Background
The war had its origin in a dispute between Iraq and Kuwait over Kuwait's oil policies. Iraq's president, Saddam Hussein, asserted that Kuwait in the late 1980's had overproduced oil and thus caused a reduction in its price. By conquering Kuwait, Iraq could control Kuwait's production and bring the price of oil up to the level desired by Hussein.
On August 2, 1990, Hussein sent an invasion force into Kuwait. The conquest took one day and Iraq annexed the country on August 8. On August 2, the Security Council of the United Nations condemned the invasion and demanded that Iraq withdraw immediately. On August 6 the Security Council imposed an embargo on Iraqi trade.
Meanwhile, the United States formed a coalition to oppose Iraq and began a massive build-up of forces in Saudi Arabia, an action code-named Operation Desert Shield.
By late November, coalition forces were strong enough to invade Iraq if ordered to do so. On November 29, the Security Council authorized the use of force against Iraq unless it withdrew from Kuwait by January 15.
On January 12 the United States Con-gress authorized President George Bush to use military force against Iraq. The Congressional authorization was preceded by weeks of intense debate. Opponents of the authorization argued that more time should be allowed for the embargo to create extreme economic hardship for Iraq, causing Hussein to give in and withdraw his forces from Kuwait. Supporters of the authorization doubted the effectiveness of the embargo and argued that only a war would force Hussein out of Kuwait.
On January 16, a day after the United Nations deadline for Iraqi withdrawal, the Persian Gulf War, code-named Operation Desert Storm, began. Commanding the coalition forces was General H. Norman Schwarzkopf of the U.S. Army.
