Posted on 08/02/2014 2:11:59 PM PDT by Kid Shelleen
On Aug. 2, 1990, Iraq invaded its neighbor Kuwait, triggering a series of events that would culminate in the 1991 Gulf War. Iraqi President Saddam Hussein ordered the invasion, citing unfair Kuwaiti economic practices, perhaps owing to an unclear understanding of America's position.
Hussein had become president of Iraq in 1979, though he had been the power behind the scenes for many years prior. That same year saw tremendous upheaval in Persian Iran, Iraq's eastern neighbor. The Iranian Revolution was rooted in Islamic fundamentalism and rejected secular influences like capitalism, communism, nationalism and liberalism. By contrast, Hussein was an Arab nationalist leader who paid lip service to Islam, but who held Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin as his role models.
(Excerpt) Read more at deseretnews.com ...
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Guess he lost his head....
A lot of good came out of Operation Desert Storm including a greatly weakened Iraq and a greatly strengthened US presence in the region. Especially with the over-flights of Iraq and the closing of Iraqi air-space to Iraqi planes, we really had Iraq pinned down while leaving the dirty work of holding down the Islamic Fundamentalists to Hussein himself. I greatly miss that situation and wish it were still in place today.
I praise and honor President GHW Bush and the excellent job he did constructing and executing Operation Desert Storm. He might not have been all he could have been as a Conservative, but he certainly measured up as a President who advanced the interests of the United States in the world.
I remember that. I was a senior in college and filling in some open electives. One class was “Middle Eastern History” and my prof. completely missed the bus on Husseins Invasion of Kuwait. There was a lot of belligerent rhetoric before the invasion and she kept saying “ Hussein is just talking tough”. Boy was she pissed when she had to answer student questions in class the day after the invasion. I also was taking “Political History of The Soviet Union” at that time- as it was collapsing under its own weight. The prof. would literally come in and say “ you remember what I taught you last week about the political structure of the soviet republics? Forget it, it’s all changed”. Poor guy, he was pulling his hair out as his syllabus went up in smoke.
CC
He did end it just a little too early
The article gives a nice concise background on the war. A lot of people forget how the Iran - Iraq conflict contributed to the Kuwait invasion. Did your prof ever mention how the Carter Administration bungled the Iran foreign policy?
We should have gotten a lot more concessions out of the Saudis, UAE’s and Kuwait to defend their sandy asses
If she did, she blew past it in a perfunctory manner like a good lib. Of course, I was old enough to remember the shah being deposed and the “desert one” fiasco firsthand. So I had an understanding of that anyways without her “help”.
CC
Concessions?
In retrospect, it sure looks like the Saudis were, and still are, calling the shots.
Saddam had these grandiose plans for Pan-Arabic unity with himself at the forefront, but reached the end of his rope & just choked …
I was in the Army for only a week when we heard Iraq invaded Kuwait. I made it over there for Desert storm. I drove a fuel truck all over the desert there. It was a minor part but sometimes you get to be in on History.
Thank you for doing your part, too!
U r Welcome. :)
Looking back, I don’t know why we felt the need to get involved in intra-Arab disputes. The Kuwaitis certainly aren’t saints.
Spent the greater part of my last year on active duty deployed to Oman for Desert Storm. I went where I was told to go and did what I was trained to do.
Thank you for your service, FRiend.
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