Long Lost Province

In the summer of 1990, a three-day armed conflict occurred in the Middle East, which most seriously affected the future of not only the region, but the entire world. At the center of events was Kuwait, a small but extremely oil-rich state on the shores of the Persian Gulf.

The Ottomans, British, and Germans fought for control of Kuwait. Kuwait, while maintaining formal institutions of local government, for many decades maneuvered between various external forces trying to subjugate it.

The Emirate of Kuwait gained official independence in 1961. And almost immediately he almost lost her. Iraq, Kuwait's neighbor, had its own views on history. Iraqi politicians believed that Kuwait was nothing more than the 19th province of Iraq, previously illegally seized from it.

The annexation of Kuwait to Iraq was prevented by Great Britain, which threatened official Baghdad with armed intervention. The then Iraqi authorities preferred not to bring the matter to war.

Saddam's "Right War"

In 1979, the Islamic Revolution took place in Iran, bringing to power Ayatollah Khomeini, a fierce opponent of the United States and the Soviet Union.

The United States, extremely dissatisfied with this development of events, which weakened its influence in the Middle East, began to look for force that could be directed against Iran.
Iraq, led by its energetic leader Saddam Hussein, became such a force. Iran actively supported Shiite groups operating in Iraq, and Iraq made territorial claims against Iran. On September 22, 1980, the Iraqi army launched its invasion.

The United States supported Iraq by providing Saddam Hussein with intelligence information, loans, and weapons and even materials to create chemical weapons.

The Iran-Iraq war lasted for eight long years, resulted in large material losses for both countries, huge human casualties, and ended in peace on the conditions that existed before it began.

Invasion as a means of paying off debt

The war caused great damage to the Iraqi economy and resulted in a serious decline in the living standards of its citizens. In addition, large loans were taken from other states to wage the war. All this made the position of the Hussein regime quite unstable.

The Iraqi leader was painfully searching for a way out of the crisis. At this time, he remembered his long-standing claims to Kuwait.

During the Iran-Iraq War, Kuwait, openly fearful of the rise of Iran and the expansion of its influence in the region, allocated loans to Iraq totaling $15 billion. However, after the end of the war, relations between the two countries began to deteriorate.

Iraq accused Kuwait of “stealing” oil from border Iraqi fields. This meant Kuwait’s use of directional drilling technologies, which, by the way, were received by the Kuwaitis from the United States.

Saddam Hussein demanded that Kuwait write off the Iraqi debt completely, as well as pay two and a half billion dollars in compensation.

“This topic has nothing to do with America”

Kuwait had close ties with the United States, which the Iraqi leader was well aware of.

The main question that historians and political scientists still cannot find an answer to is why Saddam Hussein decided to attack Kuwait?

At various times, quite exotic versions were put forward - they talked about Saddam’s addiction to hashish, they claimed that the Kuwaiti ambassador at the negotiations allowed himself the audacity to call Iraqi women prostitutes.

However, serious analysts are inclined to believe that the head of Iraq was convinced that no tough response would come from Washington.

This could be attributed to Saddam Hussein's self-confidence, if not for Washington's rather vague and vague position during the period of aggravation of the situation between Iraq and Kuwait. Despite the fact that the Iraqi leader spoke quite transparently about his intentions, the United States did not stop him.

On July 25, 1990, Saddam Hussein met with US Ambassador April Glaspie. The “Kuwait issue” was also discussed at the negotiations. “I have direct instructions from the president to seek improved relations with Iraq. We do not have a point of view on inter-Arab conflicts, such as your border dispute with Kuwait... This topic is not related to America,” Glaspie said.

Washington combinators

It can be said that Hussein misinterpreted the ambassador's words. But if Washington wanted to prevent an invasion of Kuwait, why didn't Ms. Glaspie be clearer? (Apparently, she believed that a politician is obliged to distinguish a border dispute from a military invasion and occupation of foreign territories - DS)

Hussein's ambitions were very convenient for Washington. Strengthening the military presence in the oil-rich region, not far from the borders of Iran, was considered necessary by US military strategists. However, the deployment of large military forces without good reason could provoke resentment among Arab countries, which already did not favor the Americans.

Military intervention to restore justice and suppress the aggression of large Iraq with a powerful army against its small and defenseless neighbor is another matter.

An interesting point: when the Iraqi army is subsequently completely defeated during Operation Desert Storm and the United States, at the head of the coalition forces, will be able to dictate its will to Iraq, for some unknown reason they will not demand Hussein’s departure and will allow it for another 12 years being the leader of the country. It seems that Washington politicians skillfully used Saddam for their own purposes, from the Iran-Iraq war until his death.
Be that as it may, after July 25, 1990, Saddam Hussein was sure that now no one and nothing would interfere with him.

"Revolution" in Kuwait

At the end of July, negotiations between Iraq and Kuwait were organized through the mediation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. On August 1, 1990, they were finally disrupted. Iraq insisted on debt cancellation, compensation and grant assistance. The Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah, said that such demands are unacceptable.

At that moment, Iraqi troops were actively advancing to the Kuwaiti border.
On the morning of August 2, 1990, Iraqi television announced that a revolution had occurred in Kuwait and the “Provisional Government of Free Kuwait,” consisting of 9 officers of the Kuwaiti army, turned to Iraq for help in the fight against the monarchical regime, pursuing an anti-people policy and mired in corruption. In response to a call for help, Saddam Hussein ordered the army to enter Kuwait.
The “Provisional Government of Free Kuwait” did exist, but it did not have any widespread support. The force operation was carried out entirely by Iraqis.

At about 1:30 on August 2, Iraqi special forces landed from helicopters in the area of ​​​​the residence of the Emir of Kuwait in the Dasman Palace, intending to capture the head of state. However, the emir's guard, which entered the battle, repelled this attack, which allowed the leader of Kuwait to escape by helicopter to Saudi Arabia.

Three-day blitzkrieg

At 2 a.m., a full-scale invasion of 120,000 Iraqi troops began. Aircraft bombed Kuwait, and marines landed on the coast.

By 5 o'clock in the morning the main forces of the Iraqi army approached the Dasman Palace. The battle for him lasted until the evening and ended in the defeat of the Kuwaiti forces. During the capture of the palace, the brother of the Emir of Kuwait, Fahad al-Ahmed al-Jaber, was killed.

Resistance by various units of the Kuwaiti Army continued until August 4. 35th tank brigade The Kuwaiti army in the area of ​​the western suburb of Kuwait Al-Jahra held back the advance of a large enemy tank group for more than two days.

Despite this, by the evening of August 4, the Kuwaiti army was completely defeated, and the territory of the country came under the control of Iraqi forces.

During military operation The Iraqis lost 295 killed and about 360 wounded. The losses of the Kuwaiti army were much greater: 4,200 people were killed, and about 12 thousand were captured. Kuwaiti soldiers who escaped death and capture took refuge in the territory Saudi Arabia.

Resolution 678 (1990)

A few days later, the "Provisional Government of Free Kuwait" turned to Iraq with a request to join. On August 28, Kuwait was officially declared the 19th province of Iraq.

