ABSTRACT
This chapter examines and assesses the Bush administration's policies toward the Persian Gulf. It opens with an examination of American interests in the Gulf as articulated by the Bush administration and the resultant development of policies toward Iraq from January 1989 to July 1990. The chapter focuses primarily on the diplomatic prologue to, and conduct of, the Persian Gulf War and the aftermath of that conflict. It considers the strengths and weaknesses of the Bush administration's policies toward the Persian Gulf generally and Iraq specifically at the US domestic level as well as in the contexts of the Gulf, Greater Middle East and global international system. The chapter closes with an assessment of the short- and long-term costs and benefits of the above policies. The Bush administration faced three fundamental political challenges during the conduct of military operations against Iraq, which lasted six weeks and included more than 100,000 air sorties over the initial month of the conflict.
