Iraqs Invasion of Kuwait - Essay Example

?Iraq’s Invasion of Kuwait Introduction From a realist point of view, it would seem that an act of invasion in the middle of the twentieth century israrely made an option or a tool by any established country so as to be hegemonic. The reason of which is that a plan of incursion demands a strong infantry, suggesting a great number of soldiers and sufficient supply of weapons. In spite of that, history is replete with interstate conflicts which in fact resulted to an act of invasion. The raison d’etat is of course unclear as in the case of Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. The invasion of Kuwait by its neighboring state, Iraq has awakened the sleeping giants, United States (US) and United Kingdom (UK). It became an international issue, one which alerted the Security Council of the United Nations (UN). In light of these facts, the essay will offer an explanation with regard to Iraq’s decision of invading Kuwait. It will also offer insights as to the aftermath of the attack in both countries. Iraq’s Invasion of Kuwait There have been many speculations as to the ultimate motive behind Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in August 1990, ranging from political and economic beliefs to personal and psychological accounts. Defensive Act. Some political analysts have claimed that the invasion was totally a defensive move, that is, to protect Iraq from experiencing an economic meltdown. At that time, Iraq was experiencing a very weak economy. It was still recovering from the consequences of its war with Iran. The war had caused the country to exhaust its foreign reserves and incur more foreign debt (Alnasrawi 69). Also, it had limited Iraq’s access to the sea in exporting its oil. As the country was struggling to recover, it had observed the booming oil industry of Kuwait. Later on, it found out that Kuwait was violating the quota set upon by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) -- Kuwait was producing more oil than what was required by the organization (Alnasrawi 64; Hansen 106). OPEC actually posed an oil production quota among its member countries so as to prevent a decline in oil revenue. Nonetheless, along with several countries, Kuwait did not comply with it, thereby affecting other member countries of OPEC especially Iraq. As a result, during the Arab Emergency Summit Conference in May 1990, Saddam Hussein, the president of Iraq, castigated Kuwait for its violation which caused the oil price to decline (Alnasrawi 64; Wolfgang and Tripp 46). He also alleged that Kuwait had stolen oil within its territory particularly in the al-Rumaylah oil field through diagonal drilling (Alnasrawi 64; Aziz, qtd. in Hansen 106). Saddam characterized Kuwait’s oil production as being selfish and unjustifiable, relating it with a war executed by economic means (Wolfgang and Tripp 46; Alnasrawi 64). Apparently, he was right in saying about an economic war. However, an economic war is not a bloody war. It does not use weapons which could kill individuals and destroy infrastructures. It only weakens the economic status of its opponent. This is to say that Saddam went far beyond the desired method to counter the undue advantage of Kuwait. He could actually allow the OPEC to settle the conflict amicably and decide as to the sanction or punishment to be given in order to prevent a violent reaction. With respect to the alleged stolen oil, Saddam did not have enough proof to substantiate the claim as the rightful owner of the oil field was still in dispute. As such, one could predict that Saddam had other motive in invading Kuwait. To Establish Control. Saddam Hussein decided to attack Kuwait to gain “control over the oil on the Arab littoral of the Persian Gulf” (Wolfgang and Tripp 39). The Persian Gulf actually contains sixty percent of the oil supply in the whole world, forty percent of which is situated on the side of the Arab countries (Wolfgang and Tripp 39-40). Control of such region would mean money and power. This fact would have allured Saddam, thinking that if he could establish control over the region, he would be the most powerful and influential person in the modern world and would become the overall leader of the Arab countries. As cited by Mubarak, to achieve this aim, Saddam thought that if he could invade one of the oil-producing countries, he would be able to control the political and economic affairs of the Gulf states (qtd. in Wolfgang and Tripp 41). This goes to say that he would have the final say with regard to the production