Knowledge Tree
Gulf War
Also known as: 1991 Gulf War, Persian Gulf War, Gulf War crisis
Facts (44)
Sources
The Persian Gulf TV War by Douglas Kellner (http://www.gseis.ucla ... pages.gseis.ucla.edu 33 facts
perspectiveDouglas Kellner argues that a multicausal model is necessary to interpret the Gulf War, applying the concept of 'overdetermination' to account for political, military, cultural, and psychological factors rather than interpreting the conflict solely as a war for oil.
claimThe author cites Secretary of State Dean Acheson's 1950 statement to Congress, which declared that South Korea was not part of the United States' zone of defense, as a historical precedent for diplomatic miscalculation similar to the events preceding the Gulf War.
claimScott Armstrong contended that the protection and justification for a $200 billion military infrastructure in the Middle East was one of the underlying causes of the Gulf War.
accountThe United States helped construct a massive military infrastructure in Saudi Arabia prior to the Gulf War, despite Saudi Arabia's refusal to allow U.S. troops to be stationed on their soil before the crisis.
claimThe goal of restoring Pentagon credibility through the Persian Gulf War was described by the Bush administration and its supporters as 'overcoming the Vietnam syndrome,' which they interpreted as overcoming a reluctance to use military power.
claimThe United States had been planning for a war with Iraq for some time prior to the Gulf War.
claimThe Washington Post consistently disseminated disinformation regarding an imminent Iraqi invasion of Saudi Arabia during the lead-up to the Persian Gulf War.
claimDouglas Kellner asserts that mainstream media outlets, including the Washington Post and television networks, acted as conduits for the George H.W. Bush administration's disinformation campaign regarding the Gulf War.
accountOn August 5, 1990, The Washington Post published an article by Charles Babcock regarding the possibility of an Iraqi invasion of Saudi Arabia and the inability of the Saudis to defend themselves, alongside an editorial by Jim Hoagland arguing against the 'appeasement' of Iraq.
perspectiveThe author, Douglas Kellner, suggests that Edward Herman's analysis of the Gulf War may underestimate the extent to which George H.W. Bush and his circle intentionally engineered the crisis and the war.
claimJim Hoagland was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for his columns on events leading up to the Gulf War.
accountJohn Tower died in a plane crash following the Gulf War.
accountPentagon officials stated after the Persian Gulf War that the Iraqi divisions positioned furthest south in Kuwait were not the elite Republican Guard forces, as the Republican Guard had been moved back to Iraq during the first week of the invasion.
perspectiveThe Persian Gulf War was arguably undertaken to justify the continued existence of the National Security State after the Cold War ended.
claimThe Soviet government did not release pictures or information regarding the Gulf War, leaving only Soviet commercial satellite imagery available to counter claims made by the U.S. government.
perspectiveDouglas Kellner argues that the mainstream media in the United States uncritically promoted the policies of the Bush administration and the military during the Gulf War, thereby strengthening the power of the National Security State.
claimDouglas Kellner asserts that Brent Scowcroft had an economic relationship with the Kuwaiti government, whose interests Scowcroft promoted during the Gulf crisis and the Gulf War.
perspectiveVialls (1991) suggested that the Gulf War may have been a ploy to exhaust Saudi, Kuwaiti, and Iraqi oil supplies to increase oil prices, thereby making the development of off-shore oil resources near the Falkland Islands profitable for the U.S. and Britain.
perspectiveDouglas Kellner posits that the Gulf War was a venture designed to advance the interests of the U.S. military and the National Security State.
perspectiveDouglas Kellner argues that the Bush administration set the stage for the Gulf War by failing to warn Iraq of the consequences of invading Kuwait, quickly sending troops to Saudi Arabia, and undercutting diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis.
claimThe Persian Gulf War was 'overdetermined' and requires a multicausal analysis, meaning it was not caused by a single factor but by a complex web of political, economic, and military considerations.
