Causes & Consequences of the Persian Gulf War
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This research paper examines the causes and explores the consequences of the War in the Persian Gulf of early 1991. The basic cause of the war between Saddam Hussein's Iraq and the allied coalition led by the United States was Iraq's armed seizure of Kuwait in early August 1990 and the decision by the United States and its allies that their vital interests required the restoration of the status quo ante bellum; however, various factors contributed to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait and its refusal to relinquish its conquest. The consequences of the war largely flowed from the decisive nature of the allied victory, namely, the removal of Iraq's threat to Western oil interests in the Gulf and to the political stability of Gulf states. Other consequences were more indirect, some of which have longer range significance. The border between Iraq and Kuwait was a line drawn in the sand by the British in 1922 which was accepted by the British-sponsored regime in Baghdad. According to Hiro, it was unpopular among Iraqi nationalists because it limited "Iraq's access to the Gulf to a mere 36 miles of coastline infested with swamps and marshlands thus denying it the possibility of a deep water harbor." In 1960-1 Iraqi Prime Minister Abdul Qasim "began reviving the old claim that Kuwait was an integral part of Iraq." In February 1989, Iraq requested that Kuwait lease it the strategic offshore Bubayan island. Shortly before Iraq invaded Kuwait on August 2, 1990 and th
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as part of its buildup of weapons of mass destruction.
The administration of President George Bush endorsed a 1989 CIA National Intelligence Estimate that said "war weary Iraq will pose a military threat to small neighboring states . . . but will be reluctant to engage in foreign military adventures." The central finding of National Security Council Directive, NSD-26 of October 3, 1989 was that "normal relations between the United States and Iraq would serve our longer-term interests and promote stability in both the gulf and the Middle East." When Iraq moved at first 30,000 and then 100,000 troops to the Kuwaiti border in the summer of 1990, the administration dismissed the moves as Iraqi saber-rattling. American Ambassador April Glaspie told Hussein on July 25, 1990: "we have no opinion on the Arab-Arab conflicts, like your border disagreements with Kuwait."
The United States indirectly contributed to Iraq's invasion by sending mixed signals which were misread by Hussein to indicate he could seize Kuwait with impunity. Once Iraq's prestige was committed, Hussein was unwilling to back down. By seizing Kuwait and posing a threat to Saudi Arabia, he grossly miscalculated American resolve. According to Hiro, the Gulf state
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Approximate Word count = 1858
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)
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