Desert Storm: From Beginning to End
You probably remember what you were doing when the Twin Towers were attacked, and some remember the day that Pearl Harbor was hit by surprise, but I'm sure that if asked what you were doing on the night of August 1, 1990, your reply would be a little more ambiguous than on the other dates. On that night, Iraqi forces that had been drawn up to the border of Kuwait for supposedly "routine" purposes invaded the small oil generating country and took over the capital. You also may not have felt as personally affected by this news as you would of news about a terrorist attack on New York City, but the men and women that made up the 2,048,622 man US Armed forces did. They knew that for a man to invade the world's largest oil producing nation and take over 24% of all oil collection of the world, he would clearly have to be insane. Indeed, they were correct. That man, Saddam Hussein, was not of sound mind, and his actions on the days of August 1 and 2nd of 1990 plainly support this insanity. His 140,000-man invasion of the country was a bold move for a man to make, and he knew that the US, the world's most rapid oil consuming nation, would not let it go. Over the course of that year and the next, Hussein's military incursion along with his
Many troops also traveled with the new Humvee . These fast, large, and powerful vehicles were one of the key elements in the transportation of troops in the Middle East. Some were equipped with TOW missile launchers on their roofs, which, when manned, were capable of destroying the largest tanks. As a testament to the superiority of this technology, every single Humvee that was sent to the Middle East came back in working order . Another little "toy" of the US's arsenal of destruction was the M1A1 Abrams tank. It was said to be the most effective weapon used in the entire war . Despite it's weight, it could travel at speeds of up to 45 mph and, with a 120-mm cannon, it packed more than punch. It was these weapons and others that allowed the US to subdue the enemy so quickly and effectively. Kuwait was clearly on the look out for Hussein to make a move, but they really didn't have much at all to defend an attack if it were to happen. Sure enough, Hussein's 140,000-man army invaded On August 2, 1990. The Kuwaiti army was no match for Hussein, and the entire country was secure under Iraqi control in 4 hours . Soon after this event in Thomas DeLonge's Q&A with Mikhail Gorbachev, President of the Soviet Union, his take on the scenario was shown to be one that many around the world shared: "Q: What was your initial reaction on hearing that Kuwait had been invaded by Iraq? A: A surprise. An absurd decision. That action could have been done only by an adventurer or a person who did not have a sense of reality ." One day later, on August 3, The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) called for all Iraqi forces to withdraw from Kuwait. With no response apparent from Hussein, on August 6, the UNSC put a worldwide ban on all trade with Iraq. It is a plausible argument to say that Saddam Hussein is the sole cause of Desert Storm, simply because his actions leading up to and during the war clearly portray the mind of a man whom the US and other countries do not want on this planet. In 1979, Hussein seized control of Iraq and killed off 21 of his cabinet members , setting a tone for the type of rule that would ensue. Between the time of his "taking the throne" and the time of Desert Storm, many conflicts arose due to his harsh nature and rash decisions. In fact, smaller conflicts similar to Desert storm had been fought in the Middle East all through the 80's and 90's. The only difference now was that no one up until 1991 had access to the technology that the "US used the end the war in such a quick and timely manner ." By mid 1990, Hussein and his neighbors (Syria and Iran) were already quarreling about the debts that he had promised to repay for the aid he received during times of struggle. He had rarely kept his word, and this was angering many who had reluctantly decided to help him during his times of need. In July of 1990, the atmosphere of Iraq and its neighbors was thick, and no one was truly allied with each other. Hussein accused Kuwait of oil overproduction and theft of oil from the Rumailia Oil Field . He also thought that Kuwait was historically a part of Iraq, and he was rumored to have wanted to Annex it ever since he had taken office in Iraq. Lastly, Hussein had a strong ideology of progression; progression in the sense that invading and taking over Kuwait would benefit the fallen economy of Iraq more than any other action. Hussein later made the "curious" move of drawing his entire army to the border of Kuwait. Kuwaiti leaders as well as American leaders strongly protested this move, but US ambassador to Iraq, Apri
Some common words found in the essay are:
Saddam Hussein, Desert Storm, KIA Iraq, Middle East, Saudi Arabia, Desert Saber, Syria Iran, Pearl Harbor, Positioning System, Kuwait Hussein, desert storm, saddam hussein, middle east, saudi arabia, iraqi forces, operation desert, desert shield, president bush, operation desert shield, cease-fire agreement, rash decisions, biological chemical weapons, desert storm desert, desert shield desert,
Approximate Word count = 2392
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)
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