Saddam Hussein, Kuwait, and the Gulf Crises

Paper Summary:

This paper addresses some of the issues that led up to Desert Storm, and delves into the Gulf crisis from an historical and political point of view - and from the perspective of the United States (including those of George Herbert Walker Bush and George W. Bush).

Outline:
A Brief Look at the Late Dictator
Why Hussein went into Kuwait
Powell Assertion Number One
Powell Assertion Number Two
Powell Assertion Number Three
Powell Assertion Number Four
Powell Assertion Number Five

From the Paper:

"During the last two decades or so of Saddam's life, he was known as "the madman of the Middle East" in some Western circles, but journalist Jerrold M. Post, writing in the journal Political Psychology, asserts that there is "no evidence that he [was] suffering from a psychotic disorder." That having been said, Post added that while Hussein was "psychologically in touch with reality," he was frequently politically "out of touch with reality" (Post 284) and had a worldview that was "narrow and distorted." Moreover, he was a "ruthless political calculator" who went to "whatever lengths are necessary to achieve his goals.
"Post explains that the crisis created when Saddam's armies invaded Kuwait provided him with "the opportunity to defy the hated outsiders, a strong value in his Ba'th ideology" (Post 286). Saddam enjoyed casting the conflict as a "struggle between two gladiators," Post wrote; those two were "Saddam Hussein vs. George Bush."

Sample of Sources Used:

• CBSNEWS.com. "The Man Who Knew", Retrieved June 20, 2007, from:http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/10/14/60II/printable577975.shtml (2004).
• Hanley, Charles. "Watchdogs of War?" Editor & Publisher (2003)
• Hiro, Dilip. Desert Shield to Desert Storm: The Second Gulf War. New York: Routledge, 1992.
• Khalidi, Walid. "The Gulf Crisis: Origins and Consequences." Journal of Palestine Studies 20.2 (1991): 5-28.
• Mylroie, Laurie. "Why Saddam Hussein Invaded Kuwait." Orbis 37.1 (1993): 123-135.

More papers on Saddam Hussein, Kuwait, and the Gulf Crises:

• Analytical Essay # 144873 : "Kant and the Gulf War"
• Essay # 88715 : "Saddam Hussein"
• Research Paper # 28202 : "Media and the Gulf War"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: