The Modern United States ~ Lesson 8 Persian Gulf War
Two years after George Bush was elected President, he had a difficult decision to make. On August 2, 1990 the army of Iraq invaded Kuwait and took over. Iraq was led by Saddam Hussein who said he was annexing Kuwait to Iraq. Bush decided to intervene. Some Americans felt he was trying to help the defenseless. Others felt he was trying to protect U.S. interests in Kuwait's oil production.
Bush convinced the leaders of Britain, France, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and other countries to establish a trade embargo on Iraq. This did not stop Iraq, so on January 16, 1991 the United States and its allies launched an aerial assault on Iraq. After six weeks of bombardment, the allied forces sent in ground troops. One hundred hours after the ground war started, Iraq gave in.
While Kuwait was free, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein remained in power. The United States maintained a force of 25,000 troops in the area, enforced a no-fly zone over Northern Iraq, and kept an armada of Navy ships for years after the war.
