# did Iraq really get lots of bank account funds frozen in 1991? why didn't they just repatriate it?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-iraq-really-get-lots-of-bank-account-funds-frozen-in-1991-why-didnt-they-just-repatriate-it/588075>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 6, 2011, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-iraq-really-get-lots-of-bank-account-funds-frozen-in-1991-why-didnt-they-just-repatriate-it/588075 "2011-07-06T19:08:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![code\_grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@code\_grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/code_grey)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-iraq-really-get-lots-of-bank-account-funds-frozen-in-1991-why-didnt-they-just-repatriate-it/588075/1 "2011-07-06T19:08:19Z")

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what is the SD on the freezing of Iraqi money abroad during the Gulf war? Did they mostly cash out beforehand and then lost what little remained? Or did they lose a lot because nobody thought that such things could be done and so they became Exhibit A in the new way of doing things?

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**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2011, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-iraq-really-get-lots-of-bank-account-funds-frozen-in-1991-why-didnt-they-just-repatriate-it/588075/2 "2011-07-06T21:35:31Z")

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I don’t know if they thought such things couldn’t be done, but they certainly thought such things wouldn’t be done.