CANADA HISTORY - War

The Gulf War

On August 2, 1990, the carefully maintained balance of power in the Middle East was shattered when the Iraqi military forces, under the command of Saddam Hussein, crossed the border into Kuwait in a swift and decisive invasion. This aggressive act of territorial expansion, carried out with overwhelming military force, sent shockwaves across the globe, rapidly destabilizing a region already fraught with tension. The invasion of Kuwait marked a dramatic turning point in Middle Eastern geopolitics, and its implications reverberated far beyond the boundaries of the region. Saddam’s move was not only a brazen challenge to international norms but also a calculated gamble that would, in his mind, consolidate Iraq’s power and elevate his regime’s status on the world stage.

To fully grasp the significance of Saddam’s actions, one must understand the context of Iraq’s recent history. Only two years prior, Iraq had emerged from a brutal decade-long war with its neighbor, Iran, a conflict that had left both countries devastated. The Iran-Iraq War had seen tremendous loss of life, widespread destruction, and had ended in a bloody stalemate, with neither side achieving decisive victory. For Saddam, the war had drained Iraq’s resources and left his regime with immense debts, particularly to Kuwait and other Gulf States that had provided financial support to Iraq during the conflict. Despite this, Iraq still possessed the fourth largest military force in the world—well-equipped, battle-hardened, and ready for another conflict. Saddam, emboldened by his military strength and frustrated by Iraq's weakened economic position, began to cast his eyes toward Kuwait, a small but oil-rich neighbor.

Saddam’s pretext for the invasion was twofold. He claimed that Kuwait was historically a part of Iraq, a province that had been unjustly separated during the colonial era by Britain. This narrative of historical grievance resonated with some Iraqis, but Saddam’s motivations were far more strategic. At the heart of his ambition was oil—the lifeblood of the region and the key to Iraq’s future power. Saddam accused Kuwait of siphoning oil from Iraq by exploiting oil fields that straddled the border between the two nations, alleging that Kuwait’s overproduction of oil was driving down global prices and further crippling Iraq’s fragile economy. By seizing Kuwait, Saddam believed he could control a substantial portion of the world’s oil reserves, thereby elevating Iraq’s economic and political standing in the region and beyond.

Saddam’s calculation was straightforward: with the world’s fourth-largest military at his disposal, he expected to face little meaningful resistance. Kuwait, with its small and relatively under-equipped military, was no match for Iraq’s war-tested army. The invasion unfolded with startling speed. In a matter of hours, Kuwaiti forces were overwhelmed, and the capital city of Kuwait City fell to Iraqi troops. Saddam’s forces quickly entrenched themselves across the small Gulf state, declaring it an Iraqi province. For Saddam, this was not merely a military victory—it was a geopolitical masterstroke. He anticipated that, after the initial outrage, the world would begrudgingly accept his fait accompli. Iraq’s vast oil resources would be augmented by Kuwait’s reserves, and the balance of power in the Middle East would tilt sharply in Baghdad’s favor.

However, Saddam had gravely miscalculated the global response. While the invasion of Kuwait might have seemed to him like a regional power grab, to the international community, it was an intolerable act of aggression that threatened not only the sovereignty of Kuwait but also the broader stability of the Middle East. Kuwait’s vast oil reserves were of strategic importance to the global economy, and the prospect of Saddam Hussein controlling such a large portion of the world’s oil supply was unacceptable to the major Western powers. The invasion also posed a direct threat to Saudi Arabia, a key ally of the United States and the guardian of the holiest sites in Islam. If Saddam’s forces continued their advance, the security of the entire Arabian Peninsula could be compromised, leading to catastrophic consequences for the global balance of power.

The first world leader to publicly condemn Saddam’s invasion was British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Known for her unyielding stance on matters of national sovereignty and international law, Thatcher declared in no uncertain terms that the invasion would not stand. Her forceful rhetoric and moral clarity galvanized the international response. U.S. President George H.W. Bush, initially measured in his reaction, soon followed suit. After consulting with his advisors and assessing the broader geopolitical stakes, Bush made a similar declaration: Iraq’s occupation of Kuwait was unacceptable, and it would be met with decisive action. Bush, like Thatcher, understood that Saddam’s actions had the potential to reshape the geopolitical landscape in dangerous and unpredictable ways. The invasion of Kuwait could not be allowed to set a precedent for unchecked aggression in the post-Cold War era.

As the gravity of the situation became clear, President Bush moved quickly to secure international support for a robust response to Saddam’s aggression. Working within the framework of the United Nations, the United States spearheaded efforts to build a broad-based coalition that would confront Iraq and demand its withdrawal from Kuwait. This was not simply a U.S.-led endeavor; it was a concerted international effort to uphold the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, principles enshrined in the UN Charter. Over the course of several months, the UN Security Council passed a series of resolutions condemning Iraq’s invasion and demanding that Saddam withdraw his forces. These resolutions, backed by the full weight of international law, laid the groundwork for what would become a UN-sanctioned military operation to liberate Kuwait.

In an extraordinary display of global unity, a coalition of 35 countries—including Britain, France, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Australia, and, after initial hesitation, Canada—joined forces to oppose Saddam’s occupation of Kuwait. The Gulf War, as it came to be known, was not just a regional conflict but a test of the post-Cold War international order. Could the international community, through the mechanisms of the United Nations, stand together to repel aggression and restore peace and stability? The coalition’s military campaign, codenamed Operation Desert Storm, was a massive and unprecedented effort that brought together nations from across the world, united in their determination to uphold international law and prevent Saddam from redrawing the map of the Middle East by force.

For Saddam Hussein, the invasion of Kuwait was a gamble for power and prestige, one that he believed would cement Iraq’s dominance in the region. But as the coalition forces began to mobilize, it became clear that the world would not stand by and allow him to succeed. The invasion had not only upset the fragile balance of power in the Middle East but also set the stage for one of the most significant military interventions in modern history. The Gulf War would reshape the region, solidify the role of the United States as the primary power in the Middle East, and reaffirm the international community’s commitment to collective security in a rapidly changing world.