United States involvement in the Gulf War

U.S. Gulf War

Over the years, the Gulf War has become associated with some of the more successful wars. Where, it would surpass the expectations of planners, with many preparing for: heavy casualties and the possibility of quagmire emerging. However, despite all of these different concerns, the casualties would remain fairly low coming in at: 148 killed in action, 450 wounded and 1 missing in action. This is significant, because it is far less than any of the possible casualties that were expected. As a result, these events would shape how the world would look at international affairs. To fully understand the role that Gulf War would play in these events requires examining: why the U.S. entered the war and possible political / monetary benefits. Together, these different elements will provide the greatest insights as to the impact that Gulf War would have in future international relations.

Why the U.S. Entered the War?

The U.S. entered war to protect the sovereign rights of every nation against naked aggression and to uphold international law. That being said, when you look beyond these motives, it is clear that a number of different factors would contribute to the U.S. entering the war to include: the protection of oil interests and limiting the possible influences of Saddam Hussein along with Iran. The protection of various oil interests was one of the major causes of war. This is because there was a long running dispute between Iraq and Kuwait, over who controlled the oil reserves between their borders. Where, they would begin in Iraq and end inside Kuwaiti territory. This was problematic, because both sides would accuse the other of stealing oil from their side of the border. At which point, Iraq would claim that Kuwait was illegally drilling in their oil reserves, fueling the conflict. As negations were going nowhere, Saddam Hussein would order his military to conduct an all out invasion of Kuwait. This would give Iraq control the Kuwaiti oil fields and increased access to the Persian Gulf. At the same time, it would place him right on the border of Saudi Arabia. From the U.S. point-of-view, this was troubling as Saddam Hussein could easily have invaded Saudi Arabia, gaining control of the majority of region's oil. If this kind of scenario took place, it could cause the price of crude oil to rise to levels not seen since the 1970s' and beyond. At which point, there is possibility of: increasing amounts of stagflation and decreasing U.S. political influence in the region. As a result, President Bush would send American forces to the Middle East, to defend Saudi Arabia against a possible invasion from Iraq. While simultaneously, planning to expel Iraq from Kuwait. (Lee, 2010)

The possible influence of Saddam Hussein becoming more powerful in the region was troubling. As his invasion and subsequent war, with Iran during the 1980's would highlight his desire to increase the country's control and authority. One way to achieve this objective was through military conquest. The problem was that if Saddam Hussein was allowed to become more powerful, there could be a situation where he would control the majority of the world's oil supply (if his actions were allowed to stand). At the same time, the U.S. wanted to reduce the influence of Iran in region, as Iraq had a large Shiite population (which could be swayed by the Islamic republic) and Iran was known for sponsoring terrorist activities. This is significant, because it shows how the U.S. wanted to maintain the current balance of power in the region. Once Iraq became too powerful (by invading Kuwait), is when American forces would become involved. (Lee, 2010)

Possible Political and Economic Benefits from the War

The lasting benefits of the war are: that it would create shift in world politics and economics. What was happening was the invasion of Iraq would set off an entire firestorm of behind the scenes politicking. Where, the U.S. would use the UN and other international institutions, to build a coalition of allies to expel Iraq from Kuwait. At the same time, they would push and implement various international sanctions. These different elements are important, because they would highlight how the world had changed. As the war, would force the major powers, to engage in consensus building with the international community. This is significant because it shows how a shift would occur in the way various events were dealt with in the future. As many nations would forge alliances to: solve various conflicts and would engage in consensus building (to increase support for a cause). This is different from the various unilateral actions that would take place in the events leading to: World War I, World War II and the Cold War. As a result, this is a political benefit, with it changing the way world leaders would interact with one another. Where, the process of building a coalition and working with international institutions would continue to increase. In many ways, one could argue that the tactics used by the United States, would serve as blue print in how to conduct various foreign policy initiatives. (Lee, 2010)

At the same time, the war would allow many of the lingering conflicts to be rectified in the Middle East. A good example of this can be seen with Syria entering the UN coalition against Iraq. As a backroom deal, would give them increasing amounts of influence in Lebanon's internal affairs. This is important, because these actions would allow Syria to wipe the remaining elements of resistance in Lebanon, helping to bring an end to the long civil war. At which point, there would be increasing amounts of stability in the region by: ending the civil war and keeping Saddam Hussein in check. (Lee, 2010)

The economic benefits of the Gulf War, is that it would help to continue to supply the world with an ample amounts of oil at affordable prices. This is important, because maintaining low oil prices and large stockpiles requires, ensuring that the various external events are mitigated as quickly as possible. Where, they have the possibility of creating seismic shifts in the economy, by causing growth to come to halt almost overnight (in the event of severe disruptions). The fact that U.S. was able to ensure that the oil supply remained in heads of friendly regimes, helped to promote the dramatic economic growth that was seen during the 1990's. As oil prices would continue to remain low throughout the decade, helping to fuel above average growth. This is significant, because it shows how the Gulf War would play a role in the transformation the economy would go through: during the 1990's and into the early 2000's. As the increasing amounts of economic growth, would help to improve cooperation among developing nations, leading to globalization. In many ways, one could argue that the low prices of oil and large supplies would help to establish the modern day economic structure. Where, it would build a global foundation for a new phase of economic growth, allowing many developing countries to become a vital part of the world economy. (Weiss, 2005, pp. 39 -- 54)