-- Critical Media Literacy
in Times of War

Persian Gulf War, 1991

The modern history of Kuwait can be traced to the founding of Kuwait
City in the 18th century. By the end of the 19th century, Kuwait's
rulers established closer ties with the British government in an effort
to resist the Ottoman Empire, and in 1897 Kuwait was recognized as a
British protectorate. The nation gained full independence from Great
Britain in 1961 and Iraq soon claimed sovereignty over Kuwait. A British
military presence prevented Iraq from taking action, and in 1963 Iraq
recognized Kuwaiti independence. Nonetheless, disputes between Iraq and
Kuwait over borders and oil rights persisted.

IRAQ

Originally a part of the Ottoman Empire, the area now known as Iraq was
taken over by Britain in 1917. By 1932, Iraq had achieved nominal
independence. The country was officially declared a republic in 1958,
but a series of military strongmen have dominated the government. In the
1960's and 1970's, revolutions and military coups repeatedly shifted the
balance of power in Iraq, but the secular Baath party eventually took
control in 1968. Saddam Hussein - the current leader of Iraq - gained
significant power throughout the 1970's, and in 1979 became President.

IRAN

Occupied by both British and Russian forces during World War I, Iran
resisted British colonization and was ruled by the Pahlavi Dynasty from
1921 to 1979. Reza Shah Pahlavi ruled until 1941 and his son, Muhammad
Reza Shah Pahlavi, was in power until 1979. In 1951, premier Mohammad
Mossadegh led a successful effort to overturn British control of Iran's
oil industry, and later in the year he was appointed prime minister. A
two-year power struggle between the shah and Mossadegh followed, and in
1953 a CIA-backed coup in Iran helped topple the elected government by
force which also placed the shah back in power. In 1979, a revolution
ended the Pahlavi dynasty and Iraq was declared an Islamic state by its
new leader, the Ayatollah Khomeini. Khomeini hoped that Iraq's secular
government would also be overthrown and replaced by an Islamic regime.

IRAN-IRAQ WAR

In 1980, border skirmishes signaled rising tensions between Iran and
Iraq, and by September the movement of Iraqi troops into Iranian
territory marked the beginning of the Iran-Iraq war. Iraq's leader,
Saddam Hussein, hoped to both contain Iran and position Iraq as a
dominant power in the region. While Iran was initially more successful
in the conflict, Iraq later used chemical weapons to gain the upper hand
against Iranian forces. The U.S. and Soviet Union supplied intelligence
and military support to Iraq during the war, and the U.S. also provided
some aid to Iranian forces. The war lasted eight long years and took a
devastating toll on both countries, particularly with regard to
casualties and the accumulation of enormous war debts. At the conclusion
of the conflict, the borders between the two countries were unchanged.

While the Kuwaitis had supported Iraq against Iran's Islamic
revolutionary ambition, Kuwait had no sympathy for Iraq's crippling debt
of up to $80 billion. The Iraqi government felt betrayed after fighting
a war to contain the revolution and protect neighboring regimes, and it
desperately needed the revenue Kuwait could offer. In late July, Iraq
intensified its threats against Kuwait, and Iraqi troops massed along
the Kuwaiti border. In early August, Iraq invaded and occupied Kuwait.