Gulf Crisis

Setting the scene

The Gulf crisis began August 2, 1990, when Iraq, led by Saddam Hussein, invaded Kuwait, seizing the country in hours. Saddam claimed Kuwait was historically Iraqi territory and accused Kuwait of stealing oil from the Rumaila field and overproducing OPEC quotas to drive down prices. Iraq's real motives were economic—Saddam owed $80 billion from the Iran-Iraq War—and strategic—control of Kuwait's oil would make Iraq dominant in the Gulf.

What happened

The UN Security Council immediately condemned the invasion and imposed sanctions. President George H.W. Bush declared 'this will not stand' and built a coalition of 35 nations. Operation Desert Shield began August 7, deploying U.S. troops to Saudi Arabia to defend against possible Iraqi invasion. By January 1991, 700,000 coalition troops were in the region.

Why it still matters

The crisis led to the Gulf War in January 1991. The invasion demonstrated the post-Cold War world order—with the USSR cooperating with the U.S. at the UN—and established the principle that aggression against sovereign states would be reversed by international coalitions. The crisis also showed the importance of oil to global security. August 2, 1990, began the first major post-Cold War conflict.

Background

Desert Shield assembled a huge coalition.