How did the Gulf War end?

On the 17 January 1991, an aerial and naval bombardment began to drive Iraqi troops from Kuwait (Operation Desert Storm). The bombardment lasted for five weeks. After this, coalition forces launched an assault on Kuwait on the 24 February 1991, and allied forces managed to liberate Kuwait, whilst further advancing into Iraqi territory to achieve their decisive victory. On the 28 February 1991, the coalition forces defeated Iraq.

Why did the Gulf War start?

One of the major catalysts for the Iraq–Kuwait dispute was Iraq's claims to Kuwaiti territory. Kuwait had previously been a part of the Ottoman Empire before its collapse in 1922. After the empire's collapsed the United Kingdom created a new border between Kuwait and Iraq which made Iraq almost entirely landlocked. Iraq felt as though Kuwait had benefitted from oil territories that were rightfully theirs.

Who won the Gulf War?

The allied coalition force won the Gulf war for Kuwait and managed to drive Iraq out.

When was the Gulf War?

17 January 1991-28 February 1991.

What action by Saddam Hussein enraged the British public?

Saddam Hussein appeared on television with Western hostages.

What does OPEC stand for?

Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

Gulf War: Dates, Causes & Combatants

Q: What was the Gulf War?

Kuwait was invaded and annexed by Iraq after oil pricing and production conflicts. This resulted in the United Kingdom and the United States leading a coalition of 35 nations against Iraq. This was is known as the Gulf War, The Persian Gulf War, and the First Gulf War.

Gulf War

Kuwait was invaded and annexed by Iraq after oil pricing and production conflicts. This resulted in the United Kingdom and the United States leading a coalition of over 35 nations against Iraq. This is known as the 'Gulf War', the 'Persian Gulf War', or the 'First Gulf War'. But what role did these countries play during the war? Were there other reasons for western involvement? What was the aftermath of the Gulf War? Let's find out!

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Gulf War Summary

The Gulf War was a major international conflict caused by Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. Iraq invaded and occupied Kuwait on 2 August 1990, as Iraq believed Kuwait had been influenced by the United States and Israel to undercut their oil prices. Oil was the main export of Iraq, and they used this as an excuse to launch a full-scale invasion of Kuwait, which they completed within only two days.

Gulf War US Troops in Gulf War StudySmarter Fig. 1 - US Troops in Gulf War

As a result of the invasion, Iraq was condemned internationally, which led to economic sanctions against Iraq by members of the UN Security Council. Britain and America initially sent troops to Saudi Arabia. As the war continued, both nations also urged other nations to protect Kuwait. Eventually, several nations joined the coalition. This coalition formed the most significant military alliance since the end of World War II.

Gulf War Period

The First Gulf War ran between the years 1990-1991, and the second Gulf War (the Iraq War) ran between 2003 and 2011.

Gulf War Map

The map below highlights the immense coalition of the Gulf War.

Gulf War Gulf War Coalition Map StudySmarter Fig. 2 - Gulf War Coalition Map

Gulf War Timeline

The causes and consequences of the Gulf War spanned 69 years, from the collapse of the Ottoman Empire which placed the UK in control of Kuwait's foreign affairs, to the defeat of Iraq by the Coalition forces.

Date	Event
1922	Collapse of the Ottoman Empire.
1922	Kuwait’s ruling dynasty Al–Sabah agreed upon a protectorate agreement.
17 July, 1990	Saddam Hussein began a televised verbal attack against Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates for exceeding their export quotas.
1 August, 1990	The Iraqi government accused Kuwait of drilling across the border into Iraq's Rumaila oil field and demanded $10 billion to recoup their losses; Kuwait had offered an insufficient $500 million.
2 August, 1990	Iraq ordered an invasion, bombing Kuwait's capital, Kuwait City.
6 August, 1990	The United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 661.
8 August, 1990	The Provisional Free Government of Kuwait was established by Iraq.
10 August, 1990	Saddam Hussein appeared on television with Western hostages.
23 August, 1990	The Arab League passed a resolution condemning Iraq's invasion of Kuwait and supporting the UN's stance.
28 August, 1990	Iraqi President Saddam Hussein declared Kuwait the 19^th province of Iraq.
19 November, 1990	The UN Security Council passed Resolution 678.
17 January, 1991	Operation Desert Storm began.
28 February, 1991	The coalition forces defeated Iraq.

Did you know? The broadcast of Western hostages resulted in national outrage, and Hussein's "manipulation of children", as quoted by Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd, provoked a storm of outrage in the British public. The British government, still under the rule of Thatcher, knew that they needed to respond and show Saddam Hussein and the British public that such flagrant acts of oppression would not be allowed.

Causes of the First Gulf War

Events in the timeline above show us the build-up of economic and political tensions between the nations and can be seen as the main causes of the Gulf War. Let's have a look at a few in more detail.

Gulf War Gulf War News Conference StudySmarter Fig. 3 - Gulf War News Conference

Protectorate Agreement

In 1899, Britain and Kuwait signed the Anglo-Kuwaiti Treaty, which gave made Kuwait a British protectorate when WWI began. This protectorate formed the basis for Iraq's claim. This was because the protectorate allowed the UK to determine a new border between Iraq and Kuwait in 1922 at the Conference of Al-ʿUqayr.

Protectorate Agreement

An agreement made between states that allowed a state to control/protect some or all the affairs of another.

The border created by the UK made Iraq almost entirely landlocked, and Iraq felt as though Kuwait had benefited from oil territories that were rightfully theirs. Thus, the Iraqi government felt aggrieved about their loss of territory.

