The Pursian Gulf War erupted in 1990 with Hussein ordering an invasion of neighboring Kuwait, on the grounds that Kuwait was stealing oil from in Iraqi oil field. The US became involved in this war for the next year, and they successfully pushed Iraq out of Kuwait. Iraq, however, feels that it won this war. The leaders of Iraq were still in power after the war ended, so the popular idea in Iraq is that they won the war. An Eastern European diplomat commented "Victory is when the ruler stays in power, no matter how many people he kills, no matter how much the country is ravaged" (Allman 62). The Gulf War was a moral victory for the Iraqis, or that is what Saddam has led them to believe. He gained nothing for his people but a second of hope. This hope may.
have already flickered out.
After the Pursian Gulf War, the US imposed an embargo on Iraq. Nothing comes in or goes out of the country. As a result of this, there is a shortage of food and medicine. The UN sees this problem, and has offered Saddam an option. If he agrees to Resolution 986, the country would be able to sell oil.
in order to buy supplies for it's people. However, the UN would have control over how much and to whom the oil was sold. Saddam says no, as these rules are too strict. If the UN does not ease up, thousands of Iraqis will die. Hussein has made it look as if the UN, not himself, will be responsible for those deaths. Saddam says "Our struggle against the embargo is a holy war" (Allman 62). This bit of word play may be enough to keep Saddam out of trouble, but it shows that he is not willing to compromise as he is too greedy. Perhaps he believes that.
he will be able to sell the oil on the black market and make more money, which he will undoubtedly keep for himself. Hussein himself is a troubled man. He is the paranoid ruler of a poor country, but he is quite rich. He has so much money that our government even has no idea what he is worth (Church 47).