Theories of Liberalism and Realism in the Persian Gulf War Research Paper

A political and literary analysis on the history and international theories behind the Persian Gulf War.
# 145979 | 2,123 words | 8 sources | MLA | 2010 | US
Published on Dec 12, 2010 in History (Middle Eastern) , Political Science (Non-U.S.) , Political Science (Political Theory) , International Relations (War and Conflict)


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Description:

This paper provides a brief literary analysis of the history of the Persian Gulf War, followed by political analysis of the international theories behind it. The paper asserts that the Iraqis rely heavily on realism, while the United States and the Coalition think with along the lines of liberalism. The paper explains that the Persian Gulf War lasted only seven months but it proved to be one of the most important and analyzed conflicts of the twentieth century; it was one of the few wars in history that was fought over a principal - the need to respect established sovereignties and their boundaries. The paper concludes that, in the end, the Persian-Gulf war was popular among the public; it ensured that the armed aggression of nations will fall apart when facing a free coalition of nations acting on principals of integrity and justice rather than defense and conquest.

From the Paper:

"After some time of active hostilities, which included air strikes, bombings, and burning of oil fields, a peace conference was held where a ceasefire agreement was signed by both sides (Lowrey). However, tensions still ran amuck. In southern Iraq, a Shi'ite uprising began. In the North, Kurdish leaders wished to trigger a coup d'etat with American support (Lowrey). However, when no American support came because the U.S. had hoped that Hussein was overthrown in the coup d'etat without their military involvement, Iraqi generals remained loyal to Saddam Hussein and cruelly crushed the Kurdish uprising. In Kuwait, the Emir was restored. Suspected Iraqi collaborators were expelled out of the country (Lowrey). Thus, on February 28th, 1991, the Persian Gulf War was over ("Gulf War"). There was, nevertheless, criticism of the Bush administration at the time over their choice to allow Hussein to remain in power instead of pushing on to overthrow his government. At the time, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Dick Cheney, was quoted saying, "And the question in my mind is, how many additional American casualties is Saddam worth? And the answer is, not that damned many. So, I think we got it right, both when we decided to expel him from Kuwait, but also when the President made the decision that we'd achieved our objectives and we were not going to go get bogged down in the problems of trying to take over and govern Iraq (qtd. in "Great Speeches Collection...Iraq").""

Sample of Sources Used:

  • "Gulf War." The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather guide. Abington: Helicon, 2009. Credo Reference. Web. 30 November 2010.
  • "Great Speeches Collection: President George Bush Speech Announcing War Against Iraq." The History Place. Web. 30 Nov. 2010. <http://www.historyplace.com/speeches/bush-war.htm>.
  • Kelly, Bruce. "Iraq Invades Kuwait." Conservative Blogs, Websites and News Media. Web. 30 Nov. 2010. <http://www.brucekelly.com/saddam-hussein-kuwait.html>.
  • Lowrey, Richard S. "The Gulf War - Aftermath." InDepthInfo: Information Delivered In-Depth. Web. 30 Nov. 2010. <http://www.indepthinfo.com/iraq/aftermath.shtml>.
  • "Security Council Resolution 678 (1990) on the Situation between Iraq and Kuwait." Federation of American Scientists. 29 Nov. 1990. Web. 30 Nov. 2010. <http://www.fas.org/news/un/iraq/sres/sres0678.htm>.

Cite this Research Paper:

APA Format

Theories of Liberalism and Realism in the Persian Gulf War (2010, December 12) Retrieved June 07, 2023, from https://www.academon.com/research-paper/theories-of-liberalism-and-realism-in-the-persian-gulf-war-145979/

MLA Format

"Theories of Liberalism and Realism in the Persian Gulf War" 12 December 2010. Web. 07 June. 2023. <https://www.academon.com/research-paper/theories-of-liberalism-and-realism-in-the-persian-gulf-war-145979/>

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