The Gulf War

1
The Gulf War

• August 2,1990- March 3,1991

2
Elements of biography

•  George Herbert Walker Bush politician
  (Republican) and businessman (salesman of
  oil-field supplies )
• Vice president of the United States (198189)
• 41st president of the United States (198993).
• Much more interested in foreign than domestic
  policy.
• In December 1989, he ordered a military invasion
  of Panama in order to topple that country's
  leader, General Manuel Antonio Noriega, who had
  become notorious for his brutality and his
  involvement in the drug trade.
• The invasion, which lasted four days, resulted in
  hundreds of deaths, mostly of Panamanians, and
  the operation was denounced by both the
  Organization of American states and the UN
  General Assembly.
• Bush's presidency coincided with world events of
  large proportion, including the collapse of
  communism in eastern Europe and the Soviet Union
  and the reunification of Germany. In November
  1990 Bush met with Soviet leader Mickhail
  Gorbachev in Paris and signed a mutual
  nonaggression pact, a symbolic conclusion to the
  Cold War. They signed treaties reducing the
  number of weapons that the two superpowers had
  stocked during the decades of the Cold War
• In August 1990,Iraq invaded and occupied Kuweit
• his most significant diplomatic achievement
  managed to set up a coalition of western
  European and Arab states against Iraq.

3

• Thanks to his victory over Iraq and his competent
  leadership in foreign affairs 90 approval
  rating for Bush.
• Economic recession in late 1990 persisted into
  1992 his popularity decreased.
• Throughout this period, Bush showed much less
  initiative in domestic affairs
• A moderate conservative .
• Did not manage to keep his promise not to raise
  taxes 
• In his last weeks in office, Bush ordered a U.S.
  military-led mission to feed the starving
  citizens of war-torn Somalia, placing U.S.
  marines in the crossfire of warring factions and
  inadvertently causing the deaths of 18 soldiers.
• Equally as controversial was his pardoning of six
  Reagan administration officials charged with
  illegal actions associated with the Iran-Contra
  Affair.

4
Saddam Hussein invasion of Kuweit

• August 2,1990 Invasion of Kuweit by
  Iraq (199091)
• Triggered an international conflict.
• Iraq's leader, S. Hussein, ordered the invasion
  and occupation of Kuwait
• His aim
• acquiring Kuweits large oil reserves,
• canceling a large debt Iraq owed Kuwait,
• expanding Iraqi power in the region.
• The next day, the UN Security Council asked for
  withdrawal
• On August 6 ban on trade with Iraq imposed by
  UN security Council
• Formal annexation of Kuweit by Iraq on August 8
• Bcse of potential threat to Saudi Arabia, the
  world's largest oil producer and exporter, The US
  and its western European NATO allies sent
  troops to Saudi Arabia to deter a possible
  attack.
• Egypt other Arab nations joined the anti-Iraq
  coalition and offered military help
• Operation known as OPERATION DESERT SHIELD. Iraq
  meanwhile built up its occupying army in Kuwait
  to about 300,000 troops.

5
Why?

• 3 causes
• Iraq had always considered K as part of I
  confrontation and hostility over the years when
  Saddam was defeated in Iran, he tried to conquer
  a weaker nation Kuweit
• Not well-defined border bw Iraq and K deserts
  so Iraq constantly claimed that Koil rigs
  (derricks) were illegally tapping into Iraquis
  oil fields many conflicts in the region
• After the1st gulf war (Iran/Iraq, relations bw
  Kand I deteriorated.
• At that time many Arab countries supported Iraq
  against islamic revolutionary gvt of Iran. They
  feared that Saddams defeat would lead to other
  islamic revolutions in the 3rd world
• After the war, lack of gratitude from Bahdad twds
  Kuweit reawakening of old pbs (borders
  Kuweiti sovereignty)

6
HOW?

• Saddam was convinced that there would not be any
  intervention from the US and the rest of the
  world to defend Kuweit
• So his troop invaded the country and quickly took
  control

7
Significance

• 2nd war worse than the first
• Shiite and Kurdish rebellions , but Saddam
  remained very powerful in his country
• Cease fire terms Iraq had to accept the
  imposition of no-fly zones over her territory UN
  weapons inspection teams
• Economic and trade sanctions led to severe
  economic hardship.
• Many civilians died bcse of these sanctions. No
  indication that the gvt or the military suffered

