The Gulf War And Operation Desert Storm
- Date
- 1990–1991
- Category
- Military & conflict
- Region
- Middle East (Iraq/Kuwait)
- Era
- Contemporary
- Significance
The Gulf War was a US-led coalition campaign that expelled Iraq from Kuwait after Saddam Hussein's tanks overran the oil-rich emirate on 2 August 1990.
When diplomacy and sanctions failed, a coalition of 35 nations authorised by the UN launched a devastating five-week air war beginning 17 January 1991, filling television screens worldwide with night-vision footage of Baghdad's skies streaked by anti-aircraft fire and the green glow of "smart bombs." The ground assault that followed lasted barely 100 hours before a ceasefire on 28 February 1991, as retreating Iraqi forces torched some 600 Kuwaiti oil wells, blackening the desert sky. The war showcased a new era of precision-guided munitions, satellite navigation, and around-the-clock cable coverage that made CNN a global brand. It restored Kuwaiti sovereignty but left Saddam in power, seeded a lasting US military presence in Saudi Arabia that would inflame militant grievances, and shaped a decade of no-fly zones and sanctions over Iraq. For many it marked the arrival of the post-Cold War "unipolar moment" of American dominance.
One piece of history in your inbox, weekly
New empires, events and features as they land — one good email a week. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Empires active in 1990–1991
- Soviet Union1922 CE – 1991 CE
- British Empire1583 CE – 1997 CE
- Portuguese Empire1415 CE – 1999 CE
- Yugoslavia1918 CE – 1992 CE
Related military & conflict events
- The Rwandan genocide against the Tutsi7 April – 19 July 1994
- The September 11 attacks11 September 2001
- Fall of Saigon and reunification of Vietnam30 April 1975 (reunified 1976)
- Khmer Rouge Seize Cambodia and Declare Year Zero1975
- Cuban Missile Crisis16–28 October 1962
- Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine24 February 2022
Also relevant
Further reading
The wider story
A History of the Modern Middle East
The go-to survey of the region from the late Ottoman era to the present.
Get it on Amazon →As an Amazon Associate, Human Saga earns from qualifying purchases.