Issues Surrounding Huessin and the Iraq Invasion
Uploaded by spootyhead on Mar 05, 2007
Issues Surrounding Huessin and the Iraq Invasion
It is believed that Huessin hoped to gain complete control of Kuwait and make millions of dollars controlling the market price of oil without the rest of the world getting involved (Desert Storm). This invasion led to United Nations, United States and many other countries military involvement and ultimately sanctions that would cost Iraq billions of dollars. Hussein’s actions caused Iraq to be put into a situation that limited their only money-producing export, oil. Oil has been the only profitable export in the Persian Gulf for decades. The combination of a valuable export like oil, and mediocre third-world countries with out stable government led to a gigantic conflict that all started because of the rich oil fields that blanketed the Persian Gulf.
The actual invasion only took six hours from start to finish. It was early morning on August 2, 1990 when Iraqi forces crushed Kuwait’s minimal defenses allowing an battalion of 30,000 heavily armed soldiers that attacked from three different directions to take control off the small Persian Gulf country. After the initial takeover, Huessin ordered 70,000 more soldiers to take complete control of one of the largest oil producing countries in the world.
After Kuwait had fallen and the bulk of Huessin’s forces had been positioned at the southern tip of Kuwait it had become evident to the rest of the world what exactly Saddam had planned. The first country that had realized this was the leading oil-producing country in the world; Saudi Arabia, also a neighbor of Kuwait.
Saudi Arabia had been purchasing advanced military equipment during the late 80's in preparation for a medium-sized attack from any of the other oil-producing countries. Nevertheless Saudi Arabia’s army was no match for the Iraqi army that had recently defeated Iran in a ten year war that enhanced their military capabilities far beyond those of any other Persian Gulf country.
The attack on Kuwait marked the second anniversary of the cease-fire agreement between Iraq and Iran. Before the Iraq-Iran war had begun Iraq had been spending billions of dollars on almost any weapon Huessin desired, except nuclear weapons. Iraq’s military expenses were so high that there were more then three billion dollars more then the Soviet Union and almost double the United States, who were also stocking up on weapons. Fortunately for Iraq, this information was concealed so that the United Nations...