International Security: Kuwait War 1990-1991 - Essay Example

International Security: Kuwait War 1990-1991 Literature Review International security has been one of the major concerns of the United Nations (UN) since the outbreak of the Second World War fought between 1939 and 1945. The UN following the failure of the league of the nations instituted stringent policies to enable them restore international order and peace. The Security Council organ of the UN was mandated to accomplish this with the decision from the countries with the veto powers. The international security remains one of the major concerns of the UN to ensure that there is complete restoration of peace. Following these, they have intervened in several situations in which international security is threatened. International security concerns have been considered in many occasions for when two or more countries threaten to go to war. The Kuwait invasion by Iraq was just one of the situation in which international security was threatened in 1991. In 1961, the then United States president J.F. Kennedy made a conclusion that the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) was attempting to subvert the whole of the Latin America. US were concerned that the USSR wanted to spread communism in the Latin America contrary to their position.1 The US never wanted countries to be coerced into accepting economic policies that they did not subscribe to as was the case with the USSR under the leadership of Nikita Khrushchev. The US alleged that USSR wanted to accomplish this mission using their proxy, Cuba under the leadership of the Fidel Castro.2 It should be remembers that during these time, The US and the USSR were in the thick of cold war in which both sides were competing for political supremacy. Following the emergence of the US and USSR as the world super powers and that earlier, the American used atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it was in the interest of the USSR to build atomic bombs in attempt to march counter the US.3 The American through their intelligence informed their president on the position of the USSR and Cuba and the US insisted in thwarting the efforts. In these efforts, the US decided to get rid of Fidel in Cuba, a situation that triggered international insecurity dubbed the Cuban Missile crisis of 1961-62 (The Pig of Bay). The crisis was considered a war of proxy, given the fact that both USSR and United States were confronting each other at the behest of what perceived to be their allies. The USSR or United States were reluctant to pursue physical invasion for fear of atomic bomb use. The situation was later resolved through mutual agreement between the president of the countries and peace was restored. In 1964, there was a similar situation that threatened international peace was again observed, these was referred to as the Vietnam War. During this time, Vietnam was already divided into two the Northerners and the Southerners. The South was capitalists supported by the US while the North was Communists allied to the USSR.4 The Northerners resented the presence of the US forces in the South and decided to attack them in the Gulf of Tonkin. These attacks was viewed as an act of aggression by the Americans and the then president Lyndon took to the congress a request to increase US soldiers in the Gulf of Tonkin in a bid to keep international peace and security, an appeal that was granted.5 The US then attacked North Vietnam in an operation dubbed Rolling Thunder, the US increased their military activities in the North in order to retaliate on their first attack, and they wanted to deter the North from increasing military attack in the capitalist South. The situation threatened the international security given that the North also got assistance from the communist sympathizers. The India-Pakistan war was also a threat to the international security. The conflict between the two countries was accelerated in 1965 given that the world was already polarized under the banner of Cold War with US and the USSR in the opposing sides as the emergent world superpowers. The double claim of Jammu and Kashmir states by Pakistan and India was the reason behind war. The dispute over the two states was occasioned by the decolonization of the South Asia, following the gaining of independence by India in 1947 from Britain; the country was partitioned into two; the secular Indian nation and the Muslim dominated Pakistan.6 Part of what was considered Indian Territory defined their territory with Pakistan. Even though Jammu and Kashmir were predominantly Islamic, it was lead by Hindus and both India and Western part of Pakistan. The country to incorporate the two states became an issue that triggered military action and series of mediations that flopped. We see the UN, US and the USSR involvement in peace mediation in the territory.7 The volatile situation in the place was put to an end with the military weapons supply being restricted to either group. In 1967, the differences between the Arab and the Israeli had started over territorial disputes. It has been the greatest contributor to instability and upheavals in the Middle East for nearly half a decade now. Following the Egyptians closing Straits of Tiran, they triggered military attack from Israel. The war during its course included other countries like Syria and Jordan.8 In the process of the conflict, Israel managed to seize and control several territories that were under dispute including the famous Gaza Strip. The outbreak of this war has led to the intermittent military conflict between the Israeli and the Palestine with the contentious issue being the control of the Gaza Strip. This has dwindled efforts to foster peace in the Middle East Region. 9 Accounting for the major international conflicts that have threatened the stability and tranquility of the world would not be complete without mentioning the Korean conflict in the 1950 that has seen the initial republic of Korea divided permanently into two the South and the North.10 Following the end of World War II, the so-called Pacific War also came to a halt and unfortunately necessitated the Korean conflict. The Peninsula of Korea was formerly ruled by Japan and following their position to relinquish control of the place, the US divided the Peninsula along what they referred to as the 38 parallel.11 The division saw Peninsula being demarcated into two, the South, and the North under the two world super powers US and USSR respectively. Inability to hold credible election in the Peninsula resulted into the establishment of the communism republic in the North and a capitalist in the South. Following the Cold War factor during the time, the tension in the region remained palpable and threatened the world security with the rivalry between the US and the USSR rekindled. 12 It should be noted that even with the end of the First and the Second World War, the internal security on peace and tranquility was not fully realized. Even with the League of Nation abolishment and subsequent replacement with the United Nations, it did not really help much in restoration of the international peace. A series of conflicts started immediately after the World War II where the US and the USSR that emerged superpower started competing over supremacy that was a precursor to the devastating World War. During the World War period, countries underwent armament program that saw them reactive in using military response even in the slightest provocation. Countries also demonstrated unfounded aggression to other countries that were perceived weak for the purpose of either exploitation or control for economic benefit. The case of the Iraq and Kuwait was an act of aggression that was made under pretence that Kuwait was its territory. Works Cited Isserman, Maurice, and John Stewart Bowman. Vietnam War. Updated ed. New York: Facts on File, 2009. Print. Karsh, Efraim. The Arab-Israeli conflict: the 1948 war. New York: Rosen Pub., 2008. Print. Malkasian, Carter. The Korean War. New York: Rosen Pub., 2008. Print. Quesada, A. M., and Stephen Walsh. The Bay of Pigs: Cuba, 1961. Oxford: Osprey Pub., 2011. Print. Wolpert, Stanley A. India and Pakistan: continued conflict or cooperation?. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2010. Print. Woolf, Alex. Living through the Arab-Israeli War since 1948. London: Raintree, 2013. Print. Read More