rice farmers of Louisiana . '' Just before the first Gulf War , Saddam Hussein was killing Iraq 's Kurds . Peter Galbraith was one of the first Westerners to see the effects of the killing . A Senate staffer at the time , he tried to invoke the UN Genocide Convention . The House passed his sanctions bill with backing from the Reagan White House .
Just before the first Gulf War , Saddam Hussein was killing Iraq 's Kurds . Peter Galbraith was one of the first Westerners to see the effects of the killing . A Senate staffer at the time , he tried to invoke the UN Genocide Convention . The House passed his sanctions bill with backing from the Reagan White House .