On 2 August 1990, the Security Council adopted resolution 660 (1990), condemning the invasion and demanding that Iraq immediately and unconditionally withdraw its forces to the positions they had occupied the previous day. A few days later, the Council imposed mandatory arms and economic sanctions on Iraq. During the period from 2 August to 29 November 1990, the Council adopted a total of 12 resolutions on various aspects of the situation between Iraq and Kuwait, culminating in resolution 678 (1990). This resolution provided that if Iraq had not fully complied with all Council resolutions relating to the occupation of Kuwait by 15 January 1991, then Member States cooperating with the legitimate Government of Kuwait would be authorized to use all "necessary means" to compel Iraq to do so and restore international peace and security in the area.

The deadline passed, and the next day (January 16, 1991), the armed forces of the states collaborating with the Kuwaiti government began air strikes on Iraq, followed by a ground offensive on February 24.

Offensive operations were suspended at midnight on February 28, 1991, by which time Kuwait City was liberated and all Iraqi armed forces had left Kuwaiti territory. On 3 April 1991, the Council adopted resolution 687 (1991), which laid out in detail the conditions for a formal ceasefire to end the conflict and provided a mechanism to ensure the implementation of these conditions. After Iraq agreed to the provisions of this resolution, the ceasefire became official.

Ilya Kramnik, military observer for RIA Novosti.

“I have direct instructions from the president to seek improved relations with Iraq. We have no point of view on inter-Arab conflicts, such as your border dispute with Kuwait... This topic is not related to America.” These words of the US Ambassador to Baghdad, April Glaspie, are still considered by many to be one of the main reasons for the events that unfolded on August 2, 1990, when the Iraqi armed forces invaded Kuwait.

The Gulf War, which became one of the main events of the late 20th century that outlined the contours of the new world that replaced the world of superpowers, is fraught with many mysteries. And one of the first is the reason for Iraq's invasion of a neighboring state.

Kuwait, a small but oil-rich emirate, has long been of interest to Iraq. Iraq made its first attempt to annex Kuwait by force back in 1961, when the emirate had just become independent. In those days, Great Britain had to restrain the aggressive aspirations of the Baghdad Qasem regime, which, like the United States later, put together a coalition and sent its own sea and air forces to the Persian Gulf. Things did not come to war - after assessing the situation, General Kassem limited himself to aggressive rhetoric.

Thirty years later, Saddam Hussein did not limit himself to rhetoric. Events developed quite quickly. On July 18, 1990, Iraq accused Kuwait of “oil theft” - the emirate allegedly pumped it out of Iraqi fields using directional drilling technologies.
As compensation for damages, Kuwait had to forgive Iraq's debt and pay another $2.5 billion. The Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah, refused to comply with the demands.

Iraqi troops began to converge on the Kuwaiti border, but Saddam Hussein told the mediator in negotiations with Kuwait, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, that he was ready to resolve the dispute peacefully.

On July 25, a meeting took place between Saddam Hussein and US Ambassador April Glaspie, at which the ambassador spoke the words with which we began the article. Historians interpret these words differently. Some argue that the US de facto provoked Iraq by authorizing the ambassador to declare non-intervention. The second is that Hussein interpreted them incorrectly.

On July 31, 1990, the Iraqi side disrupted negotiations in Jeddah, and already on August 2, simultaneously with the message about the “revolution” in Kuwait, a 120,000-strong Iraqi group crossed the border. The capital of the country, Kuwait City, was captured. The emir managed to evacuate to Saudi Arabia.

On the same day, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution No. 660, obliging Iraq to immediately withdraw its troops from Kuwait. The USA, France and Great Britain announced sanctions against Baghdad, and the USSR and China soon joined these sanctions.

Already on August 7, the United States launched Operation Desert Shield - the first units of the US Air Force and Army arrived in Saudi Arabia.
War seemed inevitable, but Saddam Hussein was in no hurry to withdraw his troops from Kuwait. According to some experts, he still relied on the fact that the ongoing preparations were being made “for show”; according to others, he relied on the ability of the Iraqi armed forces to win the impending war.

It should be noted that the hopes of the Iraqi leader were not unfounded. Equipped with relatively modern weapons of Soviet, Chinese and French origin, the Iraqi armed forces had almost 10 years of experience in the bloody Iran-Iraq War and counterinsurgency operations in the Kurdistan Region. The size of the army and its equipment inspired hope of victory - in a traditional war.
But the West was not going to wage a traditional war. Having studied the experience, both its own - in Vietnam and other conflicts, and others, the United States relied on superiority in air power, on an air offensive that was supposed to deprive Iraq of the opportunity to continue the war.

At the same time, large-scale ground battles were not planned, although they were considered an option. The United States and its allies have pulled together an impressively large military group to the borders of Iraq. The coalition forces numbered up to 600 thousand people, over 4 thousand tanks, more than 3,700 field artillery pieces and mortars, about 2 thousand aircraft and more than 100 ships, including six multi-purpose aircraft carriers and two battleships with modern cruise missiles"Tomahawk".

About 80% of these forces and assets were American, they were equipped with the latest strike systems of precision weapons and military equipment. Iraq was somewhat superior to the anti-Iraqi coalition in personnel, tanks and artillery systems (over 700 thousand military personnel, about 5 thousand tanks, more than 8 thousand field artillery guns and mortars) but was significantly inferior in the number of combat aircraft (about 700) and naval forces ( about 10 ships).

Iraq was even more inferior in terms of control and communications, and most importantly, in military doctrine. To a massive air offensive that knocked out critically important goals, Iraq was not ready and could not oppose anything to it.

But most main mistake It turned out to be a miscalculation by Hussein himself regarding the US readiness for war and the scale of changes that have occurred in the world. By underestimating all this, Saddam Hussein doomed his country to defeat.

Saddam's Three Wars

Part III: The Kuwait adventure

The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait played a fatal role in the fate of the Baghdad dictator. A reckless attempt to “annex” Kuwait resulted in a catastrophic defeat of the Iraqi army and brought Saddam Hussein to the brink of overthrow, but George W. Bush, using considerations of the past, did not dare to “remove” Hussein. The consequences of this decision were corrected only in 2003 by George W. Bush.

Kuwait: historical background

Kuwait is a monarchical state on the shores of the Persian Gulf, historically associated with ancient states in what is now Iraq. This state itself is the port of Kuwait with some territory surrounding the port and several islands in its waters. A total of 20.2 thousand sq. km The name “Kuwait” is a diminutive form of the word “kut”, common in Iraq, which means a village surrounded by a wall. For a long time, Kuwait was a village. Even at the beginning of the twentieth century, no more than 15 thousand people lived in the city.

