Class Notes 3/29

Causes of Gulf War I / Iraq's invasion of Kuwait (1990-1991)

Political Causes:

• Personal ambitions of Saddam Hussein - desire to be the leader of the Arab world, desire for power
• Poor WWI settlements (specifically the mandate system) help cause a border dispute between Iraq and Kuwait (different interpretation, long term cause)
• The United States should have warned Saddam Hussein not to invade Kuwait (another interpretation)

Economic Causes:

• Kuwait waging economic warfare on Iraq (over-pricing oil, reducing Iraq's oil revenue)
• The United States did not want one man/country to have control over 20% of the world's oil supply
• If Saddam conquered Saudi Arabia, Iraq would control approximately 50% of the world's oil

USA, Saudi Arabia lead a United Nations effort to expel Hussein from Kuwait

August 3, 1990- USSR + USA agree to work together against Iraq.

Question: Is this the day the Cold War ended and the War on Terror began?

The United Nations fully supported the USA leading a military force to liberate Kuwait.

UN Security council voted unanimously to support action against Iraq.

Practices

• Over 500,000 US soldiers assembled
• Massive air campaign lasts from January 17 to February 23, causing Iraqis to surrender by the thousands by the time the ground war started.
• Three phases of air war: gain air superiority, shatter Saddam's army and weapons capability, soften up Saddam's forces for a ground attack