ABSTRACT
The Gulf War lasted from August 1990 until February 1991. In the Gulf crisis, Iraq’s relationship with several countries changed rapidly during the month following its invasion of Kuwait. Just as Sadat’s visit was the occasion for a shift from a durable conflict to a durable peace, Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait impelled US-Iraqi relations from a reasonably peaceful equilibrium to a quite conflictual one. Historically, three regional powers have contended for influence in the Persian Gulf—Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Iraq. Security for the states of the Gulf, both large and small, has depended on balancing the interests and military capabilities of these three powers against each other so that no one of them can dominate. Iraq perceived US accommodation during the week before the invasion as weakness, and, consistent with the warnings of deterrence theory, proceeded with its aggressive designs.
