ons within hours of the Iraqi assault. Fearful of an Iraqi invasion of Saudi Arabia, the United States and United Kingdom took the lead in reacting to the invasion. On August 8, President Bush announced that American troops would be deployed to Saudi Arabia.
The Fall of 1990 witnessed a flurry of action in the Security Council, which imposed economic sanctions on Iraq and authorized an aerial and naval blockade to enforce these sanctions. Realizing that sanctions were unlikely to force Iraqi forces out of Kuwait, the United States and the United Kingdom pressed for the passage of a Security Council Resolution authorizing the use of force to liberate Kuwait. Resolution 678 was passed on November 29, authorizing the use of force if Iraq did not comply with the previous Resolutions by January 15, 1991. Iraq did not comply and a six week military campaign ensued, during which the Iraqi forces in Kuwait were soundly defeated and the Kuwaiti government was restored.
Overview of International Law and the Use of Force
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