8
The Us views on the Gulf War
9
Extract from a speech by Bush given on January
16, 1991.

• Some may ask Why act now? Why not wait? The
  answer is clear The world could wait no longer.
  Sanctions, though having some effect, showed no
  signs of accomplishing their objective. Sanctions
  were tried for well over 5 months, and we and our
  allies concluded that sanctions alone would not
  force Saddam from Kuwait.
• While the world waited, Saddam Hussein
  systematically raped, pillaged, and plundered a
  tiny nation, no threat to his own. He subjected
  the people of Kuwait to unspeakable
  atrocities--and among those maimed and murdered,
  innocent children.
• While the world waited, Saddam sought to add to
  the chemical weapons arsenal he now possesses, an
  infinitely more dangerous weapon of mass
  destruction--a nuclear weapon. And while the
  world waited, while the world talked peace and
  withdrawal, Saddam Hussein dug in and moved
  massive forces into Kuwait.
• While the world waited, while Saddam stalled,
  more damage was being done to the fragile
  economies of the Third World, emerging
  democracies of Eastern Europe, to the entire
  world, including to our own economy.
• The United States, together with the United
  Nations, exhausted every means at our disposal to
  bring this crisis to a peaceful end. However,
  Saddam clearly felt that by stalling and
  threatening and defying the United Nations, he
  could weaken the forces arrayed against him.

10

• While the world waited, Saddam Hussein met every
  overture of peace with open contempt. While the
  world prayed for peace, Saddam prepared for war.
• I had hoped that when the United States Congress,
  in historic debate, took its resolute action,
  Saddam would realize he could not prevail and
  would move out of Kuwait in accord with the
  United Nations resolutions. He did not do that.
  Instead, he remained intransigent, certain that
  time was on his side.
• Saddam was warned over and over again to comply
  with the will of the United Nations Leave
  Kuwait, or be driven out. Saddam has arrogantly
  rejected all warnings. Instead, he tried to make
  this a dispute between Iraq and the United States
  of America.
• Well, he failed. Tonight, 28 nations--countries
  from 5 continents, Europe and Asia, Africa, and
  the Arab League--have forces in the Gulf area
  standing shoulder to shoulder against Saddam
  Hussein. These countries had hoped the use of
  force could be avoided. Regrettably, we now
  believe that only force will make him leave.

11
The Desert Storm operation

• The Persian Gulf War began on January 1617,
  1991, with a massive U.S.-led air offensive
  against Iraq that continued throughout the war.
  Over the next few weeks, this sustained aerial
  bombardment, which had been named OPERATION
  DESERT STORM, destroyed Iraq's air defenses
  before attacking its communications networks,
  government buildings, weapons plants, oil
  refineries, and bridges and roads. By mid
  February the allies had shifted their air attacks
  to Iraq's forward ground forces in Kuwait and
  southern Iraq, destroying their fortifications
  and tanks.

12
Operation Desert Sabre

• Massive allied ground offensive, launched on
  February 24, and within three days Arab and U.S.
  forces had retaken Kuwait City
• Weak Iraqi resistance.
• By February 27 most of Iraq's elite Republican
  Guard units had been destroyed.
• By the time that U.S. President G.Bush declared
  a cease-fire for February 28, Iraqi resistance
  had completely collapsed.

13
Remains of an Iraqi convoy near Kuwait city,
Kuwait, during the First Persian Gulf War.Peter
Turnley/Corbis
14
Outcome of the war

• Casualties
• Iraq 120,000 soldiers dead 2,300 civilians
• US 148 killed in action,458 wounded
• 121 Americans died through non- combat incidents
• The terms of the peace
• Iraq had to recognize Kuwait's sovereignty
• get rid of all weapons of mass destruction
  (i.e., nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons)
  and all missiles with ranges exceeding 90 miles
  (150 km).
• If not economic sanctions would continue.
• After Iraq's defeat, Kurds in the north of the
  country and Shi?ites in the south rebelled
• This rebellion was suppressed by ?addam with
  great brutality.
• , the allies prohibited Iraqi aircraft from
  operating in no-fly zones over these areas.
• As the other allies gradually left the coalition,
  U.S. and British aircraft continued to patrol
  Iraqi skies, and UN inspectors sought to
  guarantee that all illicit weapons were
  destroyed.

15
The second Gulf war

• in 1998 Iraq's refused to cooperate with
  inspectors so new hostilities (Operation Desert
  Fox).
• As a csq, Iraq refused to readmit inspectors
  into the country,
• Regular exchanges of fire between Iraqi forces
  and U.S. and British aircraft over the no-fly
  zones continued
• In 2002 the United States sponsored a new UN
  resolution calling for the return of weapons
  inspectors, who then reentered Iraq in November.
• Disagreement among mber states of the UN Security
  Council concerning the extent of cooperation from
  Iraq with inspectors.
• On March 17, 2003, the United States and the
  United Kingdom, which had begun to mass troops on
  Iraq's border, gave up negociations
• U.S. President G. BUSH issued an ultimatum
  demanding that ?addam withdraw from power and
  leave Iraq within 48 hours or face war
• For him even if ?addam left Iraq, U.S. forces
  might still be necessary to stabilize the region
  and to look for weapons of mass destruction.
• When ?addam refused to leave, U.S. and allied
  forces launched an attack on Iraq on March 20 and
  thus began what we now call the Second Persian
  Gulf War (2003).