‘with Reference to a Current or Post World War Two Conflict, Briefly Describe the Conflict and Discuss How the International Community Responded (or Is Responding) to That Conflict. Your Discussion Should Include Your
- Submitted by: lahlahlah
- Views: 2434
- Category: History: Middle Eastern
- Date Submitted: 08/14/2010 09:58 PM
- Pages: 8
- Report this Essay
In the predawn hours of 2 August, 1990, Saddam Hussein launched an invasion of Kuwait. In less than six hours Hussein, who had been the Iraqi president for eleven years, triggered a full-blown international crisis. He had always possessed a strong ambition to become in control of the oil-rich Kuwait. Due to the strength of the Iraqi’s forces, Kuwait was caught vulnerable and unaware. In regards to the implication of the oil resources, the regional event generated immense international effort and was soon seen as a global catastrophe.
The seizure of Kuwait brought a potential Iraqi dominance over Saudi Arabia, posing an immense threat to the national interests of world. A significant amount of oil was imported from the Gulf regions, and if Hussein planned to capture Saudi Arabia (through either intimidation or invasion) he posed a threat to the vital interests of both the United States and Saudi Arabia (with their oil resources). George H.W Bush, the President of the United States, responded immediately to the ‘naked aggression’ and swiftly froze all Iraqi and Kuwaiti financial assets in order to avoid Iraq from gaining access to their wealth. This action also triggered a wave of fear through the Allies of the United States and consequently, the United Kingdom mimicked the same feat. The freezing of assets was the earliest mechanism in order to prevent further harm on other nations.
For the first two weeks after the invasion of Kuwait, the United States embraced both a political and military position. Due to the state sovereignty of Iraq, Bush believed that external international pressure could influence Hussein to withdraw his troops. In the beginning, many countries were hesitant to join the Coalition as they believed Arab matters were best handled by Arab nations, or the United Nations. Other nations did not like the mere thought of new (more?) American influence in the Middle East. Regardless of this, the Coalition ended up consisting of thirty-four...
The seizure of Kuwait brought a potential Iraqi dominance over Saudi Arabia, posing an immense threat to the national interests of world. A significant amount of oil was imported from the Gulf regions, and if Hussein planned to capture Saudi Arabia (through either intimidation or invasion) he posed a threat to the vital interests of both the United States and Saudi Arabia (with their oil resources). George H.W Bush, the President of the United States, responded immediately to the ‘naked aggression’ and swiftly froze all Iraqi and Kuwaiti financial assets in order to avoid Iraq from gaining access to their wealth. This action also triggered a wave of fear through the Allies of the United States and consequently, the United Kingdom mimicked the same feat. The freezing of assets was the earliest mechanism in order to prevent further harm on other nations.
For the first two weeks after the invasion of Kuwait, the United States embraced both a political and military position. Due to the state sovereignty of Iraq, Bush believed that external international pressure could influence Hussein to withdraw his troops. In the beginning, many countries were hesitant to join the Coalition as they believed Arab matters were best handled by Arab nations, or the United Nations. Other nations did not like the mere thought of new (more?) American influence in the Middle East. Regardless of this, the Coalition ended up consisting of thirty-four...