quoteA senior Central Command officer stated after the Persian Gulf War: "We still have no hard evidence that he ever intended to invade Saudi Arabia. We believe that he did. But none of the captured documents or prisoner debriefs has come up with anything hard [indicating an attack on the Saudi oil fields]."
claimThe United States military developed techniques to manage the press and the flow of information during the Gulf War by studying the British experience in the Falkland Islands and their own previous experiences in Grenada and Panama.
claimNational Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft advocated for the military option regarding the Gulf War.
perspectiveGeorge Bush used the Gulf War crisis to divert attention from domestic economic problems by scapegoating Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait for rising oil prices and economic instability.
quoteEdward Herman argued in Z Magazine that the Gulf War was a 'presidential war par excellence' caused by the 'parochial and self-serving calculations of Bush and his security state coterie.'
perspectiveDouglas Kellner argues that George H.W. Bush's role in the Gulf War was an extension of his career serving the interests of the military, intelligence apparatus, and aggressive U.S. foreign policy.
claimThe United States may have allowed Saddam Hussein to remain in power after the Gulf War because his continued presence created a climate that facilitated further U.S. arms sales and military intervention in the region.
claimInterpreters of the events leading up to the Persian Gulf War depict George H.W. Bush as the chief promoter of a military option to resolve the crisis.
measurementThe United States maintained ten military bases in Oman prior to the Gulf War and possessed infrastructure for approximately sixteen bases in Saudi Arabia.
perspectiveDouglas Kellner argues that the Bush administration's official rationale for the Gulf War was ideological camouflage for the economic and political interests of a small group of people who planned and would benefit from the conflict.
perspectiveThe 'Vietnam syndrome' is interpreted by some as a propensity for U.S. policymakers to use military force globally to assert military might as the 'policeman of the world,' and the Gulf War is viewed by some as an expression of this syndrome.
claimSenator Alan Cranston charged that April Glaspie deliberately misled Congress regarding her role in the events leading to the Persian Gulf War after Senators reviewed the cable she sent to Washington following her conversation with Saddam Hussein.
History of the Central Intelligence Agency - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org 6 facts
referenceJohn Prados's book 'Presidents' Secret Wars: CIA and Pentagon Covert Operations from World War II Through the Persian Gulf War' (1996) details covert operations conducted by the CIA and the Pentagon.
claimThe Central Intelligence Agency had no information regarding Saddam Hussein's nuclear program until it was discovered after the Gulf War.
claimThe Central Intelligence Agency correctly determined that coalition forces were failing to destroy SCUD missiles during the Gulf War.
claimDuring the Gulf War, the Central Intelligence Agency's estimates regarding Iraqi military capabilities and intentions were frequently inaccurate and inconsistent.
accountFollowing the Gulf War, the Central Intelligence Agency reported that an uprising against Saddam Hussein was possible based on intelligence from exiles, but the subsequent uprisings by Shiites and Kurds were brutally crushed after President George H.W. Bush withdrew support.
accountDuring the Gulf War, the Central Intelligence Agency identified an underground shelter as a military target for the Department of Defense to bomb, failing to realize it was a civilian bomb shelter.
The Evolution of the U.S. Intelligence Community-An Historical ... govinfo.gov 3 facts
claimThe 1991 Gulf War highlighted the need for the United States to expand efforts to link intelligence systems with combat systems and to train military personnel to use these systems effectively.
claimThe 1991 Gulf War demonstrated the effectiveness of conveying intelligence information to warfighters, highlighting the accuracy of U.S. precision-guided weapons.
accountInitially, the Intelligence Community was not well prepared to support military operations in the Gulf War locale, but developed the necessary capability during the fall and winter of 1990.
United States Foreign Intelligence Relationships everycrsreport.com May 15, 2019 1 fact
accountPolish intelligence assisted in the extraction of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) personnel from Iraq in 1990 prior to the Gulf War.
Iran at a Historical Crossroads - E-International Relations e-ir.info Mar 25, 2025 1 fact
accountAfter the Gulf War, Iraq lost its regional influence and was subjected to international sanctions, resulting in the survival of Saddam Hussein's regime for another 12 years in a severely weakened state.