The glorious tale has been told and retold. On August 2, 1990, Iraq invaded and annexed its oil-rich neighbor, Kuwait. Just over four months later, on January 16, 1991, a U.S.-led multi-national coalition launched a massive assault, Desert Storm, first from the air, pummeling Iraqi infrastructure and air defenses for…

Republican Guard tank column

August 2, 1990. Iraq invaded Kuwait. Four mechanized divisions of Iraq’s elite Republican Guard, supported by helicopter gunships, rolled down Highway 80, all six lanes of it, and Iraqi commando units assaulted Kuwait City from the Gulf. 

Despite months of saber-rattling by Saddam Hussein, Kuwaiti…

On the January 15, 1991 deadline for unconditional withdrawal, Saddam’s forces in Kuwait were still dug in, and two days later, January 17, the U.S., with its coalition partners in tow, went to war against Iraq. 

One hour before the air assault was to begin, James Baker…

The Coalition’s bombing campaign ended February 23, 1991. It was the eve of a massive ground assault, code name “Desert Sabre,” to drive Saddam Hussein’s occupying forces out of Kuwait. Saddam called it the “mother of all battles,” which he borrowed from the Quran….

First week of March, 1992. After 37 days of strategic bombing and a blitzkrieg 100-hour ground war, Saddam’s forces were utterly defeated and out of Kuwait. Mission accomplished. Now what?

Seeking a second-term, with the November election only eight months off, George Bush said, “We…