Operation Desert Storm Essay Example

Although there were many events that impacted the U.S. in the new millennium, Operation Desert Storm had the greatest impact out of them all. Operation Desert Storm, also known as the Gulf War, was the first major foreign crisis the U.S. was involved in after the Cold War. The impact the operation had can be seen by the historical background, the change over time, and the lasting impact it had on society. On August 2nd of 1990, Iraqi forces lead by Saddam Hussein invaded the Arab state of Kuwait. There are many reasons believed why Saddam wanted to invade Kuwait, some being the suspicion of Kuwait stealing their petroleum or mainly Iraqis desire to take over Kuwait for their oil. The U.S. and other UN nations decided to invade after Iraq invaded and annexed Kuwait. On February 27, 1991 President George H. W. Bush declared Kuwait liberated and Saddam retreated. Shortly after on April 11, 1991, Iraq officially accepted the cease-fire agreement. This agreement kept Kuwait free from Iraq which meant that Iraq would not be able to take their oil, keeping them from owning a large majority of the world’s oil. Operation Desert Storm is similar to when the U.S. got involved in the Spanish American War. The Spanish American war started mainly because of imperialism, the U.S. wanted to expand and didn’t want Spain to have the lands they wanted. This is somewhat similar to the Gulf War, Iraq invaded Kuwait and was assumed to be heading south to take Saudi oil, the U.S. didn’t want that oil in the hands of the Iraqis because it would give them too much power and owning a majority of the oil. The Spanish American war had a lasting impact on the U.S. and the Gulf War the same way. The Gulf War had a lasting impact on the society of America by creating a sense of national pride. This was the first major conflict since the cold war and a majority of the nation had never seen an actual war. The war was supported by a majority of Americans, unlike previous wars such as the