3, results of the gulf war

3, results of the gulf war

• 1.
  Results of theGulf War EXAMINE THEVARIOUS OUTCOMES OF THE GULF WAR
• 2.
   No invasionof Iraq  No mandate for this in UN Resolution 678  Could have split the coalition  USA still conscious of failure of Vietnam  What about Iran???  In military terms the war was successful  Al-Sabah family back in power  Saddam out of Kuwait  But little change in the stability of the Middle East  The ‘new world order’ elusive due to new conflicts  Break up of USSR and Yugoslavia
• 3.
  Allied casualties  Casualtiesvery low considering numbers deployed  USA 150 killed in action (Korean War 30,000 & Vietnam War 58,000)  UK 24 killed in action  Arab countries (not including Kuwait) 37 deaths  Number killed or seriously wounded from illness and accidents (including ‘blue on blue’)  USA 1,500  UK 700
• 4.
  Other casualties  Exactnumber of Iraqi deaths unknown  Recent estimates suggest around 20,000 (Some sources 200,000)  Controversy over civilian deaths 1,000 – 15,000  In Kuwait attacks continued after ceasefire  Reprisals of Kuwaiti citizens on those they saw as Saddam supporters – Palestinians, Sudanese and Yemenis
• 5.
  Physical damage  Costof damage to Kuwait including damage to oilfields and loss of foreign investments estimated at around $30 billion  Effects of 40 day bombing campaign on Iraq  Destruction of power, water, sanitation facilities, roads, bridges and telephone exchanges  Un official visiting Iraq said it had been ‘relegated to a pre- industrial age’.
• 6.
  Environmental damage  23rdJanuary Iraq dumped 400 million gallons of crude oil into the Persian Gulf (to try and prevent US invasion)  The largest oil spill in history  Retreating Iraqis set alight 600 oil wells in Kuwait
• 7.
  Political effects: Iraq Hope that the humiliating defeats would trigger rebellions within the political and military elite  Risings by Kurds and Shiites  Brutally suppressed by Saddam  Refugees flood into Turkey and Iran  USA and UK slow to act –eventually declare ‘no-fly zones’ and set up a ‘safe haven’ in the north for Kurds  April UN Security Council Resolutions 687 passed  Hunt for WMDs and economic sanctions on Iraqi (including oil)  Saddam remained in power until 2003  Normal people suffered the most from sanctions IMR trebled and LE fell 15-20 years
• 8.
  Political effects: USA Desert Storm –USA was to play the dominant role in conflict resolution  Events eventually led to the Iraq War of 2003
• 9.
  Political effects: MiddleEast  USA stronger force in the region  Provoked Muslim radicals to become increasingly anti- American  No move to democracy especially in Kuwait  Palestinian peace process kick started by US  Yasser Arafat’s credibility undermined  Led to the Oslo Accords 1993