ABSTRACT
The ten-month crisis in the Persian Gulf was a defining period for the United Nations. As a form of collective security—minus the UN flag, the implementing mechanisms of the United Nations (UN) Charter, and the obligation of all members to participate in the action if called upon—the Persian Gulf operation helps to clarify the issues by its contrasts as well as its similarities to the UN Charter system. The question of legal authority for the use of force arose early in the Gulf crisis and for several weeks deeply divided the council. The Persian Gulf crisis is a classic case of rising tensions coupled with uncertainty about a potential aggressor's intentions. It is a situation in which individual states are reluctant to intervene by themselves, especially when the threatened state is unwilling to ask for military help, as Kuwait was at first. In the Gulf crisis, other advantages would have flowed from the existence of an international deterrent force.
