Compare and contrast the 1990 Gulf War to the 2003 Iraq invasion. Did the position of Arab regimes differ?

Topic: U.S-Arab relations: Assessing the successes and failures of American policy towards the GCC since 2008.

Benson, Sonia G. "The Iran-Iraq War: 1980 to 1988." Middle East Conflict, 2nd ed., vol. 1: pp. 233-250. Student Resources In Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX4021100021/SUIC?u=j108911&sid=SUIC&xid=08a2ab6a. Accessed 27 Apr. 2018.

During the Cold War Saddam Hussain and the Arab Socialist Ba 'ath Party lead Iraq. Sunni Muslims, who were a minority in Iraq, enjoyed increased political power as most politicians were Sunni. During the Cold War Iraq began to increasing align itself with the USSR and espouse the philosophy of uniting all the Arab world under socialism. However the dream of Arab unity was shattered during the Iraq-Iran War. In Iraq 400,000 soldiers died, 400,000 were wounded, and 100,000 civilians died. A few years after the war, the USSR collapsed, and Iraq lost its biggest supporter, and dream of socialism began to fade in the population’s eye. Right after the collapse, Iraqi invaded Kuwait, triggering the Gulf War. Iraq was defeated by the USA. Sensing weakness in the Iraqi government, full scale rebellion broke out in Northern Iraq. Saddam accused

Following defeat in 1991, where US Air Land Battle doctrine and “second offset” technological advantage were demonstrated effectively, Hamdani recommended transforming Iraqi land forces from “heavy mechanised” to “light infantry” with focus on “guerrilla war” to counter US air power dominance. However, Saddam was in denial viewing the “Mother of All Battles” a victory; this was logical to him – he remained in power when his enemy was no longer POTUS and he still had a military with the world’s largest Arab army. He regarded internal (coup, Shia) and regional (Iran, Israel) threats ahead of external (US) threats with “the possibility of … American invasion … nonsense.” Having successfully quelled in March 1991what he perceived as the greatest danger to his regime, an internal uprising, he intended to maintain the military capability proven to ensure “the internal security of the Ba’ath dictatorship” ; viewing change unnecessary. But he was wrong: the US threat was credible and his military was not fit to counter it. Nonetheless there was no transformation. The regime complied with his will, coerced by fear. Saddam’s draconian leadership created a culture of deceit. Most feared for their lives and ‘toed the Ba’ath Party line’ with lying becoming commonplace across government and the military. “The resulting personal and organizational paranoia profoundly affected how Iraq addressed its strategic and military problems.” This negatively affected Iraqi military readiness and planning. To the contrary, Hamdani, viewed as a competent officer with ‘top cover’ from

Hoder, Lukas, and Petr Suchy. "Bush Doctrine in the Middle East." Obrana a Strategie (Defence & Strategy) OaS (D&S) 11.1 (2011): 69-85.Stanford:Political Science Journal. Stanford Journal for Independent Research, 08 Apr. 2009. Web. 08 Dec. 2015.

The relations between the United States and the Middle East has been intricate. Even though there is quite a physical distance between the United States and the Middle East, the United States’ influence spread within this region. Throughout the 20th and 21st century, the Middle East’s relations with other countries, strategic interests, and military standings have provoked U.S. involvement. These interventions have ranged from diplomatic actions to more drastic physical military involvement. The United States’ relations with Iraq is a great example of this complex, continuously changing relationship. To know the background of Iraq will help understand the war on terror.

Throughout the history of the Middle East, Iran and Iraq have been in a dispute. In recent years many factors have caused a global involvement in this conflict. Many young adult Americans have grown up with this conflict as part of their daily evening news. So much so that many people now pay little attention to this constant strife and haven’t stopped to wonder--Why is the United States involved and how did the Iraq War begin? In order to gain understanding, it is essential to explore the various aspects of land, religion, power, and oil and events which led to the Iraq War.

One of the greatest debates over the past decade has been whether the US’s effort to overthrow a tyrannical leader named Saddam Hussein was truly justified. The aim of this paper is to shed light on what the relations were between the United States and Iraq for over half a century and what factors led to such a disastrous invasion which left over half a million people dead and countless more injured. What justifications did politicians such as Vice President Dick Cheney and President George W. Bush give to the American public which convinced the masses that an invasion was necessary after disastrous examples in the past such as the invasion of Vietnam? It is important that one looks over specific turning points in history, such as the attack

Consequently, the Iraq war had resulted in thousands dead along including an unstable nation. Inquiries post-invasion revealed critical flaws within the intelligence collected. Much of the information provided to the Central Intelligence Agency along with the National Security Council from human intelligence proved to be incorrect. Furthermore, the incorrect information had compounded the issue with a limited network of assets in Iraq to verify the intelligence received. One of the most important intelligence failures of the 21st Century is seen in the invasion of Iraq. How can the review of intelligence collections conducted on pre-war Iraq Weapons of Mass Destruction programs better determine the faults in intelligence received from human intelligence sources,

While the October 11, 2001, U.S. invasion of Afghanistan is considered to be rightfully justified by 9/11, there is evidence to show that the January 17, 1991 Operation Desert Storm, which started the issues in the Middle East, was merely justified by the fear of a monopoly on the world’s oil by the ruthless dictator Saddam Hussein. This event is essential to understanding the current War on Terror, given that it is the beginning of the US involvement in the Middle East. Therefore, understanding what occurred in 1990, is necessary to understanding the reasons behind the current War on Terror. On August 1, 1990, the Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein, ordered an attack on Iraq’s neighbor Kuwait, who had been a part of Iraq until 1961. Hussein stated that he was simply reuniting what should have never been divided. April Glaspie, U.S.

After Jerusalem, Stack was posted in Baghdad, Iraq during the heart of the American invasion. Bodies and the smell of death filled the city. Once Saddam Hussein had vanished, Shiites fled to Baghdad “Every Shiite wanted a taste of a pilgrimage that had been outlawed under Saddam,” Stack wrote (64), “so they walked those country roads, roaring out all that had been suppressed.” During this time, there was also an expectation that Shiites would align themselves with the US after they were free from Saddam, but there was very little celebration. Iraq mourned, feeling abandoned and disappointed. “America had shown up a dozen years too late.” Stack wrote (71). Iraq is classified as a partially democratic media environment, but is ranked very low

From as early as 1953 with the assistance in the coup to overthrow then Iranian leadership to the killing of Bin Laden, we see that America has had a hand in the Middle East and as fig.1 demonstrates and if to be believed, the problems that now find need for policies, competencies and leadership had the helping hand of the United Staten in creating the dis function in the region; as Malcolm X would so eloquently state “the chickens are finally coming home to roost.”

September 1980, the war was noted with unsystematic ballistic missile attacks, copious use of chemical weapons and attacks on third-country oil tankers located in the Persian Gulf. (Mifflin, 1996) During the eight years between, Iraq’s

Yew, L. (2007, January). The united states, iraq, and the war on terror. Retrieved from

The Middle East has been the world’s hotspot in terms of political and armed conflict since the end of the Cold War. In the last decade, the region has witnessed the collapse of regimes that have ruled for decades one after the other, some through the intervention by foreign military force and others through revolutions. The US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 has become one of the most controversial events in international relations as neither the invasion nor the occupation was legal under international law and the fact that the invasion has left Iraq in a state of chaos with no bright future in sight. More importantly, the reasoning behind the intervention remains problematic as Iraq is an oil rich country, but is still struggling