ABSTRACT
In its preparation as well as in its conduct, the flash war in the Gulf functioned as a machine realizing a national fantasy, with all its fears, anxieties, desires, and excitements. This national fantasy, insofar as it was related to the identity formation of America, circulated primarily in the sphere of sexuality and consequently of race. For the history of imperial and colonial venturesand the Gulf War was one-has dictated a racial connection wherever sexuality appears.
