The Tragedy of My Uncle Khaled and the Gulf War of 1990-91 In his chapter from On Writing Well dealing with family history, author William Zinsser has written, “Writers are the custodians of memory.” (281) This means that those who write preserve history. I hope to accomplish this here by remembering my late uncle Khaled’s experience of the Iraqi invasion, and occupation of, my native country of Kuwait. In doing such a nonfiction assignment, it is important to recall something else Zinsser wrote in his book: “The moral for nonfiction writers is: think broadly about your assignment…Push the boundaries of your subject and see where it takes you.” (247) This represents another key objective for this effort. Thus, if Uncle Khaled’s memory is …show more content…
One could even add Syria, a violent enemy of Iraq.” This was the normal opinion held by Kuwaitis for as long as the first two weeks of Iraqi occupation. The opinion increased or decreased in intensity with statements made at Arab League meetings for and against the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, as well as strong public denunciations by foreign nations (especially the U.S.) of the invasion or less passionate, neutral, comments made by other countries (particularly China). As the end of the first month of the occupation approached with no action taken by the Arab League, nor anyone else, my uncle’s opinion changed along with everyone else’s in our tiny country. When he would visit us he would still appear at least partially optimistic, commenting that “The world does not seem ready to take action yet, but it will. In the meantime, the Iraqis will tire of this game soon enough and leave.” Here, again, the opposite seemed true. As time passed, the Iraqis appeared only to increase the presence of their forces in Kuwait. Whereas Iraqi forces at first had seemed more scattered in numbers throughout the neighborhoods of the capital city, perhaps as only smaller squads of men, by the second month they massed in human blocks that grew in size to companies, or even battalions, of troops.
Throughout American history wars have played a huge part. From the start of the country to the present wars have played a lagrge part in shaping America into the national power that it is today. Not only is America the most pwerful nation in thwe world but it is also the policeman for the entire world, making and checking up on the world and all the interactions of foreign countries worldwide. Being born in born in the early eighties prohibitied me from experiencing many of the Americas war firsthand. This however changed early in the 1990's.
In conclusion, President George Bush’s letter shows how united the world is against Iraq’s aggression. Twenty-eight countries would give military aid and one hundred governments would agree with the United States position. Iraq has no allies in their takeover of Kuwait. Bush’s threats of military action challenge Saddam Hussein’s arrogance and sense of infallibility. Warnings of the destruction of Iraq’s military and loss of life would be on the hands of Hussein himself. The United States would not be responsible for Iraq’s losses. Again, the primary audience for this letter is Hussein himself, because in a dictatorship such as Iraq, the people themselves are deprived of such information. Brute
The invasion and the war in Iraq remains a continuous topic of divisiveness and sensitivity in today’s America. One of the negative evaluation of the war is attributed to the false impression of the length of the war which lasted seven years, not six months as presumed in 2003. As the invasion initiated, the ideologies of American government then failed to perceive the large number of troops required, casualties and the financial toll in the interest of the preventive war doctrine. However, when weighing the failures of this war, there are successes brought home that relate mostly to the lessons the American military and the government learned with the use of counterinsurgency tactics after “winning the hearts and minds” of Iraqis (Young). Nevertheless, with evaluation through levels of analysis, the accomplished agenda of ending Saddam Hussein’s regime justifies success and failure, mutually.
Wars have been apart of this world almost as long as anything else has. Even in the Bible days there are records of wars. There are many reasons that states choose to go to war. Sometimes it is for the expansion of a nation or state, other times it is for financial gains, and it also could be for security or defense purposes. Whatever the case may be, wars have been apart of human life and will always be. There were no differences when it came to the Persian Gulf War. This war involved the United States, Iraq, and Kuwait. When trying to determine the purpose behind this war I chose to view it from a comparison of both the realist and liberalist views on the war.
The Persian Gulf War all started because of one country’s greed for oil. Iraq accused Kuwait of pumping oil and not sharing the benfits, and Kuwait was pumping more oil than allowed under quotas set by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, it decreased the price of oil, Iraq's main export. Iraq's complaints against Kuwait grew more and more harsh, but they were mostly about money. When Iraqi forces began to assemble near the Kuwaiti border in the summer of 1990, several Arab states tried to intervene the dispute. Kuwait didn’t want to look weak so they didn’t ask for any help from the United States or other non-Arab powers for support. Arab mediators convinced Iraq and Kuwait to negotiate their differences in Saudi Arabia, on
The Gulf War was much more than a fight to liberate Kuwait. It was the first non-conventional war; in which new, fairly new, or even experimental weapons were used. The Gulf War displayed much new technology that you will learn lots about in this paper. This paper may sound very technical, but that is what it is about, the new weapon technology vs. the conventional types of weapons used in previous wars. This paper is about the advancement of weapon technology, and how the military changed the tactics used before.
