THE WAR ON TERROR WEEK 12

1
THE WAR ON TERRORWEEK 12

• What is the relationship between the three Gulf
  Wars?

2
Presentation Format

• Iran-Iraq War- Background
• Link to 2nd Gulf War- Operation Desert Storm
• Desert Storm- Background
• Link to 3rd Gulf War- Operation Iraqi Freedom
• Iraqi Freedom- Background
• Conclusion

3
IRAN-IRAQ WAR 1980-1988

• Pretext for war- territorial disputes and cross
  border incidents
• Saddams aim- regional dominant power
• Iraq misjudged Iranian resilience
• 8 years of trench warfare
• Intervention of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait on Iraqi
  side to prevent economic repercussions on the
  region
• U.S intervention to aid Iraq decisive upon
  Iranian defeat

4
Link to Desert Storm

• Iraq emerged the dominant military power
  regionally from the Iran-Iraq War
• Iraqi military developments- rearmament at cost
  to reconstruction
• Fall of the USSR. Focus now on M. East
• Saddam and Arab leadership- Anti-Zionist rhetoric
• Economic and Military Aims of Iraq
• International Tension- Iraqi WMD development

5
DESERT STORM 1990-1991

• Desert Shield- U.S protection of Saudi Arabia
  from possible Iraqi expansion of the War
• U.N resolution 678- authorised offensive
• American military muscle and U.N success
• Russian and American unity
• Traditional and established alignments,
  meaningless
• Syrian support, Turkey actively involved, Iran
  neutral, Israel passive

6
CONTINUED

• 100 hours of conflict
• Intensive air campaign
• Coalition victorious
• Diplomatic isolation for Iraq
• Oil embargo
• No Fly Zone
• Reparations and Weapons inspectors

7
Link to Iraqi Freedom

• Saddam and WMD
• Axis of Evil and links to terrorism
• U.S- National interest (access to oil) vs.
  International interest (punish aggression)- Evans
  1998
• American military muscle- Hersh 2005
• Middle East War Zone- to combat terrorism
• Extension of 1990-91 Gulf War. Dads War- Iain
  Duncan Smith 2007- job unfinished

8
Iraqi Freedom 2003-Present

• U.S-U.K coalition
• Aim- model for democracy in the Middle East-
  Milton Edwards 2006
• Mass anti-war demonstrations across the globe
• Western intelligence and WMD inspectors
  criticised
• Legality of War questioned

9
CONTINUED

• Security tensions in region
• Continued presence of roughly 100,000 coalition
  troops- hindrance or benefit?
• Timetable for withdrawal? Vietnam a bad memory
• Descent into Civil War?

10
CONCLUSIONPossible War links

• Economics- resources and money
• Role of the United States
• Threat to Israel?
• Conflict inherent region?
• WMD
• Terrorism