Archaeological discoveries on Failaka Island, located at the entrance to Kuwait Bay, indicate that the island was inhabited already in III millennium BC It was probably part of the ancient kingdom of Dilmun (centered on Bahrain). During the era of the empire of Alexander the Great (end IV V. BC) on the island of Failaka there was a fortified Greek city and seaport. In the 7th-13th centuries. Kuwait was part of the Arab Caliphate and the Abbasid state. 13th century until the end of the 15th century. The territory of modern Kuwait, then called Qurain, was ruled by the sheikhs of the local Arab tribes Beni Khaled, Beni Hajar, Beni Muteir, Beni Kaab. At the beginning of the 16th century. Portuguese influence increased in the Persian Gulf region. However, the leaders of the Bin Khaled tribe, relying on the support of the Ottoman Empire, managed to maintain the independence of the Qurain Emirate from both the Portuguese and the Turks, despite the fact that the latter repeatedly occupied its territory. At the beginning of the 17th century. The Portuguese were expelled, but France, the Netherlands and Great Britain entered the fight for the coastal regions of the Persian Gulf. The Ottoman Empire and Persia continued to dispute their dominance. Although in the mid-17th century. Qurain was again occupied by the Turks and formally incorporated into the Ottoman Empire, where strong local authorities remained. In 1680, during the reign of Sheikh Barraq al-Hamid (1669–1682), the fortified port city of Kuwait was built. Qurain reached a special prosperity under the wise rule of Sheikh Sadoun al-Hamid (1691–1722), who stood at the head of the Arab Beni Khaled tribe and managed to maintain peaceful relations with neighboring states. Under him, Arabs of the Beni Atban tribe, led by several influential clans, settled on the coast of the Persian Gulf in the Kuwait region, but later only the al-Sabah clan settled there.

In 1756, Sheikh Sabah ibn Jaber al-Sabah united all the tribes living in Kuwait into a single state entity, the Emirate of Kuwait. In 1760, the city of Kuwait, in which the bulk of the emirate's population was concentrated, was surrounded by a wall. By the end of the 18th century. The strengthened Saudi state in Central Arabia extended its influence all the way to the coast of the Persian Gulf, but it failed to conquer Kuwait. In 1777, the British persuaded the Emir of Kuwait, Abdullah ibn Sabah al-Sabah, to establish friendly relations with Great Britain. In 1793, a trading post of the East India Company was founded in Kuwait, seeking to monopolize trade in this region.

Throughout the 19th century, despite pressure from England, the rulers of Kuwait did not agree to establish treaty relations with it. In the early 1870s, Kuwait received the status of a kazy (district) of the Basor vilayet of the Ottoman Empire, and the emir was recognized as the viceroy of the Sultan. Kuwait attracted special attention from European powers in the late 19th century. in connection with Germany's plan to extend the Baghdad railway to the port of Kuwait. In 1898, Great Britain protested against Turkey's intention to build the Baghdad railway to Kuwait and thereby gain a strong foothold in the emirate. Sheikh Mubarak ibn Sabah al-Sabah, seeking to protect the country from Turkish invasion, signed a secret agreement with Great Britain in 1899, according to which the latter was to be responsible for Kuwait's foreign policy. Thus, Kuwait effectively became a British protectorate.

In July 1913, Turkey signed a convention with England, according to which it recognized the Anglo-Kuwaiti Agreement of 1899. In October 1913, a new Anglo-Kuwaiti treaty was concluded, according to which Great Britain was given exclusive rights to the exploration, production and transportation of oil in Kuwait. In June 1914, Germany ceded to Great Britain the right to build a section of the Basra-Kuwait railway. In November of the same year, Great Britain recognized Kuwait as an independent principality under a British protectorate.

In 1918–1922, Kuwait became involved in border conflicts with Najd (ruled by the Saudis) and Iraq. Great Britain took an active part in resolving the foreign policy situation. Through the mediation of its representatives, in December 1922, an agreement was signed on the transfer of part of the territory of Najd to Kuwait and Iraq and the creation of border Kuwaiti-Saudi and Iraqi-Saudi zones (since 1942 they received the status of a Neutral Zone), free for nomads. In April 1923, the British contributed to the inclusion of the islands belonging to Iraq, located at the mouth of the Shatt al-Arab River, into Kuwait. Since 1927, Kuwait has effectively become a British colony.

Between 1937 and 1958, monarchical Iraq laid claim to Kuwait. This issue was actively raised by King Faisal I and his heir Kazi. When the young King Kazi, who had just ascended the throne, died in a car accident, there were rumors that the accident was arranged by the British, because. Kazi was going to take the Kuwait issue very seriously.

Kuwaiticrisis: 1961

In accordance with notes exchanged between the two governments on 19 June 1961, Great Britain renounced its rights in Kuwait and the independence of the State of Kuwait was declared. Six days later, Iraq declared its sovereignty over these lands. Kuwait immediately turned to Britain and Saudi Arabia for military assistance, and also submitted a request to join the UN and the Arab League. Over the next few days, under the pretext of moving Iraqi troops to the Iraqi-Kuwaiti border, approximately. 6 thousand British and Saudi soldiers.

In August 1962, British troops, by decision of the Arab League, were replaced by Sudanese, Jordanian and Egyptian units. Tensions subsided, but relations between Iraq and Kuwait only improved significantly after 1963. At the same time, the Arab League “security forces” in Kuwait were evacuated. In 1968, the agreement between Kuwait and Great Britain was annulled, according to which the latter was obliged to provide military assistance to Kuwait.

Thus ended Iraq's first attempt to take Kuwait.

Petrodollar diplomacy

During the 1960s and 1970s, Kuwait quickly became rich through oil exports. The funds received were used by the government to develop the economy and social sphere domestically, investments in Western countries, aid to Islamic states and support for Arab nationalist organizations such as the Palestine Liberation Organization.

During the Iran-Iraq War of 1980-1988, Kuwait, like other Gulf monarchs, supported Baghdad. Kuwait provided Iraq $15 billion for the war. In total, Iraq has a debt of 80 billion dollars.

Baghdad tried to raise oil production quotas and keep the price of oil below $20 per barrel, but OPEC decided to keep prices high and Iraq's economic situation worsened.

In this situation, Saddam Hussein suddenly, on July 18, 1990, accused Kuwait of illegally appropriating Iraqi oil from a border field for the last 10 years. As compensation, Kuwait had to write off Iraqi debt and pay another $2.5 billion to Baghdad. Emir Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah rejected his neighbor's claims, but agreed to begin negotiations.

Saddam Hussein began to gather troops to the Kuwaiti border and at the same time told Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who acted as a mediator in the negotiations, that he was ready to resolve the dispute peacefully.

On July 31, 1990, the parties met in Jeddah, but the next day Iraqi representatives broke down the negotiations.

On August 2, 1990, Iraqi television reported on the revolution in Kuwait and that the Free Provisional Government had asked Iraq for help.

On August 2, 1990, the 120,000-strong Iraqi army, at the forefront of which was advancing the Medina Division of the Republican Guard, crushed the 20,000-strong Kuwaiti army and captured the emirate.

Before the "Storm..."

By agreeing to occupy Kuwait, Saddam Hussein hoped to make the rest of the Gulf countries more accommodating, reduce the national debt and increase the coastline of Iraq. In reality, Baghdad found itself in complete isolation.

On the same day that the Iraqi army invaded Kuwait and crowds of refugees poured into Saudi Arabia, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 660 calling for the immediate withdrawal of Iraqi troops from Kuwait. On the same day, the US, UK and France seized Iraqi assets in their banks and imposed an arms embargo on Iraq. On August 3, 1990, Secretary of State James Baker flew to Moscow, where he was assured that the USSR was joining the embargo; on August 4, China announced a cessation of arms supplies to Iraq.

