US Involvement in Desert Storm
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United States Involvement
In The Gulf War From 1990 to 1991
In the early morning hours of 2 August 1990 Iraq sent an invasion force consisting of 120,000 troops and 2000 tanks into the neighboring country of Kuwait (Military Analysis Network, "Operation Desert Shield"). The invasion force quickly overwhelmed the small country to the south, thus allowing Iraq to declare, in less that a week, that Kuwait had become Iraq's nineteenth province. The United Nations quickly responded, passing a series of resolutions condemning the invasion, called for an immediate withdrawal of troops from Kuwait, imposed financial and trade embargo's and declared the annexation void.
President George Bush, regarding the actions as a threat to a vital U.S. interest, namely the oil production capability of the Persian Gulf Region, immediately ordered warplanes and ground forces to Saudi Arabia after obtaining King Fahd's approval (Military Analysis Network, "Operation Desert Shield"). Iraqi troops had begun to mass along the Saudi Arabian border indicating the possibility of an attack into the Saudi oil fields.
The first course of action lasted for five months, from August 1990 until January 1991. The diplomatic community conducted furious and fast paced diplomatic activity aimed at getting Iraq out of Kuwait. Two main issues were at the heart of the diplomacy: the occupation itself and the matter of the hostages...