of “the most important commodity in the modern industrial world” (Wolfgang and Tripp 40). He began his quest by invading Iran in 1980, but he failed (Stansfield 102). The attempt only worsened the economic situation of Iraq. The estimated one month battle lasted up to eight years (Wolfgang and Tripp 41). Despite such failure, Saddam wanted to try again, this time, Kuwait was his target. For the second time, he predicted that a war with Kuwait would only stimulate verbal protests and afterwards he could surreptitiously attack the oil wells of Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, but he was wrong again (Wolfgang and Tripp 41). The war with Kuwait alerted the international community, giving way for US and UK intervention. Eventually, he did not expect that invading Kuwait would end his dictatorial rule. In a sense, Saddam sought to use Kuwait as a bait in order for him to execute his plans unsuspectingly. He could not attack Saudi Arabia because of the Iraqi-Saudi non-aggression treaty. In March 1989, year before Iraq invaded Kuwait, Saddam and King Fahd of Saudi Arabia signed the said agreement (Wolfgang and Tripp 43). The king actually cited the treaty as a proof of Saddam’s preparations for invading Kuwait (Wolfgang and Tripp 43-44). Sense of Insecurity. Others have argued that the invasion was caused by Saddam Hussein’s sense of insecurity (Wolfgang and Tripp 39). As the Iraqi leader, it was alleged that Saddam was insecure of the economic status of Iraq’s neighboring states such as Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. He wanted Iraq not just to achieve a similar economic status with that of the mentioned Arab states but to be one of the world’s superpowers. To be a superpower, Saddam thought of controlling the major oil-producing countries in the Middle East. It was actually his aim for Iraq to rule the Arab world (Flynn-Brown 126). He somehow envied Kuwait’s geographical location. In contrast with his territorial jurisdiction which is landlocked, Kuwait has a wide coastal area. To note, an access to the sea would allow trade and massive exports of oil (Flynn-Brown 126). If Saddam would be successful in its second attempt, Kuwait would be providing Iraq the needed maritime access. If this will happen, Iraq could then be relieved of its economic problems (Hassan 6). Saddam’s sense of insecurity only proves that the invasion of Kuwait was triggered by a personal desire, a desire to make Iraq more rich and powerful than the other Arab countries. It could be asserted then that if Saddam had not been insecure, he could have implemented internal economic policies which could help Iraq recover from the economic crisis. Ultimately, Saddam’s personality contributed much to the evolution of the Iraq-Kuwait war (Musallam 89). Despite such fact, it is believed that Saddam’s decision to invade Kuwait was triggered by more than insecurity. He was motivated more by his selfish ambition. For over a decade, he had been aiming to control the oil-producing countries. This dream motivated him to invade Kuwait more than anything else. He actually conducted the invasion in the guise of representing the common good of Islam and Arabism (Hassan 9). After the Invasion Iraq. Even before Iraq invaded Kuwait, it was still laboring from sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) due to its war with Iran. After it invaded Kuwait, the UNSC promulgated more sanctions which were aimed at limiting Iraq’s economic activities. For instance, in August 6, 1990, resolution 661 was adopted by the UNSC. This resolution was aimed at the following: (1) banning all imports coming Iraq and (2) freezing Iraq’s government funds and assets (Alnasrawi 65). It was designed to force the Iraqi forces to withdraw from the Kuwaiti territory and restore the Kuwaiti government’s authority (Alnasrawi 65). The UNSC also adopted resolution 674 reminding Iraq of its liability to Kuwait’s government, to pay for any damage, injury, or loss (Alnasrawi 66). With all the sanctions faced by the Iraqi government, its economy substantially declined. An economic meltdown was expected to happen if its government would still not act upon the condition given by the UNSC. The UNSC was just simply asking the Iraqi forces to stop the war and surrender. Nevertheless, with the leadership of Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi forces continued the battle and disregarded the sanctions. This caused the Gulf War to take place (Alnasrawi 66). The war was initiated by the joined armed forces of America and United Kingdom. With