August 2, 1990
The Gulf Crisis The armed forces of Iraq (over 100,000 soldiers backed by some 700 tanks) invaded Kuwait on August 2 ,1990. Six days later, the Iraqi government announced that Kuwait had been annexed as the nineteenth province of Iraq. The Iraqi government had some immediate economic and strategic concerns.
Why did Iraq Occupy Kuwait? Kuwait and the UAE persisted in exceeding their assigned quotas and were accused by Iraq and other producers of oil of flooding the market and causing a drop in the price of oil. During the costly conflict with Iran in 1980-1988, Iraq had accumulated an enormous burden of debt, some 60 billion dollars of which was owed to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Iraq and Kuwait together possessed 20 percent of proven world oil reserves. This would give Iraq enormous influence in the petroleum industry.
Operation Desert Shield The United States quickly intervened after the occupation of Kuwait. As the Saudi government issued a formal invitation to the US to send troops to defend the kingdom against a possible Iraqi attack, 200,000 US troops were stationed in Saudi Arabia by October 1990. Britain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Canada committed forces to the Operation. Working through the UN security council, the US pushed through resolutions demanding the Iraq’s withdrawal from Kuwait and imposing a trade embargo on all goods to and from Kuwait and Iraq.
The War In November 1990, the UN Security Council passed a resolution setting January 15, 1991, as the deadline for the complete withdrawal of Iraqi forces from Kuwait. The resolution authorized the “use of all necessary means” to enforce Iraq’s pullout after January 15. The UN deadline of January 15 passed without an Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait, and in response a six-week long bombing campaign codenamed Operation Desert Storm started just before midnight on January 16. After six-weeks long relentless bombing, the ground war started on February 24 and lasted only 100 hours. Finally, on February 27, 1991, President Bush proclaimed the liberation of Kuwait and ordered the US and coalition forces to suspend offensive operations.
Operation Desert Storm
Retreat
Uprising after the Defeat Segments of the Iraqi population rose up against the regime that had led the country into two devastating wars. After the defeat of Iraqi troops and their expulsion from Kuwait, withdrawing troops in the south triggered the uprising by Shia in the south. Then, the uprising spread to the north, where Kurdish troops managed to take control of the entire region of Iraqi Kurdistan. The uprisings lasted about two weeks, and at one point most of the country, except for Baghdad and its northern surroundings, were out of government control.
Intifada
The End of the Uprising As the uprising in the south was spontaneous and lack organization, the Iraqi army had managed to crush rebellion by March 1991 and begun the mass executions of rebels. A mass exodus of Shia refugees to Saudi Arabia and Iran was under way. Then the army began to approach the Kurdish region. In response, approximately 2 million Kurds, remembering the chemical attacks of the Anfal Campaign fled to neighboring Turkey and Iran.
International Sanctions 1990-1997: sanctions froze Iraqi financial assets abroad and banned all imports and exports, except for medical supplies and foodstuffs. Yet this concession was of limited value as Iraq was unable to generate any serious export earnings to finance any significant imports. As of 1996, it was estimated that 500,000 Iraqi children had died as a result of sanctions. Oil-for-Food Program: The program allowed Iraq to export a restricted amount of oil and use part of the money raised to buy basic goods. The program prevented the worsening of the humanitarian crisis and alleviated malnutrition, but it did not have the capacity to solve the severe humanitarian problems of the country.