Persian+Gulf+War,+1990-1991

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Persian Gulf War 1990-91 Operation Desert Storm and Operation Desert Shield; Mitch N and Lizzy L

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 * Iraq
 * Saddam Hussein

Tasks I: Explain the nature and scope of the conflict.-- Due Friday, November 18th The Persian Gulf War was in 1990-1991, and it was a war fought between the Middle-Eastern countries of Kuwait and Iraq. After the Iran-Iraq War, Iraq was in a lot of debt to many middle-eastern countries, mainly Kuwait, who had a lot of oil reserves near the Persian Gulf and Iraq. Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein “launched an invasion of Kuwait on August 2, 1990” (Persian Gulf War). To restore Kuwait’s sovereignty, American organized a multinational coalition through the United Nations, with two operations called Operation Desert Storm and Operation Desert Shield. The United State’s were allies with Kuwait, and they also benefited from their oil (Cairo 4). This war was very controversial, but Operation Desert Storm ended as a success, and Kuwait's sovereignty was restored.

"Persian Gulf War." // World History: The Modern Era //. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 17 Nov. 2011.

Cairo, Michael F. “The Persian Gulf War, the Use of Force in Kosovo, and Analogical .” //Columbia International Affairs Online//. Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Mar. 2000. Web. 17 Nov. 2011.

Task II: Analyze the U.S.’s involvement in the conflict.- Due Tuesday, November 22nd •In which one of Max Boot's categories, does this small war fit--punitive, protective, pacification, or profiteering? Justify the reasons that you selected one category over another. •Who were the most important decision-makers or leaders for belligerents and justify your choices with expert opinion? How did these leaders influence the progress and outcome of the war? •Who was the U.S. president and what were his reasons for involving the military in this conflict? •Was there precedent for the U.S. to participate in small wars of this nature? •Which presidential doctrine best fits the aim or goals of this small war?

Of the 4 categories of small wars in Max Boot's, //Savage Wars of Peace,// the Persian Gulf War was a profiteering war. It was this type of war because Kuwait, being an ally and also one of our largest suppliers of oil, was being attacked by their neighboring country of Iraq, therefore we intervened to stop the attack on our ally. Todd Forney, author of //Encyclopedia of War and American Society//, says that "although Kuwait was important to the United States, (Saddam) Hussein did not believe America would go to war over it" (Forney). America would protect it's friends (whom the bought oil from) in the middle east, therefore the Persian Gulf War is considered a profiteering war. Also in this war, dictator Saddam Hussein was the most important decision maker or leaders for the belligerents. According to J. Garry Clifford, author of //Dictionary of American History//, Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait with "140,000 Iraqi troops and 1,800 tanks on August 2, 1990" (Clifford). Also Hussein had the intention of annexing Kuwait and making it Iraq's 19th province. Hussein's invasion of Kuwait was not the most brilliant, due to many unexpected attacks and bombardments from president George H.W. Bush and the US in Operation Desert Storm. The reason president George H.W. Bush invaded Iraq is, according to J. Garry Clifford, is because he "feared that Saddam might next invade Saudi Arabia and thus control 40 percent of the world's oil" (Clifford). Hussein and Iraq we're taken down very quickly, with the US using "smart bombs" (Clifford) and satellites to destroy Iraqi targets and also US Patriot missiles to intercept Iraqi Scud missiles. Next, there was a precedent for the US to participate in small wars like the Persian Gulf War. According to our United States Presidential Doctrines worksheet, the Carter Doctrine, which was a policy proclaimed by the president Jimmy Carter in his State of the Union Address on January 23, 1980, states that "the United States would use military force if necessary to defend its national interest in the Persian Gulf region" (Jackson). The Carter Doctrine was a direct influence in the United State's participation in the Persian Gulf War.

Forney, Todd. "Persian Gulf War (1991)." //Encyclopedia of War and American Society//. Ed. Peter Karsten. Vol. 2. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Reference, 2005. 626-628. //Gale Virtual Reference Library//. Web. 21 Nov. 2011. m

Clifford, J. Garry. "Persian Gulf War." //Dictionary of American History//. Ed. Stanley I. Kutler. 3rd ed. Vol. 6. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2003. 292-294. //Gale Virtual Reference Library//. Web. 21 Nov. 2011.

"United States Presidential Doctrines." File last modified on 22 Nov. 2011. MS.

Jackson, Donna R. "Carter Doctrine: Cold War." //World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society//. ABC-CLIO,2011. Web. 22 Nov. 2011.

Draw your information from a minimum of **three** LC e-books and databases--at least one primary source and one expert opinion. Organize your response in one or two extended power paragraphs. In an appositive phrase, establish the credibility of the source the first time you reference it. Internally cite sources and place the works cited at below the last paragraph for Task II.

TASK III: How did United States' Public view this conflict? Due Tuesday, Noevmber 29th •Explain why the conflict was controversial among Americans? •Describe at least two non-governmental perspectives on this conflict and identify which one was dominant. •Evaluate the importance of the publics' opinion on the duration and outcome of this small war

The Persian Gulf War was a very popular, and also controversial war. One reason why it was controversial was due to the health of the soldiers when they returned home.An unknown number "of Desert Storm veterans had had their health and their lives forever altered by the toxins they'd been exposed to during the war" (Eddington). The CIA attempted to conceal the exposures of toxic materials from the public, thus making it controversial when the public was then aware.