“If Saddam Hussein does not fully disarm, we will lead a coalition to disarm him.” These were the first words spoken that would give any inclination towards what was soon to come. In George Bush’s 2002 State of the Union address, he referred to the Middle East as an “axis of evil,” a term that would be used for the next ten years, throughout the devastating war with Iraq. Millions of American’s views on Iraq were clouded by the malicious actions of the few nineteen suicide bombers on September 11, 2001, and other preconceptions about the Muslim people. Consequently, today many people think that the U.S.’s involvement in Iraq was successful, removing Hussein’s regime and restoring freedom in Iraq. However, they probably aren’t aware of the massive impacts the war has had on Iraq and less importantly, America. The U.S./Iraq war has had a devastating impact on the social and economic states of Iraq, and has contributed to the U.S. pouring billions of dollars of taxpayer money into the military.
As previously outlined the US invaded Iraq without any international support from international organisations such as the United Nations. This lack of international support contrasts with another invasion of Kuwait; a country in a similar area of the world as Iraq, in 1993. It is argued by many that the lack of international support is integral to how the invasion of Iraq by the United States has led to a limited development of Iraq. A former British and America government advisor Dan Plesch argues that this lack of support led to a significantly lower number of troops than needed for peaceful and successful transition as planned by the US Army. This advocates the view that despite planning with a bigger force, America’s kneejerk reaction
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
In August 1990 the leader of Iraq, Saddam Hussein commanded his military to invade Kuwait. Leaving this to be the first time a United Member Nation had attacked just one of its fellow United Member Nation. Kuwait is a small country located at the North-Western end of the Persian Gulf, this gulf separates South Western Asia and the Arabian Peninsula. Saddam Hussein was known to be a ruthless dictator. Refugees fled Kuwait, as many were robbed, assaulted, and looted. According to legends, that Hussein himself accepted, during the war with Iran he had used poison gas against both Iranian troops and Iraqi civilians because they opposed to his regime (Carlisle 3). With this certain example we can furthermore comprehend Hussein’s brutality and desire for power.
Wars have been apart of this world almost as long as anything else has. Even in the Bible days there are records of wars. There are many reasons that states choose to go to war. Sometimes it is for the expansion of a nation or state, other times it is for financial gains, and it also could be for security or defense purposes. Whatever the case may be, wars have been apart of human life and will always be. There were no differences when it came to the Persian Gulf War. This war involved the United States, Iraq, and Kuwait. When trying to determine the purpose behind this war I chose to view it from a comparison of both the realist and liberalist views on the war.
SOCIALLY, following the war with Iran in 1988, Iraq was ranked 50 in the 1990 UNDP Human Development Index, which measures national success in education, GDP, and health. Iraq was nearing the top of the middle range of countries in regard to the implementation of basic social services and infrastructure. However, under Saddam’s rule, the prosecution of Shiites and Kuwaitis was a normal occurrence. Called by some a genocide, the period of murder, terror, and persecution faced by these groups was the foundation for a long-lasting unrest within the hearts and minds of Iraqi citizens. The rest of the Iraqi citizens, however, lived normal, comfortable lives. In the late 20th century, many traveled from afar to utilize and learn from Iraq’s intricate network of hospitals and social centers regarded as the best in the region. (CIA 2) However, constant war drained Iraq’s wealth and decimated its people. In the Iraq-Iran War, Saddam Hussein unwillingly forced Iraq into a disastrous attempt to overthrow the Islamist government in Iran. When the dust settled, over 200,000 Iraqis were dead, and more than twice this number were wounded. Iraq’s increasing debt, nearing about 75 Billion, soon had the Arab
Believing Iraq would leave Kuwait peaceably and without needing armed conflict was the unmet goal. Another goal was to have the infrastructure of Kuwait intact for the future occupation of the citizens. Both policies of goals and their decisions required immediate adjustments for the fluid action in motion. this adjustment continued as Iraq set fire to Kuwait’s oil fields, decimated and looted the country of Kuwait, and even the containment of the Iraq agreed cease-fire (Persian Gulf War, July & Fishel, 1992). However, the adjustments didn’t end
Persian Gulf War, also called Gulf War, (1990–91), international conflict that was triggered by Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait on August 2, 1990. Iraq’s leader, Saddam Hussein, ordered the invasion and occupation of Kuwait with the apparent aim of acquiring that nation’s large oil reserves, canceling a large debt Iraq owed Kuwait, and expanding Iraqi power in the region1. The Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein claimed as a reason for the invasion a territorial dispute over the Shatt al-Arab, the waterway which forms the boundary between the two countries2. Saddam Hussein believed that Iran was in turmoil and that his forces could achieve quick victory3.
In recent years, the Iraqi nation has endured a crisis that will forever remain in the hearts and minds of the Middle Eastern culture. However, the outcomes of the War on Iraq will not change the long-lasting and passionate traditions and memories that have been held in the country for decades. One major event that happened in Iraq’s history is that on October 3, 1932 Iraq was established as an independent nation. Iraq has always been a country in which respect and generosity have been highly valued and play an important cultural role in everyday life. Additionally, approximately ninety-five percent of Iraqis are Muslim, and therefore Islam is the official religion of this nation (Gutierrez 1). Furthermore, Iraq is a