Why did the gulf war start and what were the national interest?

what were some the events leading to the start of the gulf war (operation desert storm) and how did the us ultimately win the war?|||It started because the U.S. government had let the Iraqi government believe that they would have no objections to Iraq invading Kuwait to take over their oil. We had sold them chemical and other weapons while they were at war with Iran without their knowledge that we were also selling arms to Iran. Just over a week before Iraq invaded Kuwait, the US ambassador to Iraq, April Gillespie, told Iraq that their dispute over oil fields with Kuwait was an Arab problem and no concern to the U.S.



Iraq took this as an ok to invade Kuwait and proceeded. Kuwait had also funded Iraq's military in the war against Iran. Iraq was looking for a way to void those debts and to resolve the disputes over oil fields. Kuwait had held oil prices down by increasing production, further infuriating Iraq.



The US was part of a UN force which opposed Iraq. The force was commanded by Gen. Schwartzkopf. He made a blunder early in the conflict when the Marines requested permission to use air power against the advancing Iraqi forces. The advance was so weak that Schwartzkopf didn't recognize it as being an offensive. This resulted in the death of many Saudis and U.S. Marines at Khafji. Later, it was recognized that this was a major Iraqi offensive, the only one of the war.



The war was won by simple tactics. The British and the French advanced from the north, the Saudis and the Marines advanced to Kuwait City along the coast and there was no offensive in the middle where it would be expected. Instead, the Army did the famous Hail Mary, sending its forces by helicopter behind the Iraqi forces. The only problem is, they let most of the Republican Guard escape to Iraq. Meanwhile, their tanks went full speed into Kuwait and engaged many of the Iraqi tanks.



The greatest success of the war was along the Highway of Death leading from Kuwait City to Iraq where air power targeted the first and last vehicle to tie up a huge Iraqi column and then destroyed almost all of them.



The most brilliant manuever in the war was having a Marine force practice amphibious landings on the Kuwaiti coast. This caused the Iraqis to place most of their forces along the coast to oppose an invasion we had no intent to execute. It also caused the Marines and Saudis to conduct the brunt of the war, something the Marines are especially good at.|||which gulf are you talking about ?


if you meaning the gulf at middle east;it have an ancient name : PERSIAN GULF

Report Abuse

|||The UN decided that the US should invade Iraq and force Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait. They gave him a date to pull out, but he didn't listen.





Thats the main reason as to the start.





It went from August 2 1990 - February 2 1991.





We basically won because Saddam couldn't handle all the fighting.|||http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_War