The conflict in the Middle East has been around almost as long as the country of Iraq has existed. There has been conflict between various ethnic groups and conflict over the abundance of oil in the area. However, by the late 1970s, changes were taking place in the Middle East. In Iraq, Saddam Hussein violently killed political leaders. Meanwhile, in Iran, the Shah used violence as his primary tool of governance, making him an unpopular leader. Saddam Hussein observed the ongoing political turmoil in Iran and saw an opportunity to invade the country. Tension between the two countries went on for years, with neither side ever managing to claim a real victory. This ongoing struggle set the stage for the first Iraq War. The first Iraq War impacted the United States, re-establishing it as a superior military force and re-establishing the government's credibility. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay To understand how the Gulf War reestablished the United States as a superior military force and reestablished the credibility of the government, you must understand the events leading up to the war and how the United States became involved. Iraq was under the rule of Saddam Hussein who ultimately posed a threat to the United States. Saddam Hussein was born on April 28, 1937 in a village near Tikrit, near the Tigris River. During his early life, he showed an enthusiasm for weapons and violence. He joined the radical Iraqi Baath political party at the age of 20. At the age of 22, Hussein and other Baathists attempted to kill the dictator of Iraq. At the age of 31 he became deputy secretary general and later got the main job of running the Iraqi security police. He named himself president in 1979 and assumed leadership of Iraq. Hitler and Stalin were his heroes. He used violence such as firing squads and poison gas to achieve his goals and to show his power. Finally, in September 1980, Saddam Hussein saw an opportunity and invaded Iran. This invasion led to a war that lasted eight years and left the country with an $80 billion debt. With Iraq facing enormous war debt, Saddam Hussein had financial worries. His strategy to get out of the huge war debt was to use his army to force other countries to help. He went so far as to ask for monetary help from other Persian countries saying, "...if they don't give it to me, I will take it from them." By July 1990 the price of oil had fallen significantly. For every dollar the price of a barrel fell, Iraq fell further into debt. Hussein believed that neighboring countries owed him and believed that they were conspiring against Iraq. He believed Kuwait was stealing oil from Iraq. In fact, “he said the oil field they were using flowed under both countries.” On August 2, Iraq invaded Kuwait and within hours Saddam Hussein captured the country. The first Iraq War impacted the United States, re-establishing it as a superior military force. Before the first Iraq War, the last major land battle in which the United States was involved was Vietnam. During the Vietnam War, citizens of the United States questioned the government because they did not understand the purpose of the war or why the United States was involved. Furthermore, according to General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, the government had failed to mobilize its troops during Vietnam. The US Army did not have the support of the American citizens and upon their return they were blamed for the war. Therefore, the United States was deeply affected andnegatively from the Vietnam War, and their people were in no hurry to engage in further land battles. Despite negative feelings about the war, after Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait, the United States made a deliberate move to take a military stance against Iraq. On August 6, 1990, President Bush publicly declared that the United States would not support the invasion. In a smart move, building on the government's previous failure to seek the support of its people, President Bush asked for the support of American citizens in this effort on August 8, 1990. Eight days later, Saddam Hussein moved the Americans into three hotels as human shields, and told Bush he would receive the bodies in bags. President Bush had been threatened enough and finally told Congress: “Iraq will not be allowed to annex Kuwait. And this is not a threat, nor a boast. And it will be exactly like this." Former Vietnam veterans General Colin L. Powell and General H. Norman Schwarzkopf were top military advisors and leaders in the anti-Iraq efforts. President Bush knew he had to build a coalition and be intentional in his Iraqi efforts. Therefore, in August, he immediately sent troops to protect Saudi Arabia. The 82nd Airborne Division was the first US unit to reach Saudi Arabia. The United States deployed 430,000 troops to Saudi Arabia, who were joined by 30 other nations, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Czechoslovakia, Bangladesh, France, Britain, Syria, Kuwait, Italy, Australia, Canada and the Netherlands. Some protesters believed that the United States was only involved to protect their access to oil, while others believed that Saddam Hussein needed to be stopped; however, most Americans supported the feat and proudly displayed yellow ribbons showing their support for the troops. On November 29, 1990, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 678, which established a six-week deadline for Saddam Hussein's withdrawal from Kuwait. Furthermore, it gave the United States and its allies the ability to use force to remove Iraqi troops and liberate the country of Kuwait. The six-week deadline had expired and Iraqi troops were still present. The United States had to decide whether to go to war. On January 12, 1991, Congress voted to allow President Bush to go to war. President Bush addressed the nation on television, saying, “The goal of the United States is not to conquer Iraq; it is the liberation of Kuwait." He went on to let Americans know that the United States would use force and any means necessary to stop Saddam Hussein. In the first hours the presence of the United States was known as over 400 fighter planes and 160 tankers and command planes covered the skies of the Persian Gulf. The first strikes were airstrikes to destroy specific targets in Iraq and Kuwait. These airstrikes weakened Saddam Hussein's troops and destroyed important buildings, including government buildings and power plants. On January 18, Hussein ordered eight Iraqi Scud missiles to land in Israel; no one was killed, but many were injured and Saddam Hussein showed his evil ways once again. He hoped that Israel would react so that it could justify the war by “pitting the Arab Islamic nations against their hated Jewish neighbor Israel and its American ally.” Saddam Hussein's efforts did not work. President Bush has once again set a 12pm February 23 deadline for Iraq to withdraw troops from Kuwait. The consequences of missing the deadline would be a ground war. The first ones 1970.