Gulf War

After Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990 (claiming historical rights and accusing Kuwait of slant-drilling into Iraqi oil fields and overproducing to crash prices), the US rapidly reversed eight years of supporting Saddam during the Iran-Iraq War. Key events: April Glaspie Ambiguity: On 25 July 1990, US Ambassador April Glaspie told Saddam, “We have no opinion on your Arab-Arab conflicts, such as your dispute with Kuwait” – widely interpreted in Baghdad as a green light. Incubator Babies Propaganda: Hill & Knowlton (hired by the Kuwaiti royal family) staged the fake “Kuwaiti babies thrown from incubators” testimony before Congress, later admitted as complete fabrication. Instant 180° Policy Flip: The same Saddam who received US intelligence and loan guarantees in the 1980s was suddenly “worse than Hitler.” UN Sanctions Instead of Diplomacy: After expelling Iraq from Kuwait, the US deliberately kept crippling sanctions in place for 12 years (1991–2003), explicitly designed to destroy Iraqi civilian infrastructure (water treatment, electricity, medicine). UN estimates 500,000+ Iraqi children died as a direct result – Madeleine Albright infamously said on 60 Minutes in 1996 “we think the price is worth it.” Permanent Military Footprint: The war gave the US its first major permanent bases in Saudi Arabia (Prince Sultan Air Base, etc.), which Osama bin Laden explicitly cited as his primary reason for declaring war on America, directly leading to 9/11 blowback. The war itself was sold as “liberating Kuwait,” but the long-term goal was securing control over Persian Gulf oil routes and establishing a permanent military presence that previous administrations had failed to achieve.