rengths, and that China and India would develop power based on demographic strengths. Another prediction that was made at the end of the Cold War was that there would be a decline in the use of military interventions around the world. Although regional tensions were expected to continue in one form or another, it was assumed that the use of military force would figure less prominently than it did before. As noted by one commentator, one of the most important consequences of the evolution toward a multipolar world was "the seeming shift in the relevance and usefulness of different power measures, with military power declining and economic power increasing in importance."
However, these predictions were dramatically tested by Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in August, 1990. The events of the Gulf War seemed to suggest different trends in the international system, at least for the foreseeable future. Iraq's surprising invasion of Kuwait showed that regional conflict still exists in the world. In addition, it confirmed the fact that Third World nations vital to Western interests are often unstable. Neither of these realizations ran counter to the expectations of political analysts. However, an unexpected element could be seen in the fact that military action was required in order to protect Western interests in the Middle East. Therefore, contrary to the predictions, military defense was shown to still play an important part in global affairs. A new consideration in international defense also arose during the Gulf War as a result of the multinational cooperation which was involved in stopping Saddam Hussein. As noted by Richard K. Herrmann in the journal International Security, this multinational approach to security was used for the first time during the Gulf War. In fact, the events of the crisis helped to "crystallize" this previously unheard-of approach to mutual defense. Yet another unexpected pattern to arise in the Gulf War...