Persian Gulf War波斯湾战争.pptxVIP

Persian Gulf War Operation Desert Storm Saddam Hussein Dictator of Iraq Iraq invades Kuwait 1990 Iraq takes the oil-rich nation of Kuwait—very near the Saudi Arabian border 40-day air war against Iraq Soviets back the invasion At this time, the US consumed one quarter of the total world’s oil—20 percent came from Iraq and Kuwait Coalition of nations support Bush invokes principles of self-determination, but the reality is oil About 24 nations participated—400,000 US troops, 265,000 from other nations Congress debated for three days, and authorized war by a slim margin “Vietnam Syndrome” “By God, we’ve kicked the Vietnam syndrome once and for all!” President George H.W. Bush, March 1, 1991 Bombing War Most Americans felt no moral ambiguity and took pride in the display of military prowess. Some criticized ending the war without having taken out Hussein Keeping US troops in Saudi Arabia, the holy land of Islam, after the war, fueled anti-American hatred by Muslim extremists like Osama bin Laden Election of 1992 Bush’s chances looked golden with success in Kuwait Opposition candidate Clinton promised to work for the ‘forgotten middle class’ A third party candidate ran—Ross Perot—he got 19 percent, harming Bush