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The Sole Superpower
With the decline and eventual collapse of the Soviet Union in late 1991, the United States lost its primary rival in the world. Throughout the 1990s, the nation's foreign conflicts were increasingly centered on the Middle East.
The Gulf War
Low oil prices during the 1980s, coinciding with the Iran-Iraq War, put Saddam Hussein's Iraq in dire financial straits, prompting it to act on accusations of slant drilling and "economic warfare" by neighboring Kuwait by invading it in August, 1990.[1] Fearing an invasion of Saudi Arabia, President George H. W. Bush authorized Operation Desert Shield, a troop buildup in Saudi Arabia along the Iraqi border.[2] On November 29, 1990, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 678, demanding Iraq withdraw from Kuwait by January 15, 1991.[3] On January 12, 1991, Congress authorized President Bush to use military force to liberate Kuwait in accordance with the U.N. resolution.[4]
Coalition forces began an air campaign over Iraq and Kuwait on January 17,[5] a ground campaign began on February 24[6]. After Iraqi troops were driven out of Kuwait, and with coalition forces in Iraq, a formal cease-fire was declared on April 6[7], leaving Saddam in power, with Washington officials hoping that an internal coup would occur.[8]
References
- ^ Hayes, Thomas C. (September 3, 1990), "Confrontation in the Gulf; The Oilfield Lying Below the Iraq-Kuwait Dispute", New York Times
- ^ Address Before a Joint Session of Congress (September 11, 1990), Miller Center of Public Affairs
- ^ Essential Documents: UN Security Council Resolution 678, Council on Foreign Relations
- ^ Clymer, Adam (January 13, 1991), "Confrontation in the Gulf;
Congress Acts to Authorize War in Gulf; Margins are 5 Votes in Senate, 67 in House", New York Times
{{citation}}: line feed character in|title=at position 27 (help) - ^ Fairhall; et al. (January 17, 1991), "Allied planes bomb Iraq: Kuwait's liberation begun, says US, Bush vows to wreck Saddam's war ability", The Guardian
{{citation}}: Explicit use of et al. in:|last=(help) - ^ Murtagh, Peter (February 25, 1991), "The Gulf War: Allies punch through Kuwait and Iraq - Commanders say objectives of the first day of simultaneous assault by land, sea and air were met within 10 hours", The Guardian
- ^ "Iraq accepts ceasefire", Sunday Herald Sun, April 7, 1991
- ^ Sciolino, Elaine (April 7, 1991), "Back in Business; Iraq Is Left to the Mercy of Saddam Hussein", New York Times