Natural resources are a major contributor of why countries all around the world create bonds and friendships so that they can be supplied with this specific resource. Some countries however become greedy and want to acquire more than they should. On August 2nd, 1990 Iraqi military forces invaded and occupied the small Arab State of Kuwait. Iraqi dictatorial president Saddam Hussein gave the order. His aim was to take control of Kuwait's oil reserves, which has about 10 percent of the world's oil reserves. This move sparked the beginning of a war, a short war, but a war that introduced many new weapons and heightened the power of the United States.
Saddam Hussein was a man of great power in Iraq. Anything he said or wanted to do was done without any questions. Hussein accused Kuwait, and also the United Arab Emirates, of breaking agreements that limit oil production in the Middle East. According to him, this brought down world oil prices severely and caused financial loss of billions of dollars in Iraq's annual revenue. Furthermore, Hussein claimed that Kuwait had illegally pumped oil from the Iraqi oil field of Rumaila and otherwise conspired to reduce Iraq's essential oil income. Iraq surprised the entire world by invading Kuwait. Soon every country on the globe started to hate Iraq for what they were doing. The United Nations Security Council decided to use military force if Iraq did not withdraw unconditionally by January 15, 1991. President of the United States at this time, George Bush, had to start preparing for the war. He didnt receive much difficulty in winning Americans' support for the war that soon might happen with Iraq. In early August 1990, King Fahd of Saudi Arabia invited American troops onto Saudi soil. He had seen what Kuwait was capable of; therefore, he wanted them to be protected. It was also the interest of the USA to stop any further advantage of the Iraqi army.