On the memorable day of August 2, 1990, at a meeting of the Security Council in Washington, US President George H. W. Bush, under the influence of the head of Central Command, Norman Schwarzkop, and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Colin Powell, decides to send troops to the Persian Gulf.

Desert Shield

Events developed rapidly: on August 5, Saddam Hussein announced his readiness to withdraw troops, on August 6, the “Provisional Government of Kuwait” asked to join Iraq. A group of 60 thousand Iraqi soldiers is focusing on Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Saddam seems ready to go all in.

In response, the UN Security Council adopts resolution No. 661 on a complete financial, trade and military blockade of Iraq. The US military command begins Operation Desert Shield, the purpose of which is the defense of the eastern part of Saudi Arabia.

Already on August 7, 1990, the 1st tactical fighter wing of the US Air Force arrived on the Arabian Peninsula, then within a few days the 82nd US Airborne Division was transferred to Saudi Arabia. 2 American aircraft carriers under the cover of 10 ships entered the Gulf waters. On August 15, the 7th US Marine Expeditionary Brigade arrived in the Gulf, followed a week later by the 24th Motorized Division. In 30 days, as part of Operation Desert Shield, Arabian Peninsula The United States transferred 100 thousand soldiers and officers.

Contingents from NATO countries, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Czechoslovakia, and Japan also arrived - a total of 28 countries entered the coalition. Only Israel abstained, because his participation could provoke a split in the ranks of the coalition. Overall command of the defense of the peninsula was entrusted to General Prince Khalid bin Sultan al-Said.

Human Shield

On August 8, 1990, US President George H. W. Bush presented Saddam with an ultimatum: withdrawal of troops without any negotiations or conditions. On the same day, Kuwait was declared the 19th province of Iraq, and 600 British and American citizens (they were declared "guests" of Hussein) who were in Kuwait at the time of the invasion were housed with small flus in largest cities Iraq. Soon, other foreign citizens in Iraq suffered the same fate. On August 18, the UN demanded the release of the hostages and on August 28, the women and children were released. Soviet citizens left Iraq on August 25. The remaining 3 thousand specialists and military advisers of the USSR in Iraq were evacuated in October 1990 after a visit to Baghdad by the personal representative of the USSR President Primakov. Only in early December 1990, 3,400 foreigners were finally released. On the one hand, the presence of hostages allowed Hussein to play for time and hope for the collapse of the coalition; at the same time, an additional 250 thousand people were mobilized, and the size of the Iraqi army in Kuwait reached 700 thousand people with 3500 tanks, but, on the other hand, when the last foreigner left Iraq, the tyrant of Baghdad has already lost the war.

The day before

By the end of November 1990, 230 thousand American troops alone were concentrated along Iraq's borders with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. During December 1990, the number of American forces in Saudi Arabia increased to 425 thousand. The 7th US Army Corps from Germany was preparing to be transferred. In total, a little less than a third of the US Army personnel were involved in the war with Iraq, including almost the entire Marine Corps.

On November 29, 1990, the UN Security Council decided to take all measures against Iraq, including military measures, if its troops were not withdrawn from Kuwait by January 15, 1991. By the way, this is when the period of moonless nights begins in the region.

In the United States, which was supposed to bear the brunt of the armed struggle against Iraq, not everyone shared President Bush's desire to deal with Iraq by force. Some analysts predicted the complete collapse of Iraq's economy by the end of 1991 as a result of the economic blockade. However, the economic collapse of Iraq would precisely occur during presidential elections in the USA, which was unfavorable for the ruling Republican Party. In addition, President Bush was personally interested in the rapid resumption of work in Kuwait's oil fields, because he himself was a major owner.

The political and military leadership of the United States headed for war. In October 1990, Colin Powell and Norman Schwarzkop began developing the Desert Storm plan. In carrying out this plan, coalition forces were to cut off from the rest of Iraq and defeat Iraqi forces in Kuwait and southern Iraq. See plan map

Desert Storm

Strengths of the parties

The coalition deployed up to 600 thousand people, about 2 thousand combat aircraft, over 4 thousand tanks and more than 3.7 thousand field artillery and mortars against Iraq. The naval group consisted of more than 100 warships. The main combat core of the squadron consisted of ships of the 6th and 7th fleets of the US Navy. There were more than 30 warships in the Persian Gulf, incl. 3 aircraft carriers of the US Navy - Midway, Ranger and Theodore Roosevelt (the latter since January 19, 1991), as well as the American battleships Missouri and Wisconsin. In the Gulf of Oman and the northern part of the Arabian Sea there were up to 30 ships and 3 nuclear submarines with Tomahawk missiles on board. More than 20 ships patrolled the northern part of the Red Sea, incl. US Navy aircraft carriers: John F. Kennedy, Saratoga and America and two submarines.

AUSTRALIA: 1 guided missile destroyer, 1 frigate, 1 support ship, 2 medical teams. ARGENTINA: 1 destroyer, 1 corvette, 2 transport aircraft. AFGHANISTAN: 300 Mujahideen . BANGLADESH: 6,000 soldiers and officers. BAHRAIN: 3,000 soldiers and officers. BELGIUM: 1 frigate, 2 minesweepers, 2 landing ships, 1 supply ship, 6 C-130 transport aircraft. BRITANNIA: 43,000 soldiers and officers, 6 destroyers, 4 frigates, 3 minesweepers, 5 supply ships, 250 Challenger tanks, 300 armored personnel carriers, 70 Tornado and Jaguar combat jet attack aircraft. HUNGARY: 40 doctors. HONDURAS: 150 soldiers and officers. GREECE: 1 frigate. DENMARK: 1 corvette. EGYPT: 40,000 soldiers and officers, including 2 armored divisions and 5,000 paratroopers. SPAIN: 1 frigate, 2 corvettes, 1 supply ship, 1 C-130 transport aircraft. ITALY: 2 corvettes, 3 frigates, 1 support ship, 4 minesweepers, 10 Tornado attack aircraft. CANADA: 2 destroyers, 1 support ship, 12 C-130 transport aircraft, 24 CF-18 bombers.
QATAR: 1 squadron of Mirage F-1E fighters KUWAIT: 11,000 soldiers and officers. MOROCCO: 1,700 soldiers and officers. NIGER: 500 soldiers and officers. NETHERLANDS: 2 frigates, 1 supply ship. NEW ZEALAND: 3 C-130 transport aircraft, 1 medical team. NORWAY: 1 coastal defense ship, 1 transport ship. UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: 40,000 soldiers and officers, 80 combat aircraft, 15 ships, 200 tanks. OMAN: 25,500 soldiers and officers, 63 aircraft, 4 ships with Exocet missiles on board. PAKISTAN: 7,000 soldiers and officers. POLAND: 2 rescue ships. PORTUGAL: 1 naval logistics support vessel. ROMANIA: 360 doctors, 180 chemical weapons experts. SAUDI ARABIA: 118,000 soldiers and officers, 550 tanks, 180 combat aircraft, 8 frigates. SENEGAL: 500 soldiers and officers. SINGAPORE: 35 doctors. SYRIA: 17,000 soldiers and officers, 300 T-62 tanks. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: 540,000 soldiers and officers, 6 aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines, 2,000 tanks, 2,200 armored personnel carriers, 1,700 helicopters, 100 ships, 1,800 aircraft, 15,000,000 containers of ammunition. SIERRA LEONE: 30 doctors. PHILIPPINES: medical staff. FRANCE: 18,000 soldiers and officers, 60 combat aircraft, 120 helicopters, 40 tanks, 100 armored vehicles, 1 missile cruiser, 3 destroyers, 4 frigates. CZECHOSLOVAKIA: 200 chemical weapons specialists. SWEDEN: Field hospital and medical personnel. SOUTH KOREA: 5 C-130 transport aircraft, 150 doctors. JAPAN: medical personnel and various cargoes.

