Gulf War

The Gulf War was an armed conflict between Iraq and a massive coalition of 42 countries. The United States led this international alliance.

This war is also known by several other names. Some call it the Persian Gulf War or the Kuwait War. It was sometimes referred to as the Second Gulf War to distinguish it from the Iran–Iraq War. Others called it the First Iraq War after the 2003 invasion. The conflict was a major event that changed how modern wars are fought and viewed.

The conflict began due to intense disagreements between Iraq and its neighbor, Kuwait. Iraq was governed by Saddam Hussein. Following the Iran–Iraq War, Iraq faced a massive debt of $14 billion. Much of this money was owed to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Iraq also accused Kuwait of economic warfare. Specifically, Iraq claimed Kuwait was slant-drilling into the Rumaila oil field. This technique involves drilling at an angle to reach oil under a neighbor's territory.

Iraq also argued that Kuwait was exceeding its OPEC oil production quotas. These actions caused oil prices to drop, costing Iraq billions of dollars in revenue.

On August 2, 1990, the situation turned into a military invasion. Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait and occupied the entire country within two days.

Iraq attempted to absorb the territory into its own provinces. It turned the north into the Basra Governorate and the south into the Kuwait Governorate. The United Nations Security Council responded immediately to this action. They demanded that Iraq withdraw its troops from Kuwait right away. The Council also imposed a total embargo on all products from both Iraq and Kuwait.

The coalition's military response happened in two distinct phases. The first phase was called Operation Desert Shield. This phase lasted from August 1990 to January 1991. Its primary goal was a military buildup in the Persian Gulf region to protect Saudi Arabia.

The second phase was called Operation Desert Storm. This phase began on January 17, 1991, with a heavy bombing campaign.

This aerial and naval bombardment lasted for five weeks to force an Iraqi withdrawal.

Technology played a massive role in the way this war was conducted. Many experts call it the "first space war." This is because the coalition used satellite-based reconnaissance and communications. They also relied heavily on GPS, which stands for Global Positioning System, for navigation.

The air war also featured stealth aircraft, such as the F-117 Nighthawk. These planes are designed to be difficult for radar to detect. Additionally, the coalition used precision-guided munitions to strike specific targets. This high-tech approach earned the conflict the nickname "Video Game War."

This name came from the daily news broadcasts of images taken by cameras on American aircraft.

The ground war was brief but extremely intense. On February 24, 1991, the coalition launched a decisive ground assault.

This assault liberated Kuwait and pushed into Iraqi territory. The ground advance lasted only one hundred hours before a ceasefire was declared. During this time, some of the largest tank battles in American history occurred. These included the Battle of Medina Ridge, the Battle of Norfolk, and the Battle of 73 Easting.

Iraqi forces also fired missiles at Israel and Saudi Arabia during the fighting.

The war had significant and lasting consequences for the region and the world. The environmental impact was severe because Iraqi forces caused over 600 oil well fires.

This also resulted in the largest oil spill in history up to that point. Many US veterans later experienced Gulf War syndrome. Experts believe this was caused by the bombing and demolition of Iraqi chemical weapons facilities.

Finally, the war changed how the world receives information. It introduced live news broadcasts from the front lines, led by the American network CNN. This allowed people to watch the conflict unfold in real time.