1990 Invasion of Iraq
In 1990, the United States of America declared their intention to declare war on Iraq in order to forcibly end Iraq's annexation of Kuwait. US President George H. Bush snr asked for United Nations approval, which he failed to get as it was a perfectly legal annexation and it was illegal for any country to stop it, as Kuwait was not allied with anyone. Finally, the United States gained support from Australia, who in turn were supported by Great Britain, who in turn were supported by Italy and Germany. This force, whilst not gaining United Nations approval, at least did not force sanctions for the act of war. Otherwise, the United Nations would have asked its members to participate in serious sanctions against the United States, which would have affected their trading relationships and potentially their role as a world power.
Training for the invasion[edit]
Following UN approval, the United States sent troops to Saudi Arabia to train for the conditions. Saudi Arabia was USA's closest ally in the area and also shared a border with Iraq. This training itself became very controversial when many high profile Saudi Arabian civilians went on television protesting the training in Saudi Arabia, stating that it was wrong for non-muslims to be on muslim holy ground, and further that it was wrong for them to bring tanks into Saudi Arabia. Eventually, US diplomats spoke with the King of Saudi Arabia, who threatened to banish any civilians who protested at the training. All but one of those individuals then ceased their protests. The one who continued was Osama bin Laden, who instead went on a public speaking tour throughout Europe, which laid the foundations for his terrorist organisation Al Qaeda.
The war itself[edit]
The war itself lasted just a few weeks, with heavy Iraqi casualties and few US military losses. Most of the US military losses were due to so-called "friendly fire", i.e. Americans firing on Americans. In spite of all of the boasts of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein that they had 1 million soldiers and would overpower America, Iraq did not put up any serious resistance and were overthrown quickly.
Aftermath - Saddam Hussein pledges revenge[edit]
In the wake of the heavy defeat, Saddam Hussein said that he would get his revenge on USA. He made various threats, including that he would "bring the war to their soil, and attack USA itself". This threat was almost certainly the inspiration for 9/11, although there is dispute as to whether Saddam Hussein actively authorised the attacks themselves or whether the people were simply inspired by this invasion.
Aftermath - Burning Kuwaiti oil[edit]
Following the defeat, Saddam Hussein ordered people to set fire to Kuwaiti oil fields, that burned billions of gallons worth of oil in fires that would take centuries to burn out and cause untold damage to the environment. These were eventually put out, at exorbitant cost and great risk, but the threat and extremism of this action left great shockwaves throughout the world. The symbolism, that Saddam Hussein viewed this invasion as being about America's quest for oil, was a great one that left a lasting impact on Americans and foreigners alike.
Aftermath - the Kurdish genocide[edit]
Following Iraq's defeat, the United States found a reason to justify the invasion - to protect the minority Kurd race of people in Iraq, of whom around 1 million of them had been systematically murdered by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, an act of genocide.
Whilst the United Nations did not approve of the invasion on the basis of the annexation of Kuwait, they did subsequently approve it on the basis of freeing the kurdish people from tyranny.
As a result of this, the United Nations approved sanctions against Iraq.