Gulf war Syndrome (9 pages)
Uploaded by Hockey Nat on Nov 26, 2005
Gulf War Syndrome
As society advances in technology, wars and battles become even deadlier. It could be the increased speed of a bullet, more precise spy satellites, or the development of a more powerful bomb. But what are overlooked most times are the development, production and use of nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons. When countries develop these weapons, they make sure that they will kill their enemy. During the Persian Gulf War, the seriousness of these gruesome killers was basically overlooked. This overlook proved to be costly and deadly. The American government sent its soldiers into the Persian Gulf War knowing that there would be chemical and biological weapons used.
There were many reasons to the start of the Persian Gulf War. Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi president, wanted not only supreme power over his land, but also supreme power over neighboring countries. Iraq desired oil. Iraq set its eyes on one such neighbor. Iraq annexed Kuwait and took control of 24% of the oil supply for the world and was headed to Saudi Arabia next (“The War” 2). This meant that Saddam Hussein would possibly hold the world in an oil monopoly. The start of the Persian Gulf War was based on religion and Saddam Hussein’s cruel leadership (1). Saudi Arabia soon feared that their oil fields would become Saddam’s next target. They called on the United States for protection against Saddam (1). The United States issued a fair warning to Saddam to remove his military from Kuwait. Iraq did not comply with the set removal deadline of January 15, 1991. This brought about Desert Shield (the buildup of troops), which eventually led to the main attack to free Kuwait’s, better known as Operation Desert Storm (1). The start of the Persian Gulf War led Iraq into starting a new NBC (Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical) program.
Iraq’s NBC program was not just fueled by the Persian Gulf War. Saddam Hussein’s rule in Iraq brought about programs for the storage and manufacturing of NBC agents. Secret facilities hidden in the desert and underground facilities were used for the storage of NBC agents. It was only under Saddam Hussein’s rule that Iraq began to produce NBC weapons (Allen 44). The weapons developed had been used long before the Persian Gulf War. Iraqi’s were known to use chemical and biological weapons during the Iran-Iraq War (Grossman 66). “By 1990 there were said to be...