ABSTRACT
When and how does a war come to an end? Let us look at the Gulf War of 1991,1 and see how its ending was announced: on 1 March 1991, The Guardian quoted political leaders of Great Britain and the United States of America claiming victory for their forces in their campaign against the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait and an imminent ending of the conflict: “Kuwait is liberated and one of the most remarkable military campaigns of all time has been concluded” (British Prime Minister John Major), “This is a victory for the UN, for all mankind, for the rule of law, and for what is right” (US President George Bush). These victory announcements in the final phase of a military campaign that had lasted less than two months refer clearly to the ending of military operations that led to the permanent cease-fire on 2 March 1993, which marked the official cessation of hostilities.
