Kuwait and Iraq
Kuwait and Iraq had been locked in a border disagreement over the islands of the Persian Gulf for several years. Nonetheless, they had not allowed it to reach the level, which the Gulf war did. In the year 1979, Saddam Hussein held a post of the Iraq President. Consequently, Iraq went into combat with Iran.
Confrontation had lasted till the year 1989. It was in the month of March, 1989, that Saddam Hussein signed an accord with Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to formalize their border (Johnson, and Weigal 56). He also presented the same offer to Kuwait. However, Kuwait was scared of annihilating the recent associations with Iran and declined to sign an agreement with Iraq. Hussein was facing an economic catastrophe brought by the over pumping by several Gulf states.
He became angry that Kuwait had surpassed the OPEC ratio, as well as traded its oil beneath the contracted floor value. The government of Iraq further alleged that Kuwait had been stealing the country’s oil. The foreign minister of Iraq asserted that Kuwait was illegitimately pumping a lot of oil from the border side of Iraq. Kuwait denied these claims and consequently, declared the same accusations on Iraq. It is evident that the Gulf War brought a new “self pride and honor to American people” (Richie 34).
This is based on the results of the battle. In addition, this can be substantiated by the trust and confidence the Americans have in their leaderstoday, as they believe that their President is more than willing to protect them to the best of his abilities. They are confident that their President can give them a safe home and an army that is powerful and capable of getting into any battle for the sake of protecting their country from enemies. They further believe that this kind of patriotism is what defines America as “the greatest country” in the whole world. With regard to the loyalty expressed by the American soldiers, “men and women fight side by side for the greater good and to defend the innocent of the world” (Johnson, and Weigal 56).
The Gulf War had formally commenced on the 16th of January, in the year 1991. As stated earlier, the war was intended for good purposes. It was on August, 1990, that Saddam Hussein dispatched his forces to Kuwait. Prior to this war, the United States had inadvertently supported Saddam Hussein in fighting the Iranians. For the sake of this war, the Americans had offered Hussein a military help that was regarded to be among the world’s formidable and extremely lethal one.
As a result,when Saddam Hussein refused to act in accordance with the United States’ ultimatum, which had been given to them, Congress settled for the employment of force. Oil was the key motivation behind Hussein’s invasion. This made him desire to control Kuwait. Kuwait was proclaimed autonomous country in the year 1962. This was the sole wish of the United States.
On the 3rd of August, 1991, just a day subsequent to the incursion, the United Nation’s Security Council had called for the instant and unreserved withdrawal of the Iraq’s forces. Soon after this, the Council publicly stated an economic sanction against Iraq. None of these actions made Hussein change his mind, as he would not remove his troops from Kuwait. The United States was concerned with Hussein’s weaponry. It was feared that the Iraqi leader had the capacity to instigate a biological weapons. Sarcastically, it was the United States that had equipped the Iraq army with these armaments some years earlier.
In a nut shell, they had assisted the dictator in building this formidable military force. The thought of a biological conflict caused a lot of anxiety to many people. Therefore, the United Nations Organization was expected to prevent the military conflict. On the other hand, individuals still had the memories of the Vietnam conflict and had become frightened by the idea of a similar war. The United Nations decided to give an ultimatum to Saddam Hussein.
The ultimatum directed Saddam to “leave Kuwait by January 15, 1991, or the United Nations’ forces would use all necessary means to drive out Iraq” (Richie 78). As much as the United Nations gave the ultimatum, Hussein was not swayed. This made the United Nations dispatch its army, which liberated Kuwait in three days. However, Hussein was not removed from power. Kuwait had an army of twenty thousand soldiers. This was inferior to Iraq’s one hundred thousand soldiers.
As a result, they could not stage a formidable opposition, thus had lost their capital in one day. During the first days of the assaults, the United Nations’ Security Council interfered to rescue Kuwait by calling for the instant withdrawal of every Iraqi soldier from Kuwait. Similarly, President Bush enforced an impediment and attempted to convince the rest of the world to acknowledge it. It was due to the fact that Iraq had not complied with the demands, which were put forward by the United Nations; as a result, the Gulf War continued. Thee following week, the United States started an operation to move forty thousand soldiers to Saudi Arabia.
This was complimented with about fifty combat ships intended to be based in the Persian Gulf. In the month of January, the figure of United States together with Coalition forces had exceeded five hundred thousand. The armed forces of the alliance were made of thirty five nations. On the 16th of January, synchronized air assaults started. In the operation, stealth bombers were used against Iraq and Kuwait targets. Baghdad was also involved.
The cronies instigated a ground attack on the 24th of February. This led to the collapse of the Iraqi armed forces. In the long run, the foreign minister of Iraq visited New York, the U.S., in order to come up with a cease fire plan.
In addition, he confirmed that Iraq had agreed to follow the United Nations resolutions. This included the surrendering of its claim of Kuwait. It was on the 17th of January; hours prior to the cease fire, the United States forces dropped five thousand pounds of bombs on a bunker outside Baghdad in an effort to execute Saddam Hussein. The battle was sponsored by countries that were not able to dispatch troops to the battle. About fifty four billion dollars had been pledged and obtained for the sake of the war.
Kuwait and Saudi Arabia had been the greatest sponsors of the battle. On the other hand, Switzerland donated to the alienate forces. Loses, associated with the war, include lives of one hundred and forty eight Americans. 24% of these Americans had been executed by flames and land mines, which had not been marked in accordance to the cease fire accord. Accordingly, the Iraqi armed forces lost four thousand tanks, seven helicopters, as well as two hundred and forty airplanes.
In conclusion, all through the history of the United States, wars have had an influential impact. Since the inception of the nation to the present, battles have played a significant role in promoting the nation into its present “powerful” status (Simons 67). It is not only regarded as the most “powerful nation” on the globe but also the “policeman” for the whole world. In this capacity, it makes and checks up on the international political affairs, as well as the relationships of foreign nations. Surely, this war was more than setting Kuwait free. The major issue in this conflict was oil, in which both Iraq and the United States had an interest.
As much as the Gulf War defined America as a “powerful nation”, the war was intended for purposes other than liberating Kuwait from captivity.
