The Gulf War

After a million deaths and twice that number injured, after the destruction of much of the infrastructure of Iran and Iraq, disruption of trade throughout the Gulf and the involvement of the USA and USSR, was the Gulf War a pointless exercise, a futile conflict which achieved nothing and left the combatants at the end of it all back in exactly the same position from which they started in 1980? In this book, first published in 1989, the authors argue that the lack of territorial gain was irrelevant: the real advantages won by each side were far more important, intangible though they were. For Iran, the channelling of the energies of her people away from domestic concerns meant the continuation of the Islamic revolution and ensured the stability of the mullahs. In Iraq, the war propped up the increasingly shaky regime of Saddam Hussein. The outside world, especially the superpowers, was terrified of the spread of Muslim fundamentalism, so made no effort to prevent Iraq from trying to halt this spread. But Israel, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the oil states also had vested interests in promoting the continuation of the war.

The Gulf War of 1991 heralded a new type of warfare that was characterised by astonishing speed and high technology with remarkably low numbers of casualties amongst the coalition forces. Just under a million coalition personnel were deployed to the Gulf region to face a variety of threats from extreme temperatures to weapons of mass destruction (biological, chemical and suspected nuclear) and a formidable Iraqi occupation force. This book assesses the defensive Operation Desert Shield (the build up of coalition forces) and the offensive Operation Desert Storm (the liberation of Kuwait) as well as the key personalities on both sides.

In a provocative analysis written during the unfolding drama of 1992, Baudrillard draws on his concepts of simulation and the hyperreal to argue that the Gulf War did not take place but was a carefully scripted media event--a "virtual" war. Patton's introduction argues that Baudrillard, more than any other critic of the Gulf War, correctly identified the stakes involved in the gestation of the New World Order.

Examines events surrounding the 1991 war between Iraq and a worldwide coalition of forces, plus biographical notes on important figures and a look at the effects of this war.

This series takes a comprehensive look at five major conflicts in the later part of the 20th century.

The Persian Gulf crisis may well have been the most extensively polled episode in U.S. history as President Bush, his opponents, and even Saddam Hussein appealed to, and tried to influence, public opinion. As well documented as this phenomenon was, it remains largely unexplained. John Mueller provides an account of the complex relationship between American policy and public opinion during the Gulf crisis. Mueller analyzes key issues: the actual shallowness of public support for war; the effect of public opinion on the media (rather than the other way around); the use and misuse of polls by policy makers; the American popular focus on Hussein's ouster as a central purpose of the War; and the War's short-lived impact on voting. Of particular interest is Mueller's conclusion that Bush succeeded in leading the country to war by increasingly convincing the public that it was inevitable, rather than right or wise. Throughout, Mueller, author of War, Presidents, and Public Opinion, an analysis of public opinion during the Korean and Vietnam wars, places this analysis of the Gulf crisis in a broad political and military context, making comparisons to wars in Panama, Vietnam, Korea, and the Falklands, as well as to World War II and even the War of 1812. The book also collects nearly 300 tables charting public opinion through the Gulf crisis, making Policy and Opinion in the Gulf War an essential reference for anyone interested in recent American politics, foreign policy, public opinion, and survey research.

From September 1990 to June 1991, the UK deployed 53,462 military personnel in the Gulf War. After the end of the conflict anecdotal reports of various disorders affecting troops who fought in the Gulf began to surface. This mysterious illness was given the name “Gulf War Syndrome” (GWS). This book is an investigation into this recently emergent illness, particularly relevant given ongoing UK deployments to Iraq, describing how the illness became a potent symbol for a plethora of issues, anxieties, and concerns. At present, the debate about GWS is polarized along two lines: there are those who think it is a unique, organic condition caused by Gulf War toxins and those who argue that it is probably a psychological condition that can be seen as part of a larger group of illnesses. Using the methods and perspective of anthropology, with its focus on nuances and subtleties, the author provides a new approach to understanding GWS, one that makes sense of the cultural circumstances, specific and general, which gave rise to the illness.

*Includes pictures *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading It was one of the 20th century's most decisive wars, but also one of its most influential. In the wake of Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait, America led a coalition of dozens of nations that repelled the Iraqi attack and smashed Iraqi forces, much of which was captured on live television as global networks broadcast the images back home. On the now ironic date of September 11, 1990, President Bush addressed a joint session of Congress to explain why he was assembling a coalition of nations to intervene against Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait. Bush stated, "Out of these troubled times, our fifth objective -- a new world order -- can emerge...A new era, freer from the threat of terror, stronger in the pursuit of justice and more secure in the quest for peace." As his son would later attempt over a decade later in another war against Iraq, President Bush sought to present the coalition of nearly 40 nations as indicative of multilateralism, even though it was dominated by American forces. At the time, the Soviet Union was less than a year away from collapsing, leaving the United States as the sole superpower. In fact, the "new world order" that Bill Clinton and future presidents stepped into was one that allowed for American unilateralism. Since World War II, the United States had protected the West during the Cold War, and President Kennedy had coined the term "Pax Americana" to describe his hope of peace for the world. 30 years later, American presidents now seemingly had the opportunity to use America's unchecked power to instill and preserve peace across the world. As events have proved, the attempt to forge Pax Americana would be much easier said than done, and American involvement in the Middle East has been directly tied to the First Gulf War. As Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda attacked American targets throughout the 1990s, and most notably on 9/11, the terrorist leader pointed to the stationing of American troops in Saudi Arabia in response to Saddam's invasion of Kuwait. Bin Laden was livid, not just because foreign boots were stampeding on what is popularly considered the holiest land in Islam but also because he had wanted to help defend the Saudi kingdom with his own group. By lashing out, bin Laden was caught up in the Saudi government's crackdown on dissidents and was ultimately forced into exile. Bin Laden took refuge in Sudan in 1992, and later in Afghanistan in 1996. Of course, the Gulf War also played a role in the more controversial invasion of Iraq, which began in 2003 and was again led by the United States. That invasion came about as a result of faulty intelligence and Iraq's skirting of United Nations weapons resolutions, as well as a biting sanctions regime meant to compel Iraq to comply, all of which were put in place after the First Gulf War. The resulting chaos in Iraq, from the bloody fighting to the rise of the Islamic State, can thus all be tied back to the conflict a generation earlier. On top of that, the stateless Kurds in Iraq continue to be important geopolitical players, whether it was their actions during and after the Gulf War, or their involvement in the Syrian Civil War, politics in Turkey, and more. The Gulf War: The History and Legacy of Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm looks at the fighting and its aftermath. Along with pictures and a bibliography, you will learn about the Gulf War like never before.