1. United States presence in SW Asia: Iran, Persian Gulf Conflicts, Afghanistan & Iraq

2. QOTD:
In 2 full sentences, describe what happened between Iraq, Kuwait, and the United States.

3. What countries are known as ‘Gulf States’?
The Persian GULF!

4. Background!
20th Century = 1900’s
Throughout the 20th century the Gulf States were major oil exporters.
The US became involved in the Middle East to protect its access to these vital oil reserves.
When Saddam Hussein threatened the global oil supply by seizing oil rich Kuwait and threatening Saudi Arabian oil fields, the US intervened to defeat the Iraqi Army, liberate Kuwait, and protect Saudi Arabian oil fields in the 1991 Gulf War.

5. The Gulf War Iraq Is 65% Shi’a Muslim
Saddam Hussein is Sunni Muslim (he is in the minority in Iraq)
He was using a totalitarian system to suppress the majority Shi’a population
During the Cold War, Iraq aligned with the Soviet Union

6. 1980’s- Leading up to the Conflict
To suppress the United States’ common enemy, Iran, the US aided Saddam Hussein in order to fight the Iran-Iraq War ( )
1988: the US & Iraq are allies/ friends
Saddam Hussein is in debt to other countries when they lent him money during the Iran-Iraq War, and he can’t pay it back.
Iraq is looking for debt forgiveness and the Middle Eastern countries are not giving it.

7. The US and Iraq are no longer friends!
August 2, 1990
The US and Iraq are no longer friends!
Iraq starts moving a HUGE army (soldiers), to the border of Kuwait.
On August 2, 1990, Iraqi president, Saddam Hussein, ordered his Iraqi army to invade Kuwait.
At the time Kuwait produced over ten percent of the world's oil.
Remember, Iraq needed money!
The War itself only lasted a little over a month. (Jan to Feb of 1991)

8. Operation Desert Shield/Storm
King Fahd of Saudi Arabia asks for U.S. protection from Iraq after Iraq moves too close to their oil fields.
U.S. doesn’t want Iraq to gain control of Saudi oil
U.S. launches Operation Desert Shield/Storm to protect Saudi Arabia
It was the air campaign where Iraqi forces were bombed

9. Coalition of the Willing
The US created a coalition with over 40 nations to invade and overpower Hussein.
Coalition: a temporary alliance with political or military goals.

10. Ceasefire- March 3, 1991 Iraq agrees to a ceasefire on March 3, 1991
Retreating Iraqi forces set fire to oil wells in Kuwait.
This created a major environmental disaster.

11. Successful?
Kuwait freed from Iraq BUT Hussein remained in power in Iraq.
UN sanctions (limitations for breaking a rule) were placed on Iraq’s oil sales…
WHY?
to limit Hussein’s military spending which would lessen his military threat to other nations.
UN sanctions also required that UN Weapons Inspectors be allowed inside any Iraqi facility to investigate and make sure no weapons of mass destruction (WMDs*), were being made there and that the ones he previously had (chemical weapons) were destroyed.
* WMDs - include chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons.

12. Nuclear Weapons
Following Saddam Hussein’s defeat in 1991, the U.S. government came to believe that Iraq had an active nuclear weapons program. Given Hussein’s dislike of the U.S. following the 1991 war, the U.S. demanded that Saddam Hussein dismantle the Iraqi nuclear weapons program. Saddam Hussein refused, saying no such program existed.

13. Persian Gulf War 2?
The U.S. invaded Iraq again in 2003 to destroy the Iraqi nuclear weapons and overthrow Saddam Hussein.
Hussein was captured by U.S. soldiers; tried and executed by the new Iraqi government.
Conflicts erupted between the Sunni and Shi’a militias, which would keep the U.S. fighting in Iraq until 2011.
There is no evidence that there was an active Iraqi nuclear weapons program in 2003.

14. Picture hyperlinks to biography of Hussein.

15. Extra resources you may be interested in:
Crash Course
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Sharia Law:
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ISIS & ISIL
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Isis Explained
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Origins of Isis. 20m
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16. ISIS Attacks on France Terrorism Russian plane ISIS/ISIS breakdown Ghj
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Terrorism
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Russian plane ISIS/ISIS breakdown
15/11/17/studentnews/s n-content- weds/index.html#
ISIS
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