When analyzing events in history, it is fairly easy to draw upon the different political perspectives when looking at the causes. A good example is to analyze the US intervention in Iraq during the invasion of Kuwait.
The Persian Gulf War, as it became known, was launched on January 6, 1991, after international diplomatic efforts and sanctions had failed to force Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait by the January 15th deadline set by the united nations, after Kuwait was illegally invaded on August 2, 1990. .
The 31-nation military moved against Iraq, commanded by U.S. general H. Norman Schwarzkopf, included forces from the United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Britain, Syria, and France. Japan, Germany, and others aided the war effort financially. The war, code-named Desert Storm, began as a massive air strike carried out on key Iraqi military targets. Iraq launched scud missile attacks on Israel in an effort to bring them into the war, and weaken the side of the allies. .
The ground war started when Saddam Hussein ignored a February 23 U.S. deadline to begin moving out of Kuwait immediately. The short-lived ground assault only lasted until February 27 with the complete retreat of Iraqi forces from Kuwait. Iraq agreed on February 27-28 to accept the United Nation's terms. .
The United States involvement in this conflict appears to mainly come from a Realist perspective. It was viewed by the nations surrounding Iraq that Saddam Hussein might potentially try to invade them as well. To the US and other countries not directly involved with Iraq, it is viewed that Iraq is trying to control the world's oil supply. Since it appears that Iraq is a threat to everyone, all the nations involved take measures to alleviate the threat. The smaller countries surrounding Iraq ally with the United States and more powerful nations to deal with the problem. Saudi Arabia allows US forces to land and operate within its country.
