The Climatic Effect of the Smoke Released During the Gulf War in 1991 - Thesis Example

The initial objectives of the strategic air campaign were to (1) disrupt the Iraq leadership and com­mand and control: (2) achieve air supremacy: (3) cut supply lines; (4) destroy Iraq's nuclear, biological, and chemical capa­bility: and (5) destroy the Republican Guard. Destroying Scud missiles and mobile launchers became a priority early in the air campaign (Operation Desert Storm, 1997). Although prepared to use them against coalition forces, the intelligence community has assessed that Iraq did not use chemical weapons during the Gulf War (Central Intelligence Agency, 1997).

Since the end of World War II in 1945, the world has become increasingly militarized. Only two nations, out of nearly 200, have no armed forces (Costa Rica and Iceland). The number of wars since World War II stands at 150 with over 23 million people killed in them. On an average yearly basis, the number of war deaths since 1945 has been more than doubles the deaths in the nineteenth century. Apart from an upward trend in the frequency and destructiveness of wars, the latter half of the twentieth century has seen a concentration of hostilities in the Economically Less Developed Countries of the world.

Of the 82 armed conflicts between 1989 and 1992, only three were between states. Most were in the countries of the South. During 1993 42 countries had major conflicts and 37 had political violence. Of these 79 countries, 65 were in the developing world. -- UNDP Human Development Report 1994.On 2 August 1990 Iraq, under the leadership of Saddam Hussein, invaded Kuwait. It eventually involved some 140,000 Iraqi troops and 1,800 tanks but was initially spearheaded by two armored divisions. They moved rapidly south towards Kuwait City, while a special forces commando division attacked the city itself.

Simultaneously, heliborne Iraqi units seized selected strategic sites throughout Kuwait, including the coveted islands of Bubiyan and Warba at the northern tip of the Persian Gulf.