First Persian Gulf War: 1990-1991

First Persian Gulf War: 1990-1991

The First Persian Gulf War between 1990 and 1991 was the most militarily efficient campaign in US history where comparatively few lives were lost. This war accomplished many goals, including that it secured the economic advantages for the “Western World”.

It encouraged a free flow of natural resources, established the value of air power and superiority, and verified that a free alliance for justice will prevail over armed aggression. In the end, the United State’s goals were accomplished: Kuwait was liberated from Saddam and peace settled into the Middle East (Rayment).

The Soviet Union attacked Afghanistan on December 27, 1979. This posed a threat on the United States because of their oil ties in this area. On January 23, 1980 President Jimmy Carter responded with a statement called the Carter Doctrine. In this, Carter stated that, “An attempt by any outside force to gain control of the Persian Gulf region will be regarded as an assault on the vital interests of the United States of America, and such an assault will be repelled by any means necessary, including military force.”

(Richie, 25). Ten years later, United States officials were reminded of the Doctrine as signs of an Iraqi invasion of Kuwait by Saddam Hussein began to appear. With a portion of the world’s oil of eleven percent, this invasion would add another nine percent. Not only was this dangerous but if Iraq continued a southern advance, he would gain the oil of Saudi Arabia. Saddam could possibly control forty-six percent of the world’s oil supply and manipulate the global economy (Richie, 25).

On July 17, 1990, photos from a KH-11 spy satellite showed that Iraqi military equipment was being positioned near the Kuwait border .General Colin Powell was not concerned with this advancement because the lineup did not include necessary equipment such as fuel trucks and artillery that would be needed for an invasion. Powell believed that this was just a practice exercise or a bluff because Saddam had been pressing Kuwait to lower the oil production in order to keep the prices high (Richie, 26).

Kuwait was a small country that had once been part of the Ottoman Empire like Iraq. Then Kuwait had become a British Protectorate from which it had been granted its independence. Its borders had been set in a subjective manner causing it to be difficult to de...

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...s pride, and possibly his life. Saddam and his troops were not the only ones to have made faults (Marshel). Had the United States carried out their task, Saddam would not have repressed his own people, violated peace agreements and worked on weapons of mass destruction (Rayment).

The United States was able to keep Saddam from succeeding in his attempt to conquer the Middle East eight years ago, but they stopped when they should have pursued the most (Marshel). Without the errors that both sides had made, the present day world would have been affected in a completely different way.

Works Cited

Allen, Thomas B., et al. War in the Gulf. Atlanta, Georgia: Turner Pub., 1991.

Bush, George. “Persian Gulf War.” Annals of American History. 3 Mar. 2004

"Desert Storm 1: 1990-1991." Gulf War. 2003. 3 Mar. 2004

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Lee, Roger A. “The Persian Gulf War (1990-1991).” The History Guy. 14 Aug. 2001. 3

Mar. 2004

Marshel, Jim. "Mistakes of the Gulf War." Unpublished essay, 13 Mar. 1998. 3 Mar.

2004 .

Rayment, W. J. The Gulf War. 2004. 3 Mar. 2004 .

Richie, Jason. “Persian Gulf War, 1991.” Iraq and the Fall of Saddam Hussein.

Minneapolis, Minnesota: Oliver Press, 2003.