The purpose of this paper is to discuss the strategies of both the U.S. led coalition forces and the Iraqi military, as utilized in their respective campaigns during the Persian Gulf War. The method used in this analysis will be one of comparing and contrasting the strategies of both sides. In addition, an effort will be made to understand the rationale that led to the selection of these specific strategies. It will be seen that air power played a vital role in contributing to the success of the coalition campaign. By contrast, the lack of effective air power was a decisive factor in the failure of the Iraqi effort. The Persian Gulf War was chosen as the basis for this analysis because it provides an excellent case study in the contemporary use of strategic planning and warfare techniques. When Iraq invaded Kuwait on August 2, 1990, the United States and its allies were faced with the unique challenge of maintaining international cooperation for the purpose of stopping regional aggression. Because of sound planning, based on a practical assessment of the situation on both sides, the coalition was able to succeed in the implementation of its strategy. By contrast, various misconceptions and inconsistencies on the part of the Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein resulted in the failure of that nation's military efforts during the conflict. Analysis of the various factors involved in the Persian Gulf War provides not only insights into why the coalition won, but also provides information regarding what the Iraqi leadership could have done to change its strategic position during the course of the hostilities. This is an important area for study because it demonstrates how a different strategic stance might have enabled the Iraqi military to attain a more favorable outcome at the end of the war.
Saddam Hussein's decision to invade Kuwait was due in large part to the "historical and territorial claims that Iraq had over Kuwait" (Bahbah...