First Gulf War?

What caused the First Gulf War to happen? What happened during the 1st Gulf War? What was the aftermath following the First Gulf War?

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Adam Zeidan

Encyclopedia Britannica Editor

Nov 8 '21

The immediate cause of the First Gulf War (1990-91) was Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. There were many factors involved in Iraq's decision to invade, but the catalyst was essentially stress on the country following the devastation of the recent Iran-Iraq War (1980-88). By annexing its oil-rich neighbor, Iraq's president Saddam Hussein hoped to alleviate strain on the Iraqi economy, gain a strategic military advantage in the region, and bolster domestic support for his regime.

The invasion prompted a strong reaction from the international community, however, and in January 1991 a U.S.-led coalition launched an offensive, called Operation Desert Storm. The air campaign destroyed Iraq's air defenses, communication networks, government buildings, weapons plants, oil refineries, and other aspects of infrastructure. In late February the coalition launched a massive ground offensive and drove Iraqi forces from Kuwait within days.

In addition to its withdrawal from Kuwait, Iraq was to recognize Kuwait's sovereignty and divest itself of all weapons of mass destruction. But the region failed to fully stabilize in the aftermath, and ongoing disputes over the country's compliance with the terms of peace ultimately culminated in the Second Gulf War (2003-11). During that second war, the suspicion that Iraq had kept some weapons of mass destruction proved untrue.