IRAQ

Iraqi forces were estimated at 750 thousand - 900 thousand soldiers and officers, more than 5 thousand tanks, over 700 aircraft, 7.5-8 thousand guns and mortars, up to 500 SCUD installations. In the southern regions of Iraq and Kuwait there were up to 500 thousand soldiers and officers (about 40 divisions), about 4 thousand tanks and over 5 thousand guns and mortars.

Air offensive

At midnight on January 17, 1991, the roar of hundreds of aircraft heralded the beginning of the Gulf War. See the air offensive map. The initial task of the Air Force, according to the plan of the head of the US Air Force Merrill Makrik, was to gain air supremacy and destroy strategic objects: central command posts, nuclear power plants and factories for the production of toxic substances. Missile and bomb attacks destroyed a significant part of SCUD installations, 50 military bases and destroyed part of Baghdad. Iraqi planes never took off, and only a few surface-to-air missiles were launched. On the first day, the coalition lost three aircraft.

On the night of January 18, 1991, the first missile attacks were launched on the capitals of Saudi Arabia and Israel - Riyadh and Tel Aviv, which did not have serious consequences. The defense of cities was provided by the Patriot air defense system. On this day, Allied aircraft and missiles continued attacks on SCAD installations. The French Air Force launched strikes against Iraqi aircraft in Kuwait, beginning the second phase of the air operation to break Iraqi defenses in Kuwait.

On the morning of January 19, an Iraqi rocket fell in a Tel Aviv suburb, killing 42 people. This episode forced the United States to attack Northern Iraq with B-52 strategic bombers. In the ensuing air battles, the Iraqi Air Force lost 11 aircraft, shooting down only 3 allied aircraft. Captured pilots were used as “human shields.” In total, between January 18 and February 23, 1991, Iraq carried out about 130 launches.

In the following days, the air offensive continued and by January 21, 1991, the aviation of the multinational forces had carried out more than 7 thousand combat sorties. The planned ground offensive, however, did not follow because the command felt that the Iraqi armed forces were not weakened enough.

The air offensive against Iraq continued. On February 6, 1991, the battleship Missouri began shelling the territory occupied by Iraqi troops. The next day, the battleship Wisconsin also opened fire. Assault strikes against Iraqi troops and military targets continued until the start of the ground operation on February 24, 1991. Afterwards, aviation mainly focused on direct support of the attackers.

Other fronts

The Iraqi leadership was desperately trying to find a way out of the current situation. The initial attempt to cause a split in the ranks of the coalition and demoralize the allies with missile strikes failed. The offensive in the direction of Ras al-Hafushi (Saudi Arabia) on January 30 by the forces of two brigades also ended not in favor of Iraq. The Iraqis were stopped by US Marines and Saudi ground forces. During this battle, the Iraqis tried to land troops, but were repulsed, losing 5 ships.

Allied ground operations were limited to reconnaissance raids and the capture of several islands near Kuwait by US Marines. Special forces of the United States, Great Britain and France hunted for Iraqi SCUDs and carried out demonstration landings on the Kuwaiti coast, which forced the Iraqi command to transfer two divisions there.

Saddam Hussein, seeking to prevent a ground operation that would be catastrophic for his air-destroyed army, announced on February 15, 1991 that Iraqi troops had begun to withdraw from Kuwait. They also resorted to the help of intermediaries: on February 21, Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz went to Moscow. At the meeting with Gorbachev, a peace plan was developed. However, these initiatives were rejected by American hawks, who had already tasted victory.

Defeat on land

At 01:00 on February 24, 1991, the battleship Missouri began bombing the coast of Kuwait, simulating the start of an amphibious operation.

At 4 o'clock local time, 17 divisions of interethnic forces, of which 8 were American, began an attack on 43 Iraqi divisions, targeting Kuwait, Basra and Nasiriyah. See map.

In the morning, large parachute landings were launched in the suburbs of Kuwait to capture the capital's airport and on the islands of Failak and Bubiyan.

US 18th Airborne Corps (82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions), which included the 6th French Infantry (according to other sources, the French division was armored) division and the 4th Airmobile Division, operating at the front 270 kilometers away, advanced to the city of Es-Samawa on the Euphrates, turned to the east, with the task of covering coalition troops from attacks from Central Iraq.

Units of the 3rd and 7th Iraqi armies began to slowly retreat. Attempts to delay the advance of coalition troops with counterattacks were unsuccessful, because the second echelons advanced from the depths suffered serious losses from air attacks.

On February 25, the defenses of the 3rd and 7th Iraqi armies were broken through. 70 thousand Iraqi soldiers surrendered. The Iraqi army was falling apart before our eyes. Only the Republican Guard attempted to put up serious resistance, but three Guard divisions were defeated. By the end of the day, Kuwait had fallen.

On the morning of February 26, Iraqi troops retreating from Kuwait along a single highway were cut off and then destroyed from the air. This road was called the "highway of death." See map.

On February 27, the territory of Kuwait was liberated. The destruction of the encircled Iraqi group in the Basra and Nasseriyah area began. See map.

On February 28, 1991, coalition troops, having completed their combat mission in 100 hours, reached the target line and stopped the offensive.

Saddam Hussein tried to create a new front; on March 2, Iraqi troops blocked in Basra made a breakthrough, but were stopped. In addition, two-thirds of Iraq is engulfed in an uprising against the Baghdad regime.

On March 3, 1991, in the city of Safwan, General Schwarzkop and Prince Khalid signed a temporary ceasefire agreement with Iraqi representatives.

The world and its consequences

On April 6, 1991, Saddam Hussein accepted the terms of UN Security Council Resolution No. 686 of March 2, 1991, according to which Iraq was to renounce the annexation of Kuwait and compensate the latter for all losses. On April 11, 1991, the UN declared a permanent ceasefire, coalition troops were leaving Iraq, and 1,500 blue helmets were stationed in the demilitarized zone on the Iraq-Kuwait border. War is over.

