Analysis of Gulf War - Essay Example

Saddam Hussein, the president justified the invasion by saying Kuwait used to be a part of Iraq and should once again be so. By the 6th of August, 1990, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait’s neighbor, realized that the situation was dangerous if Hussein attempted any more invasions and asked for the help of the United States of America (USA). The USA immediately sent troops to Kuwait. The United Nations (UN) strongly condemned the invasion of Kuwait and gave Hussein a deadline of 16th January 1991 by which to retreat from Kuwait. Coalition troops from several countries were sent in by air the day after this deadline expired and later on 24th February 1991, ground attacks were launched. It was met by resistance from the Iraqis and several thousand were killed. On the 28th of February, all military operations were halted and a ceasefire was declared.

In the days that followed, Iraqi units were allowed to leave Kuwait. Negotiations between the coalition countries and Hussein allowed them to stay in power but economic and trade sanctions were imposed on Iraq. No-fly zones were established and Iraq’s weapons program came under inspection by the UN. Iraq accepted all the terms of the ceasefire and the war officially ended on the 3rd of March, 1991. Read More