Desert Storm to 9/11: The First Gulf War, 1990-1991 Afghanistan Notes Week #16 Theme: The end of the Vietnam Syndrome, the beginning of The War on Terror (the threat Terrorism)

The Gulf War

Background Iraq and Iran had fought an eight year war, leaving Iraq deeply in debt. Saddam Hussein needed cash and Kuwait has oil and had loaned much of the money Iraq now owed. Iraq first urged the Kuwaitis to forgive the war debt. Then argues Kuwait is an Iraqi province, not in independent country when these tactics failed, Iraq invades. Iraq forces (the fourth largest Army in the world) carried out a surprise invasion of Kuwait on August 2, 1990. Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait was condemned by the United States and UK. This was to be the first test of the New World Order, Post Cold War…. A Coalition was formed between NATO and Middle Eastern nations to expel Saddam Hussein.

Coalition Operations The end of the Cold War and Russia’s willingness to join the U.S. in opposing Iraq created an unprecedented level of international cooperation The United Nations adopted resolutions condemning Iraq and authorizing the use of force Thirty-six countries (as well as Kuwait) contributed forces to the Gulf War, a.k.a. The Coalition.

Five weeks of Air Attack, and 96 hours of a ground assault

The Gulf War Ends…but! The objective of Desert Storm was to liberate Kuwait, not to destroy the Iraqi army or remove Saddam Even though the coalition experienced amazing military success, Saddam remained in power and crushed short-lived uprisings by the Kurds in the north and the Shia in the south Iraqi would be invaded, 2003 by the United States in a failed effort to find WMD’s: Second Gulf War. resulting in the removal of Saddam Hussein and a 10 year occupation.

The New World Order Theme: International cooperation and military intervention in the post-Cold War era

“New World Order” “We stand today at a unique and extraordinary moment. The crisis in the Persian Gulf, as grave as it is, also offers a rare opportunity to move toward an historic period of cooperation. Out of these troubled times, our fifth objective -- a new world order -- can emerge: a new era -- freer from the threat of terror, stronger in the pursuit of justice, and more secure in the quest for peace. An era in which the nations of the world, East and West, North and South, can prosper and live in harmony.…

“New World Order” ….A hundred generations have searched for this elusive path to peace, while a thousand wars raged across the span of human endeavor. Today that new world is struggling to be born, a world quite different from the one we’ve known. A world where the rule of law supplants the rule of the jungle. A world in which nations recognize the shared responsibility for freedom and justice. A world where the strong respect the rights of the weak.” President George H. W. Bush Sept 11, 1990

Post-Gulf War Environment Cold War threats were potentially catastrophic but they were also measurable and somewhat predictable The New World Order with it Rouge States (Iraq, Afghanistan, North Korea) The Roots of 9-11 and the War on Terror begin with the Coalition build up of military force in Saudi Arabia with its Holy-sites Mecca and Medina CIA Director James Woolsey described this new environment by saying, “We have slain a large dragon (the U.S.S.R.) — but we now live in a jungle filled with a bewildering variety of poisonous snakes. In many ways, the dragon was easier to keep track of.”