Losses

The immediate consequences of the war can be considered the death of 343 coalition soldiers, including 146-147 Americans (in total in 1990-1991 the United States lost 268-289 people) and 100 thousand Iraqi soldiers. Another 300 thousand Iraqis are wounded. For Iraq there were figures of 150 and 200 thousand dead, including civilians. Although these, of course, were the numbers from the first days after the war. Iraq's losses were later estimated at 70 thousand killed and wounded, more than 30 thousand missing, and about 65 thousand prisoners. Iraq's losses in military equipment amounted to about 360 aircraft, about 2,700 tanks (1,850 tanks were abandoned during a ground operation), 5 warships, 25 boats, and about 40 SCUD installations. The coalition lost 795 people killed, 52-69 aircraft, 28 helicopters, some armored vehicles and one ship.

Some think tanks have made attempts to ascertain Iraqi casualties. They went from 50 thousand killed to more elaborate data. The British government announced 30 thousand Iraqi deaths. In May 1992, data appeared that 9 thousand Iraqis died as a result of the air offensive alone. Others assessed the results of the air strikes as more disastrous: 2,300 civilians and 10-20 thousand military, with another 10 thousand military killed during the ground operation.

By the way, American troops discovered only 577 dead bodies and less than 200 wounded. Based on this, some researchers estimate 1,500 (minimum) - 9,500 (absolute maximum) Iraqi military dead and no more than 1,000 civilian casualties.

Coalition casualties (besides the US) are estimated at 77-92 people, including 24 British, 10 Egyptians and 6 UAE troops.

The battlefield has become a real testing ground for the latest types of weapons. The theory of high-precision non-contact warfare has been tested.

The main consequences of the 1990-1991 Gulf War were a devastated Kuwait, where all 500 wells were on fire and preliminary damage was estimated at $50-100 billion. From 2 to 5 thousand Kuwaitis died (including about 700 people on August 2, 1990). Devastated Iraq, where the uprising against Hussein was brutally suppressed with the complete inaction of the United States and its allies (from 30 to 100 thousand people died during the suppression of the uprising).

America quickly realized the mistake of Bush Sr., who wanted to keep Saddam Hussein as a bogeyman for Tehran. Hussein lasted another 12 years. Sanctions, poverty and raids followed. In 2003, George W. Bush and the Cheney-Powell team eliminated Saddam Hussein.

Putin, Bush and the war in Iraq Mlechin Leonid Mikhailovich

OCCUPATION OF KUWAIT. 1990

OCCUPATION OF KUWAIT. 1990

A reason for the occupation of Kuwait in the summer of 1990 was easily found. Saddam blamed Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates for causing the price of oil to fall, causing Iraq to lose billions of dollars. In addition, Kuwait was accused of seizing Iraqi oil fields in the southern part of the border region of Rumaila (in reality, these fields are located on Kuwaiti territory).

“Thus,” Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz wrote to the Secretary General of the Arab League, “Kuwait has harmed Iraq twice. Firstly, by undermining its economy during a period of difficult trials, and secondly, by stealing its wealth.”

Saddam Hussein said Kuwait was "committing economic aggression" against Iraq. He demanded to pay him compensation, and at the same time write off a multibillion-dollar debt.

The small country, of course, could not resist the Iraqi army and turned to its Arab brothers for help. On July 24, the alarmed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak flew to Baghdad. When he and Saddam were alone, Mubarak asked directly: what did his military preparations mean?

Saddam Hussein swore to Mubarak that he would never attack Kuwait.

All I need, Hussein explained, is money. Let them give me back the billion dollars that I lost because of them.

The calmed Mubarak told the Kuwaitis that they had nothing to fear. You'll just have to give Saddam money. Hosni Mubarak sent President Bush a reassuring telegram asking him not to intervene because “the crisis can be resolved immediately.” The OPEC countries in Geneva on July 25 agreed on a level of oil prices that suited Iraq. It seemed that the ground for conflict had disappeared.

But when representatives of Iraq and Kuwait met in Jeddah on July 31, the Iraqis demanded that the Kuwaitis not only write off their debts, but also hand over the territories claimed by Saddam. Kuwait rejected these demands. Negotiations broke down. Tariq Aziz vaguely said that the dialogue would continue, but literally a day later it became clear that Saddam Hussein had simply deceived Hosni Mubarak.

On August 2, 1990, Iraqi troops entered Kuwaiti territory. A puppet government was created there, which “asked” Saddam to accept Kuwait into Iraq.

On August 8, the Revolutionary Command Council granted the “request of the Kuwaiti brothers.” Kuwait was declared the nineteenth province of Iraq. Kuwaiti money and Kuwaiti oil went to Saddam. The Iraqis simply plundered the country.

The world protested. But everyone said that it was necessary to negotiate with Saddam, to convince him to withdraw his troops. And only American President George Bush Sr. from the very beginning proceeded from the fact that force would have to be used, otherwise Kuwait would not be liberated.

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25 years ago - on the last day of winter 1991 - Operation Desert Storm ended. Alexander Belonogov, who at that time held the post of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the USSR, told the “Historian” about the political background and consequences of events in the Persian Gulf zone.

The goal of the operation, carried out by the US-led coalition, was to liberate Kuwait from the Iraqi armed forces that had recently occupied it. It was from this moment that the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein became one of the main enemies of the West.

It is worth recalling that as a result of the war with Iran, which lasted from 1980 to 1988, Iraq found itself in a difficult economic situation. And then Saddam Hussein decided to solve the country's problems at the expense of Kuwait.

On July 18, 1990, he accused Kuwait of stealing oil from Iraqi border fields. Negotiations took place between the two countries, during which Iraq demanded that Kuwait forgive it a debt of $15 billion and pay compensation of $2.5 billion for moral damages. Kuwait refused to meet these demands, and on the night of August 1–2, 1990, Iraqi troops invaded its territory.

The main direction of the attack was the capital - Kuwait. The main battles there took place near the Dasman Palace, where, among others, he died younger brother emir Fahd al-Ahmed al-Sabah, known for his activities in the national and Asian Olympic committees. The armed resistance was quickly suppressed by the advancing Iraqi forces, which were many times superior to the enemy.

On the same day, August 2, the UN Security Council (SC) adopted resolution No. 660 on the immediate withdrawal of Iraqi troops from Kuwait. Nevertheless, already in August, Hussein declared Kuwait the 19th province of Iraq. Resolution No. 678, adopted by the UN Security Council on November 29, contained an ultimatum to the President of Iraq: to withdraw troops from Kuwait by January 15, 1991. On January 13, the UN Secretary-General visited Baghdad Perez de Cuellar, but he also could not convince Saddam Hussein of the need to leave the occupied territories.

To force Iraq to withdraw troops, an anti-Iraqi coalition led by the United States was created, which launched Operation Desert Storm. The “Storm” lasted 41 days and included an air operation (January 17–February 23, 1991) and an air-ground operation (February 24–28).

On February 27, Kuwait was liberated. As soon as coalition troops entered Iraq, Saddam Hussein announced his agreement to implement all 12 UN resolutions adopted in connection with the Kuwait crisis. On February 28, hostilities ceased.

ALEXANDER MIKHAILOVICH BELONOGOV

In 1984–1986, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the USSR to the Arab Republic of Egypt.

In 1986–1990, permanent representative of the USSR to the UN. In 1990–1991, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the USSR. Belonogov's terms of reference included relations of the Soviet Union with the countries of the Near, Middle East and Africa.