their help, Saddam’s reign was ended. As expected, after the Gulf War, Iraq’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) fell sharply (“Iraq”). It did not have a feasible source of income to support its economic existence. It had a small and disorganized economy overburdened with high inflation rate, unemployment and incredible amount of foreign debt (“Iraq”). Kuwait. The Iraqi invasion had substantially affected the life of Kuwaitis. The Iraqi forces had almost completely destroyed the social, economic and political existence of Kuwait. Some brave citizens of Kuwait were actually tortured and executed (“Kuwait”). Basically, the Iraqi occupation forces had plundered Kuwait's wealth and resources (“Kuwait”). Thus, Kuwait had a hard time restoring its original state of affairs. During the war, it was cited that more than half of Kuwait's population fled in the attempt of protecting their lives as well as their families (“Kuwait”). After the Iraqi forces were defeated and Kuwait's sovereignty was reestablished in 1991, the Kuwaiti people began to return and started a new life (“Kuwait”). Many of them had lost their homes and jobs. Others were uncertain of their future. In the following months, Kuwait initially recovered. The Kuwaiti government had regained control of the country's security within its territory "and reinstituted the rule of law" (“Kuwait”). Interestingly, it became reluctant in admitting foreigners or non-nationals citing security risk as the justification (“Kuwait”). The Kuwaiti government was just assuring the safety of its citizens and the existence of Kuwait as a state. It was careful not to be attacked again by any intruding forces. Many of the foreigners who fled were not allowed by the Kuwaiti government to return especially the Palestinians. Back then, the Kuwaitis hated the Palestinians as many of its prominent members allegedly supported Iraq (“Kuwait”). The government actually limited the number of foreigners within Kuwait. It ensured that no foreign group would comprise more than ten (10) percent of Kuwait’s total population (“Kuwait”). Somehow, Kuwait considered the foreigners a threat to its security and economic success. As a consequence, Kuwait experienced a decrease in its foreign labor (“Kuwait”). After the invasion, the Kuwaiti government also faced heath problems due to the environmental damage and psychological impact of the invasion (“Kuwait”). Conclusion It is a finding that Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait was driven by the selfish ambition of one man, Saddam Hussein. The economic situation of Iraq at that time coincided with Saddam’s plans. Saddam used Iraq’s economic problems as a guise to his ultimate aim. He also used the people in Iraq as the instrument to execute his utmost plans. Unluckily, the Iraqi people were not able to notice such fact and even supported Saddam. In a sense, they were blinded by their own religious beliefs. To note, Kuwait did not perform any provocative acts suggesting a bloody war. In such case, the means adopted by Saddam to solve Iraq’s economic problems went far beyond what was acceptable under the laws of the international community. This sad fact had changed the Kuwaitis way of life and somehow affected Kuwait’s identity as a nation. Works Cited Alnasrawi, Abbas. Iraq's Burdens: Oil, Sanctions, and Underdevelopment. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2002. Print. Danspeckgruber, Wolfgang, and Charles Tripp. The Iraqi Aggression against Kuwait: Strategic Lessons and Implications for Europe. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1996. Print. Flynn-Brown, Joshua. In Defense of the President: One Students’ Journey to Simplify Conservative Truth. Bloomington, Indiana: AuthorHouse, 2007. Print. Hansen, Birthe. Unipolarity and the Middle East. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2001. Print. Hassan, Hamdi. The Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait: Religion, Identity and Otherness in the Analysis of War and Conflict. Sterling, Virginia: Pluto Press, 1999. Print. “Iraq: Oil and Economy.” About.com. About.com, n.d. Web. 9 May 2011. . “Kuwait -- Reconstruction After the Persian Gulf War.” Kuwait- A Country Study. Kuwait- A Country Study, n.d. Web. 9 May 2011. . Musallam, Musallam Ali. The Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait: Saddam Hussein, His State and International Power Politics. London: British Academic Press, 1996. Print. Stansfield, Gareth. Iraq: People, History, Politics. United Kingdom: Polity, 2007. Print. Read More