Desert Storm's 25th Anniversary

Using a small portion of its troops, Iraq invaded Kuwait on Aug. 2, 1990. According to press reports of the time, it took the Iraqi army just six hours to reach the capital city.

Saddam Hussein was also seeking to recuperate the Bubiyan and Warbah islands, which were very important for his geopolitical strategy inside the Gulf. Almost immediately, Western politicians lined up to denounce these events, going as far as to compare Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait to Hitler's invasion of Poland.

Six days after the invasion, U.S. President George H.W. Bush announced the deployment of 250,000 U.S. troops to "deter Iraqi aggression": The Gulf War had begun.

teleSUR Analysis:

And then came the criminal so-called “carpet bombing” by the United States and their allies. | Photo: File

The Gulf War: The First Conflict of the New World Order

​U.S. President George H.W. Bush announced the deployment of 250,000 U.S. troops to "deter Iraqi aggression”: The Gulf War had begun.

Playing into international hypocrisy, President Bush said he wanted to “free” Kuwait, but also insisted that the United Nations Security Council had also an important role in this matter as the body in charge of preserving world peace through actions against the “bad guys.”

At this time geopolitics meant the U.S. was backed up by Moscow. Empowered by a United Nations resolution, Western and Gulf nations united to form a coalition against Iraq.

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First Gulf War: US First Push for Post-Soviet World Order

Jan. 17 marks the 25th anniversary of the First Persian Gulf War in which the United States, led by former President George H.W. Bush, launched an operation against the Iraqi government of President Saddam Hussein in a bid to foil his invasion of Iraq’s oil-rich but weak neighbor Kuwait, which Saddam claimed was historically part of Iraq.

The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990 was indirectly a bid to push Kuwait to reduce its oil production that was hurting Iraqi oil income, which Saddam urgently needed to make up for more than eight years of war with Iran that had ended just few years earlier. Beyond its evident and catastrophic effect on Iraq and its people, the first Gulf War marked the beginning of a new world order, where the U.S. was emboldened by the fall of the Soviet Union.

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The 1991 Iraq War: What Was Operation Desert Storm?

The name Operation Desert Storm was thought up by some public relations office in or near the Pentagon: America’s Ministry of Defense.

It was emblazoned on t-shirts and hats across the United States. It was America’s new moment as a great nation, characterized by its endless need for war, enemies, and states of emergency, key to drumming up money and nationalist craze.

For Iraqis, the days leading up to the deadline of January 15, 1991 were filled with terror and uncertainty. Most knew that Saddam would not withdraw, and this mass buildup of firepower would eventually erupt in their skies, on their heads, and through their windows.

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