In 1992–1998, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia to Canada. Retired since January 1998. Member of the Russian International Affairs Council.

Hatred of the Ayatollah

– In 1987, an Iraqi Air Force plane mistakenly attacked the American warship Stark. And although 37 Americans died then, this did not become a reason for the United States to invade Iraq; the scandal was quickly hushed up. What changed in relations between Baghdad and Washington by 1990? Why did the Kuwait crisis occur?

– These two events happened in different conditions and, most importantly, they had different prices. 1987 was the seventh year of a difficult and bloody war between Iraq and Iran. In this war, the sympathies of the United States were on the side of Iraq. And not because of good feelings towards Saddam Hussein and his regime, but because over the American foreign policy hatred of Ayatollah Khomeini prevailed.

Iraqi President Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq War, which lasted eight years from 1980 to 1988

Therefore, when an Iraqi plane, instead of an Iranian tanker, hit an American warship with a missile, the incident was not given any significant political significance, especially since Baghdad hastened to apologize to the United States and paid about $30 million in compensation.

As for Kuwait, it was of great geopolitical importance for the United States. It accounts for approximately 10% of the world's oil reserves, and for the United States it was unacceptable for Iraq to add them to the 10% of the world's oil reserves that it itself owned. Washington also could not allow Iraq to gain wide access to the waters of the Persian Gulf and begin to dominate there. Hence such a reaction to the seizure of Kuwait.

– What were Saddam Hussein’s calculations based on when Iraqi troops invaded Kuwait?

– When developing plans for the attack, Hussein hardly expected to encounter such a harsh reaction from the Soviet Union and the United States. Moreover, I did not think that the UN Security Council would literally within a few hours adopt a resolution condemning Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait and demanding the withdrawal of Iraqi troops.

Hussein, of course, remembered that when he attacked Iran in 1980, the Security Council took no action for six days and then passed a toothless resolution without even calling on Iraq to withdraw its troops. In the case of Kuwait, everything turned out differently.

Fatal mistake

– Why was Hussein confident that Iraq would be able to hold Kuwait?

“He hoped that the blitzkrieg would take everyone by surprise and he would have time to create a puppet regime in Kuwait and, with its help, hold a referendum in the country on the annexation of Kuwait to Iraq. For decades, Baghdad laid claim to all of Kuwait's territory under the pretext that Iraq and Kuwait were parts of it during the Ottoman Empire.

Hafez Assad - President of Syria from 1971 to 2000 - TASS PHOTO CHRONICLE

But Hussein's plan failed because he did not select in advance those who could be presented as the free government of Kuwait. And then I didn’t find any Kuwaiti quislings from whom such a “government” could be formed.

The quick actions of the UN Security Council created a situation for Saddam for which he was not prepared, and he threw away all disguise, making a fatal mistake - passing through the Iraqi legislature an official act on the annexation of Kuwait to Iraq. No one, even from the Arab governments that sympathized with Baghdad, could agree with this. So Hussein drove himself into a trap.

– Which states could he count on for political support?

– I think it’s to Jordan. For the simple reason that this country depended on Iraq for 90% of its energy needs. Baghdad supplied her with oil at a fabulously low price - $5 per barrel.

Hussein could consider Yemen, whose government was spiritually close to his regime, as another possible support. But the main thing in Yemen’s position was still hostility towards neighboring Saudi Arabia. The Yemenis believed that the most important oil-bearing territories of Saudi Arabia should belong to them, so any threat to Riyadh was perceived by Yemen as a good thing.

In the early days of the Kuwait crisis, Saddam was supported by Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, but then quickly changed his position. There were some other Arab leaders who gave Baghdad verbal support.

– Syria was the first Arab country to condemn the Iraqi aggression. Was the Arab world united in condemning Iraq's attack on Kuwait?

– Hafez Assad’s Syria had very bad relations with Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. In both states the Baath Party was in power. However, the Iraqi Baath was at enmity with the Syrian one. During the Iran-Iraq War, Syria was the only Arab country to take a pro-Iranian position. Everyone else supported Iraq, believing that it was protecting them from Khomeini. Not surprisingly, Syria strongly condemned Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.

On August 3, 1990, the Council of the League of Arab States, which then included 21 countries, met to discuss the situation. A resolution was adopted by a majority vote, which repeated the UN Security Council resolution of August 2. Iraq, Yemen, Sudan, Mauritania voted against, while the Palestine Liberation Organization and Jordan abstained.

The representative of Libya was absent from this meeting. There was no unity, just as there was no unity at the pan-Arab summit held on August 9–10, 1990. The confusion of opinion in the League of Arab States in connection with Iraq's aggression against Kuwait continued for a long time. The next pan-Arab summit took place only six years later.

Iranian soldiers at the front in 1988

Multinational Force

– Was there a threat to Saudi Arabia from Saddam’s Iraq?

– In a sense, it was. Iraq invaded Kuwait with a very large military group, numbering approximately 120 thousand soldiers. The ratio of forces between Iraq and Saudi Arabia was 17:1. Saddam Hussein’s obvious mistake was that he pulled this group close to the border with Saudi Arabia and Iraqi tanks penetrated its territory three times, moving several kilometers into the country (although they retreated after protests).

Riyadh took into account that before the invasion, Hussein accused not only Kuwait, but also the United Arab Emirates of various sins, including overproduction of oil. The Iraqis could only reach the UAE by passing through the territory of Saudi Arabia. Therefore, Saudi King Fahd had serious reasons to worry about his own safety and the safety of the country.

The anti-Saddam coalition and multinational forces were quickly created. The general situation of that time contributed to their formation on a very broad basis. The coalition included the USA, Canada and many European countries, including some participants in the Warsaw Pact, a number of states Latin America, the Arab world and Africa, as well as Pakistan, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand.

At the start of Operation Desert Storm, the coalition consisted of 27 states, and by the time it ended - of 37. Soviet Union did not take part in the formation of the multinational forces of the anti-Iraq coalition, although Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United States actively invited us to do this. But the USSR provided political support to Kuwait from the very first hours of the aggression.

Let me note that the UN Security Council had no direct relation to the formation of the coalition. It was created not on the basis of decisions of the Security Council, but in response to Kuwait's call for help. However, the coalition used weapons only when the deadline (until January 15, 1991) set by the UN Security Council for the withdrawal of Iraqi troops from Kuwait expired. The Security Council also had nothing to do with the development of military plans for the anti-Iraq coalition.

Thus, Desert Storm was not a peacekeeping or peace enforcement operation, such as is carried out from time to time under the auspices of the UN and by contingents formed by the UN and which are accountable to the Security Council. The 1991 coalition is from a different category: it arose as a response to the call of a victim of aggression for help, which also fits well with the provisions of the UN Charter.

HAFAZ ASAD'S SYRIA HAD VERY BAD RELATIONS WITH SADDAM HUSSEIN'S IRAQ. During the Iran-Iraq War, Syria was the only Arab country to take a pro-Iranian position. All other Arab states supported Iraq

– What goals did Washington pursue in the war against Iraq?

