War in the World

On Aug. 2, 1990, Iraqi military forces, on orders from President Saddam Hussein, invaded and occupied the small

country of Kuwait. The Persian Gulf War of 1991--from January 16 to February 28--was fought to expel Iraq and

restore Kuwaiti independence.

The war introduced several technologically advanced weapon systems. As well,the United States forged a

broad-based international coalition that confronted Iraq militarily strategy.

The military coalition consisted of:

unni-versus-Shia (for and Arab-versus-Persian religious and ethnic

disputes, to a personal animosity between Saddam Hussein and

Ayatollah Khomeini. Above all, Iraq launched the war in an effort to

consolidate its rising power in the Arab world and to replace Iran as

the dominant Persian Gulf state. Phebe Marr, a noted analyst of

Iraqi affairs, stated that "the war was more immediately the result of

poor political judgement and miscalculation on the part of Saddam

Hussein," and "the decision to invade, taken at a moment of Iranian

Iraq and Iran had engaged in border clashes for many years and

had revived the dormant Shatt al Arab waterway dispute in 1979.

. . .

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Khomeini, bitter over his expulsion

from Iraq in 1977 after fifteen years in An Najaf, vowed to avenge

Shia victims of Baathist repression. The Soviet Union was Iraq's largest weapon's supplier and Israel provided arms to Iran. objective was not profits from the arms trade, but the much more significant aim of controlling to the greatest extent possible the region's oil resources. This show of force had impressed Iraqi

decision makers to such an extent that they decided to launch a

massive preemptive air strike on Iranian air bases in an effort similar

to the one that Israel employed during the June 1967 Arab-Israeli

War. " A report

by the General Accounting Office (Cruise Missiles:

Proven Capability Should Affect Aircraft and Force

Structure Requirements. Prior to this date there had been attacks by each country inside the other and also major border conflicts. Iraq hoped for a fast victory against Iran. oil consumption comes from the Gulf. Switzerland also contributed to the allies, this after

being neutral during both World War I and World War II. Each fifteen minute

program focuses on an eye-witness account of some of the

dramatic events in Desert Storm--the January 1991 military

campaign to liberate Kuwait.

The war between Iran and Iraq was one of the great human tragedies of recent Middle Eastern history.

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Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

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