The conflict of concealing important information was not popular among the public. Former CIA analyst Patrick Eddington was not pleased with the CIA's decision to withhold this information from the soldiers and public, but he supports the CIA in whatever they do. Yet, Eddington also believed many soldiers who fought in the Gulf War are now considered "forgotten soldiers" (Eddington) and he was not pleased with that either. The Dallas Morning News Editorial thought differently than Eddington. They believe that what the CIA did to not inform these soldiers about possible areas rich in toxic materials. Veterans are now faced with "unexplained illnesses" ( like ALS, FM, and CFS.

The was one dominant reaction to the Persian Gulf war. This was that the "Bush administration and the U.S. intelligence community were caught off guard"(Persian Gulf War). Also "President Bush responded to the invasion by pulling together an international coalition authorized by the United Nations Security Council to oppose Iraq. Nearly 40 nations contributed combat forces, transport assistance, medical teams or financial aid to the coalition effort attempting to force Iraq from Kuwait"(Helm). This means that the United States responded quickly to this conflict and was ready not be caught off guard again.

"Special Report: Persian Gulf War." In //Congress and the Nation, 1989-1992//, vol. 8, 299. Washington, DC: CQ Press, 1993. [].

"Persian Gulf War." //World History: The Modern Era//.ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 28 Nov. 2011.

Helm, Glenn E. "Prisoners of War in the Persian Gulf War." //World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society//.ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 28 Nov. 2011.

Eddington, Patrick. "Op-Ed: The Gulf War and the 'Great Abdication' of Congressional Power." //Veterans for Common Sense//. N.p., 28 Feb. 2011. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. .

"Gulf War Syndrome Researchers Blame Sarin Gas and Toxic Exposures." Editorial.

//Dallas Morning News// 31 Aug. 2009: n. pag. //Veterans for Common Sense//. Web. 30 Nov. 2011.

Draw your information from a minimum of **three** LC e-books and databases--at least **one** primary source and **one** expert opinion. Organize your response in one or two extended power paragraphs. In an appositive phrase, establish the credibility of the source the first time you reference it. Internally cite sources and place the works cited at below the last paragraph for Task III.

Task IV: Did the U.S. achieve its goals? -- Due Friday, December 2nd •How did the conflict end and how was success measured? •How did the outcome affect the U.S. standing with the American public, its allies, belligerents, and enemies? •Were the U.S. decision makers and military leaders praised or vilified?

Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm were both successful missions. Operation Desert Shield was the first mission, beginning in August of 1990 and ending in January of 1991, and was also a build-up for Operation Desert Storm which began in January of '91 and ended in February of '91. After about a month of fighting, "Desert Storm ended with the defeat of the Iraqi army in the Kuwaiti theatre of operations" ( Desert Storm, Operation). After the war, the American public was very pleased with the war. Whole talking about a Gallup Poll taken by 895 Americans, NY Times reporter Jane Gross says that "Eighty-one percent of those polled said they approved of the way Mr. Bush was handling the situtation in the gulf, with 12 percent disapproving" (Gross). An 81% seems to be a very high approval rate for the American public. Also, this approval rate for President George H.W. Bush, who was the main decision maker for the US, made him praised throughout the country. After his address to the nation after the conclusion of operations in Iraq, "early support for the President was evident" (Gross). With it's allies, the US stood on a high ground. This is because we proved to our allies that we are willing to wage war for their safety. But, unfortunately for the belligerents and enemies, we did not stand on a high ground. American forces had to re-occupy Iraq, "to rid the country of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), which President Bush and many other world leaders believed the Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein, was in the process of developing" (Iraq: Overview). After almost a decade of fighting in Iraq, US troops are now starting to be with drawn, with President Obama promising to get all of the troops out by the end of 2011.

"Desert Storm, Operation." //Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia//. 2005. //eLibrary//. Web. 01 Dec. 2011.

Gross, Jane. "WAR IN THE GULF: Americans' Reaction; Anxious Nation, Drawn Together For Support, Exhibits a Quiet Pride." //The New York Times// 18 Jan. 1991: n. pag. //The New York Times//. Web. 1 Dec. 2011. .

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ProQuest Staff. "Iraq: Overview." World Conflicts Today. 2011: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 22 Nov 2011. ===== Draw your information from a minimum of **three** LC e-books and databases--at least **one** primary source and **two** expert opinions. Organize your response in one or two extended power paragraphs. In an appositive phrase, establish the credibility of the source the first time you reference it. Internally cite sources and place the works cited at below the last paragraph for Task III.

** Rubric for Small War Wiki: **•Answers to project questions are accurate and complete. •Information and expert opinion are selected from the **required** LC resources and are cited accurately with the credibility precisely stated. ·Maps, banners and photos are caption and cited. •Project questions are answered fully in extended power paragraphs.spelling •Writing is edited for spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors. *Works cited follow each task