The Gulf War 1990-1991 : the reality of the international scene

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to analyse the factors that started the Gulf War 1990-1991, and see the response of the international community, which was facing the first crises after the Cold War. Throughout we shall look at the crises in the light of the international context of the time, the domestic situation of the main protagonists and the decision-makers involved. Importance will be given to all the actors but most notably to the main ones: Iraq because it started the war, Kuwait since it was the victim, Saudi Arabia, the richest state in the Gulf and an immediate neighbour of an aggressive state, the interests of Great Britain and France in the Middle East, and the US, the only remaining superpower with great international commitments. The Gulf War was also a golden opportunity to see how the UN Security Council would react after being freed from the Cold War obstacle of bi-polar competition.