The first Bush government got involved in a conflict with Iraq, which led to the Gulf War. The United States became the front liner in the 34 nation U.N.-backed coalition force against Iraq when Iraq annexed and invaded Kuwait. America, under the Bush administration, was concerned about Iraq’s decision, and more so about Saddam Hussein’s dictatorial leadership. Kuwait’s invasion by Iraq occurred from August 1990. Many nations worldwide condemned this decision.
Iraq was slapped with immediate trade and economic sanctions by the U.N Security Council. Bush was determined to stop Iraq from further occupying Kuwait. He sent his forces to Saudi Arabia in preparation for the attack on Iraq. He called on other countries to join the coalition. Countries such as United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and Egypt all joined the USA in sending their forces and funding the war. Saudi Arabia paid 36 billion dollars of the total 60 billion spent during the war.
Iraqi military forces attacked and caused oil fires in over 700 oil wells in Kuwait as they retreated. The forces had conquered Kuwait but failed to occupy it because the coalition forces intervened to drive them out. The Iraqis adopted a scorched earth policy as they moved backwards. They oil well fires were some of the most destructive activities during the war because some wells took over ten months to extinguish. Kuwait lost as much as 950000 cubic meters of oil daily due to these fires.
The international community and America specifically were against the invasion of independent states. Furthermore, they did not support the pollution and losses caused by the Iraqi military in Kuwait as they retreated. The war ended with the Iraqi forces being driven out of Kuwait. Other countries were supportive to Kuwait by providing aid to the Gulf Crisis Financial Co-ordination Group. Over 24 nations, most of them OECD countries and several Gulf States such as UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar disbursed over 14 billion dollars to help in development of the state of Kuwait after the war.
References
Pelletière, S. C. (2004). America's Oil Wars. New York: Praeger.
Record, J. (2010). Wanting War: Why the Bush Administration Invaded Iraq. New York: Potomac Books, Inc.
