The Gulf War

The Persian Gulf War was 42-day long conflict that took place in Iraq in early 1991. The origins reside in the invasion of Kuwait back in August of 1990 by Saddam Hussein. Kuwait, a neighbor of Iraq, was very rich in oil at this time, and Hussein accused them of trying to keep oil prices down in order to appeal to the interests of Western leaders. These Western leaders, though, were not pleased with what was happening, and insisted on taking some sort of action to stop Hussein's plans.

The United Nations Security Council demanded that he withdraw from Kuwait by January 15, demands that were left ignored all the way up to the deadline. As a result, a massive military operation began, first with a U.S. led air attack on Hussein's weapons facilities, communication systems, air defenses, etc. Following this, on February 24, was the deployment of U.S. and NATO forces into Kuwait, with some sent into Iraq to attack enemy armor from the rear. The fighting here lasted three days, and during this period Hussein's ground forces were progressively weakening.

By the 28th their forces were nearing collapse, and President Bush declared a cease-fire, putting an end to hostilities. Subsequently, a peace deal was brokered with Hussein, where he recognized the sovereignty of Kuwait and eliminated his stockpile of WMD's (weapons of mass destruction). The Gulf War was a major event in the role of United States foreign policy and would further shape its involvement in world affairs over the next 20 years, particularly in the Middle East. For instance, The Gulf War would not be the last time the United States was involved in conflict with Iraq, and other nations such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, and Libya would face the sharp eyes of country's leaders moving into the 21st century.