FREE ESSAY ON ANALYZING PERSIAN GULF CRISIS BETWEEN IRAQ AND KUWAIT

ANALYZING PERSIAN GULF CRISIS BETWEEN IRAQ AND KUWAIT

In analyzing the Persian Gulf Crisis originally between Iraq and Kuwait, one must first
understand the factors that contributed to the conflict. In 1980, Iraq carried out a
major air and land attack on Iran. For eight years, the Iran-Iraq War grew more intense,
until the U.S. "accidentally" downed an Iranian plane, killing 290 passengers. Three
factors contributed to this war: (1) territorial dispute, (2) religious disputes between
Islamic moderates and fundamentalists, and more importantly, (3) a personality conflict
(also known as ego-mania) between Saddam Hussein, Iraq's president, and Ayatollah
Khomein, the leader of Iran. During this war, the U.S. began to provide protection to
Kuwaiti tankers, and hence, resulted in military conflicts with Iranian speedboats.
Indirectly, the U.S. supported Iraq's actions in this war. While the U.S. was busy
protecting Kuwait, Kuwait supported Iraq financially by giving it more than $10 billion.
At the close of the Iran-Iraq War in 1990, Iraq was eager to pay its international debt.
But how?
Iraq's chief export was petroleum. According to Iraq, Kuwait was providing a surplus of
oil in the international community by exceeding it assigned OPEC quota. Furthermore, Iraq
accused Kuwait of stealing nearly $24 billion worth of oil from a location straddling
their border. With his back against the wall, Saddam Hussein demanded forgiveness of the
debt and $13 to $15 billion in reparations. After little progress in two months, Iraq
invaded Kuwait. Immediately after the invasion, the U.S. led a coalition of states
determined to protect Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The Soviet Union was a part of this
coalition. For the first time in history, the two superpowers were cooperating, rather
than impeding, the Security Council's peacekeeping actions. Though the U.S. indirectly
supported Iraq in the past, the Soviet Union ironically served as Iraq's principal
supplier of weapons during the 1970s and 1980s. Now, the Soviet Union was teaming in a
surprising joint initiative to liberate Kuwait form Iraq.
This essay does not attempt to relabel Iraq's actions as just. It merely points out the
false security blanket the U.S. and Soviet Union helped to give Iraq. They supported Iraq
in a virtually pointless war with Iran, and when Iraq was drowning with the balance of
the war and no life jacket - its chief export petroleum - the world teamed up against
her. In any dispute, whether between children or countries, the peacemaker must indicate
an understanding, not justification, of acts of war. Just as a child rebels against a
parent that "does not understand," a country does as such against a world that does not
understand. Though the superior usually wins the fight, emotions and thoughts of
retaliation only fester in the minds and hearts of "the other victim" of war. This
statement cannot be stated at a more important time in history, as terrorist attack major
landmarks in the United States. The offender seeks recognition of a cause. Do just that.
Recognize and seek an understanding of the reasons and then move on to further actions.