The Wars Of History
Painted portrait of a soldier in the desert with aircraft overhead during the Gulf War

The file on

Gulf War

1990-1991

Documentary coming soon

In August 1990, Saddam Hussein's army overran Kuwait in a matter of hours. Six months later, a coalition of around thirty-five nations drove it out in one of the most watched wars in history, the first broadcast live around the world. In this hour-long episode of The Wars Of History Podcast, Mike tells the full story of the Gulf War of 1990 and 1991 in a calm, conversational deep dive that gives a fair hearing to Kuwaitis, Iraqis, coalition troops, the divided Arab world and the civilians caught in between. No victory lap: just what happened, what went wrong and what is still debated.

We begin with the background: Kuwait's history and the old Iraqi claim, the Iran-Iraq War and its huge debts, Saddam Hussein and the Baath Party, the oil quotas dispute, the Rumaila oil field, and the disputed meeting with US ambassador April Glaspie.

Next, the invasion and occupation: the fall of Kuwait City on 2 August 1990, the Emir's escape, the annexation, life and resistance under occupation, hundreds of thousands of migrant workers fleeing to Jordan, India's huge evacuation airlift, Western "human shields," and the Nayirah incubator testimony that later proved unreliable.

Then the world responds: UN Security Council Resolutions 660, 661 and 678, President George H. W. Bush's "This will not stand," King Fahd's decision to invite foreign troops, Operation Desert Shield, Egypt and Syria joining the coalition, the split Arab League, Jordan, Yemen and the PLO, Saddam's "linkage," the close vote in Congress, and the failed Baker-Aziz talks in Geneva.

After that, Operation Desert Storm: CNN live from Baghdad, "the mother of all battles," stealth jets and smart bombs, Iraqi civilians without power and water, the Amiriyah shelter tragedy, Scud missiles on Israel and Saudi Arabia, Israel's restraint, the Patriot debate, the Gulf oil spill, the Battle of Khafji, press pools, POWs, yellow ribbons and the women who served.

Then the ground war: Norman Schwarzkopf's "left hook," mass Iraqi surrenders, 73 Easting and the Republican Guard, the Highway of Death debate, the liberation of Kuwait City, "Kuwait is liberated," the ceasefire, casualty estimates and the Safwan helicopter decision.

Finally, the aftermath: Kuwait's burning oil wells, why the coalition didn't march on Baghdad, the crushed Shia and Kurdish uprisings, Operation Provide Comfort and the no-fly zones, UN weapons inspections, years of sanctions and Oil for Food, the expulsion of Palestinians and Yemenis, Kuwait's missing, Gulf War illness, and the road to the Iraq War of 2003. We close with nine lessons from the Gulf War.

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