Page 316 - Encyclopedia Of Terrorism

P-Kushner.qxd 28-10-02 11:25 AM Page 296

296———Persian Gulf War

fall of communism in Europe and the geo-political EFFECTS OF THE PERSIAN
implications of the end of the Cold War; in compari- GULF WAR ON INTERNATIONAL
son, the Iraq-Kuwait border dispute seemed minor. RELATIONS AND TERRORISM
Following the hardships of the Iran-Iraq War, most ana-
lysts expected Iraq to begin to rebuild its economy and The period between the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989
society. That the U.S. government would not counte- and the final dissolution of the Soviet Union in
nance an Iraqi invasion in the volatile Gulf region was December 1991 was a time of great uncertainty for
considered self-evident, and the anti-Kuwaiti rhetoric governments around the world, as Cold War political
was perceived as blustering. alignments, which had first been formed in 1945, began
Taken by surprise, the U.S. government now ques- to disintegrate. How the dissolution of the Communist
tioned assumptions it had made about the Iraqi regime. eastern bloc would affect the rest of the world was a
If Hussein had been so foolish as to invade Kuwait, he matter of great debate. Could one superpower survive
might also attempt to invade Iraq’s other neighbors— without the other? For instance, without the fear of
in particular, oil-rich Saudi Arabia. Such instability in Soviets, would former allies prove more intractable
the region could drive up world oil prices and be a seri- when considering U.S. demands? Now that the Cold
ous risk to the U.S. economy. The United States began War arms race was over, could a rising economic power
to assemble a coalition to prevent further invasion and such as Japan or Germany become a counterweight to
put pressure on Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait. the United States? What would be the role of the United
The United States was not alone; the United Nations Nations, now that the opposing interests of the United
passed a resolution condemning the invasion and States and the Soviet Union no longer worked to
calling for an immediate withdrawal, and within impede Security Council resolutions?
a week it had passed a resolution calling for an eco- The important role that the United Nations had
nomic embargo against Iraq. Both resolutions passed played showed that the international community could
almost unanimously. At the same time, the United act in concert over issues of mutual concern. But the
States-led coalition—including several Arab nations— blueprint for international action provided by the
began sending troops to Saudi Arabia. Eventually, more Persian Gulf War was by no means universally applic-
than 300,000 troops would participate in Operation able. In some ways, the Persian Gulf War was a
Desert Shield, with the United States supplying most of simple conflict; Iraq’s actions were clearly illegal,
the military personnel and other coalition members the aggressive, and destabilizing to the region. The country
funds. Over the next few months, as diplomatic efforts had no strong allies to support its claims, while its
and an embargo failed to compel an Iraqi withdrawal, actions posed a threat to the vital interests of several
former U.S. president George Bush successfully lob- other nations. Achieving an international consensus to
bied the United Nations to approve the use of force support action against Iraq, while a daunting task, was
against Iraq. The United Nations passed a resolution on considerably simpler than achieving such a consensus
November 29, 1990, demanding that Iraq withdraw in future conflicts, the Balkan wars of the mid-1990s
before January 15, 1991, or face the prospect of war. being an example.
The coalition forces in the Gulf doubled their troops in In addition, the vigorous diplomacy of the Bush
the region. administration had been instrumental in securing the
Iraq did not respond to the U.N. ultimatum, believ- unanimity necessary to pass the U.N. resolutions.
ing the threat of war to be a bluff. On January 16, The Persian Gulf War revealed the extent of U.S.
1991, Operation Desert Shield became Operation power, both politically, in its ability to rally the world
Desert Storm; led by the U.S. Air Force, the coalition behind the anti-Iraqi operation, and militarily, in the
forces began a campaign of air bombardment that devastating firepower that it was able to supply so
decimated Iraqi defenses over the next several weeks. readily and that had concluded the conflict so rapidly
On February 23, after additional U.S. demands for and decisively.
unconditional withdrawal from Kuwait had been This revelation had its dark side, however, as those
refused by Iraq, the coalition forces began a ground individuals and groups that opposed U.S. hegemony
campaign. After just four days of fighting, the major- and the values that it represented—democracy, capi-
ity of the Iraqi Army had either surrendered or fled, talism, and individual liberty—made the United
and Kuwait was in the hands of Allied forces. States the target of their attacks. As the war against