Oil Conflicts

Oil played a profoundly significant role in this conflict. Kuwait was accused of breaking its oil quotas set by OPEC. Iraq was particularly unhappy about this because for the OPEC cartel to maintain steady prices and achieve their decided $18 per barrel, all member nations needed to abide by the quotas set.

However, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates were continually overproducing their oil. Kuwait had to rectify the financial losses from the Iran-Iraq conflict, so the nation continued to exceed its quotas.

OPEC

The Organisation of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries.

Oil prices had fallen to $10 a barrel, causing Iraq to lose around $7 billion a year. Iraq accused Kuwait of engaging in economic warfare that was causing the nation exponential revenue loss.

Did you know? To the rest of the world, Saddam Hussein invading and occupying Kuwait seemed like an apparent attempt to acquire Kuwait's oil reserves and a way to cancel the large debt Iraq believed Kuwait owed them.

Iraq's Invasion of Kuwait

Kuwait's 20,000-man army maintained a spirited defence, but the Iraqis nonetheless took Kuwait city without much trouble. Within two days, the Iraqi forces had control of the country, with around 4,200 Kuwaitis estimated to have died in combat. More than 350,000 Kuwaiti refugees fled to Saudi Arabia.

An immediate diplomatic response was given to the invasion.
Resolution 661 imposed a ban on all trade with Iraq and called on member states to protect Kuwait's assets.
The Provisional Free Government of Kuwait was set up to support Iraq's claim that the invasion was an attempt to help the royal Ṣabāḥ dynasty-supporting citizens.
These events all contributed to the beginning of the Cold War.

First Gulf War

In the months to follow the invasion of Kuwait, the U.S. military conducted its largest overseas deployment since World War II. More than 240,000 U.S. troops were in the Gulf by mid-November, with another 200,000 on their way. More than 25,000 British soldiers, 5,500 French soldiers, and 20,000 Egyptian troops were also deployed.

Gulf War Combatants

On 10 August 1990, the Arab League condemned Iraq's invasion, passing a resolution and supporting the UN's stance. This resolution was agreed upon by 12 out of 21 nations in the Arab League. However, Jordan, Yemen, Sudan, Tunisia, Algeria, and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) were among the Arab states who were sympathetic to Iraq and voted against the Arab League's resolution.

Operation Desert Storm

On 28 August 1990, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein declared Kuwait the 19^th province of Iraq, and places in Kuwait were renamed. There was no action until 29 November 1990, when, with a vote of 12 to 2, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 678. This resolution authorised the use of force if the Iraqis did not leave Kuwait by 15 January 1991. Iraq refused, and Operation Desert Storm began on 17 January.

Operation Desert Storm relates to the military attacks on Iraqi forces when the UN and Arab League attempted to remove them from Kuwait. The bombardment lasted for five weeks, and on 28 February 1991, the coalition forces defeated Iraq.

Gulf War Operation Desert Storm Map StudySmarter Fig. 4 - Operation Desert Storm Map

Operation Desert Storm ended the Gulf War, as President Bush declared a ceasefire and that Kuwait had been liberated. It was a quick operation, and due to the speed enacted, Kuwait was able to return under independent control after only 100 hours of ground conflict.

Gulf War Outcome and Significance

Following Iraq's defeat, Kurds in the North of Iraq and Shias in the South of Iraq rose in revolt. These movements were brutally suppressed by Hussein. As a result of these actions, members of the former Gulf War coalition prohibited the presence of Iraqi aircraft over these areas in "no-fly" zones, this operation was named Southern Watch.

Gulf War F-117 A towed in front of destroyed Kuwait aircraft shelter StudySmarter Fig. 5 - An F-117A being towed in front of destroyed Kuwait aircraft shelter

UN inspectors made sure all illicit weapons were destroyed, and the US and Britain patrolled the skies of Iraq as allies left the coalition.
In 1998, Iraq's refusal to cooperate with UN inspectors led to a brief resumption of hostilities (Operation Desert Fox). Thereafter, Iraq refused to admit inspectors back into the country.
The allied forces, namely Britain and America, were concerned with Saddam Hussein's refusal of weapon inspections. They began to arrange his forced removal from power.

The United States and the United Kingdom amassed troops on Iraq's border and ceased further negotiations with Iraq on 17 March 2003. The Bush administration decided to ignore United Nations protocol and proceeded to deliver an ultimatum to Saddam Hussein. This request demanded that Hussein should step down and depart Iraq within 48 hours or face war. Saddam refused to leave, and as a result, the U.S. and the UK invaded Iraq on 20 March 2003, starting the Iraq War.

The First Gulf War - Key takeaways

Iraq invaded and occupied Kuwait on 2 August 1990, resulting in international condemnation and economic sanctions against Iraq.
The UN Security Council passed Resolution 678 on 29 November 1990. The resolution authorized the use of force if the Iraqis did not leave Kuwait by 15 January 1991.
Reasons for western intervention were Oil Conflicts, Western Hostages, and the Iraqi presence in Kuwait.
On 17 January 1991, an aerial and naval bombardment began to drive Iraqi troops from Kuwait (Operation Desert Storm). The bombardment lasted for five weeks, and on 28 February 1991, the coalition forces defeated Iraq.
The Gulf War contributed to the cause of the Iraq War in 2003 as it set up the political tensions that caused the US and the UK to invade Iraq.

Gulf War

StudySmarter Editorial Team