– The war broke out unexpectedly for the United States. After the invasion of Kuwait by Iraqi troops, the United States, together with other countries, began to seek their withdrawal, restoration of the territorial integrity of Kuwait, compensation for the damage caused by the aggression and the imposition of military, financial and economic restrictions on Iraq through a decision of the Security Council.

There is no evidence to support the theory that the United States wanted to overthrow Hussein. Neither US President George H. W. Bush nor other officials of the country expressed such an idea either publicly or in private conversations. The military campaign plan did not include the occupation of Iraq. Entries of coalition troops into Iraqi settlements was not intended.

Everything was limited to the liberation of Kuwait and penetration into the adjacent desert territories of Iraq in order to prevent a counter-offensive by Iraqi troops. The entire ground phase of Operation Desert Storm took exactly one hundred hours. It stopped as soon as Baghdad announced that it was accepting all 12 UN Security Council resolutions concerning Kuwait.

Another important circumstance is indicative. When news of Hussein's capitulation became known, Shiites rebelled in the south of Iraq, and Kurds rebelled in the north of the country. The American troops located in the southern part of Iraq completely calmly, without lifting a finger, watched as Saddam’s troops suppressed the rebel Shiites with tanks and helicopters. This suggests that at that time the US leadership had no thought about regime change in Iraq, although if something had happened to Hussein, no one in the West would have shed tears for him.

– What was the policy of USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev regarding the Kuwait crisis?

– At the very beginning of this crisis, Gorbachev without hesitation approved the political course recommended to him by the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Following him, the Soviet Union condemned the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and insisted on the unconditional withdrawal of Iraqi troops. It was decided to suspend the supply of Soviet weapons to Iraq. Characteristic feature Our policy was to resolve the crisis peacefully.

At a meeting in Helsinki, USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev and US President George H. W. Bush agreed on a joint initiative to hold a peace conference on the Middle East. 1990 - Photo by Yuri Lizunov and Alexander Chumichev / TASS PHOTO CHRONICLE

Strengthening the US position

– What were the long-term consequences of Iraq’s occupation of Kuwait and Operation Desert Storm?

– Kuwait was completely plundered. In addition, before leaving, Iraqi troops set fire to over 800 oil wells and released existing oil reserves into the Persian Gulf. It took a lot of effort and money to restore the country. And yet, ten years later, there were not even traces left there that would remind of the tragic events of 1990–1991. The same cannot be said about Iraq, which was heavily damaged by Desert Storm. This is also one of the severe consequences of the crisis.

An unpleasant result for the USSR was a significant strengthening of the US position in the Persian Gulf. Although the United States very quickly withdrew its troops from there, the very fact that Hussein remained in power in Iraq, retaining large armed forces, prompted the Persian Gulf countries to ask to come under the American military “umbrella,” and the United States was very happy to create a network of its military bases in the region . This is the long-term outcome of Saddam's adventure.

Another unpleasant consequence of the crisis for us was that the situation in Iraq, which had previously been an important military, economic and political partner of the USSR, was now very deplorable. Figuratively speaking, this bird, which previously sometimes flew with the Soviet flock, after the Kuwaiti adventure found itself with clipped wings and a broken leg. All sorts of restrictions were introduced against Iraq, which seriously complicated cooperation with it. Baghdad's ability to use the funds it received from oil exports was also reduced.

However, it cannot be said that the USSR was an absolute loser. During the crisis and after it, our positions in the Persian Gulf area also strengthened: Soviet embassies appeared in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, and diplomatic relations between the Soviet Union and Israel were completely restored.

A consequence of the Kuwaiti events, which has a very great importance, I also believe that at the meeting between Gorbachev and Bush, held in Helsinki in September 1990, an agreement was reached that immediately after the settlement of this crisis, the USSR and the USA would take the initiative to hold a peace conference on the Middle East.

We have been pushing for the convening of such a conference for several decades, and finally it took place in the fall of 1991 in Madrid. For the first time, it was possible to bring Palestine and Israel to the negotiating table. Since then, although with interruptions, the format of such bilateral negotiations has been maintained. Gradually, step by step, the Palestinians are formalizing their statehood.

– In the book “MFA. Kremlin. "Kuwait crisis" you called these events in the Persian Gulf one of the "most instructive phenomena of international life." What are their lessons?

– One of the obvious lessons is that direct, frontal aggression of one UN member state against another with the aim of absorbing the latter is absolutely unacceptable in the eyes of the world community. And this is an extremely important lesson, since the world is full of territorial claims of some countries to others.

Especially in Africa, where the colonialists drew borders dividing peoples. And if we consider it permissible to solve territorial problems by armed means, then chaos will reign in the world.

Not a lesson, but the experience of Operation Desert Storm is that arose new type wars are wars at a distance, without direct contact with the enemy. The entire first – air – phase of the operation took place in this vein. As we know, this tactic was later used by NATO in Yugoslavia. I think that our military also seriously studied Operation Desert Storm.

The air phase of Operation Desert Storm. The defeat of an Iraqi armored column on the march

In addition, the Kuwait crisis is a “handbook” for politicians, telling you what not to do. Saddam Hussein made a lot of mistakes. They are taken into account, presumably, even today.

THE USA HAS BEEN GREATLY PLEASURE TO CREATE A NETWORK OF ITS MILITARY BASES IN THE REGION. This is the long-term result of Saddam Hussein's Kuwait adventure

– Has Iraq itself learned lessons from the crisis?

- No. This is evidenced by Hussein's further actions, which led to tragic consequences - both for him and for the entire Iraqi people. The situation in Iraq after 1991 did not develop in the best way. The final resolution No. 687 of the UN Security Council listed demands on Iraq.

Subject to compliance with this and other resolutions, the country had the opportunity to gradually resolve the situation and come to the point where these demands would no longer exist. The Soviet Union insisted on including in the final resolution a clause on periodic review of its provisions in the light of how their implementation was progressing.

Unfortunately, wherever possible, Saddam Hussein resorted to delaying tactics and obstructing verification missions. Constant confrontations between Iraq and the UN Security Council, and between Iraq and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), became the reason for the United States to invade Iraq in 2003 without the permission of the Security Council.

France, Germany and Russia did not support the aggression, but US President George W. Bush had his own ideas about how to act in Iraq. The result is known.

– What prompted the United States, bypassing the UN, to start a war with Iraq and deal with Hussein?

– The main goal was declared to be the eradication of the Saddam regime, which was allegedly preparing to use weapons of mass destruction, as well as the liquidation of the then state institutions Iraq, its armed forces and intelligence services, the Baath Party.

- For what?

“From the American point of view, this was supposed to serve the purpose of promoting the ideas of democracy.

– Did they sincerely think so?

- Of course not. Although there are romantics in every country, Washington's policy was based on naked cynicism. The United States wanted, having destroyed Saddam's regime, to create a new one that would be obedient to it in everything. They achieved this to some extent. But at what a terrible cost to the Iraqi people!

Iraq is still in a state of chaos and unabated civil war, incessant inter-religious and inter-ethnic strife, and incessant terrorist attacks. Washington, unfortunately, began to apply the experience gained in Iraq of shaking state and social foundations in other places.

Interviewed by Oleg Nazarov