IRAQ INVADES KUWAIT

Iraq invades Kuwait

The final events in this week’s window unfolded in the shifting landscape of the post–Cold War world. In the early hours of August 2nd, 1990, Iraqi armored and mechanized units crossed the border into Kuwait, quickly overwhelming the small country’s defenses and seizing its capital. The invasion stunned the region and set off a wave of diplomatic and military responses. For the United States, which had spent decades focused on Europe and Asia, the crisis demanded rapid reassessment of force posture in the Persian Gulf. Within days, American planners were organizing a large deployment to deter further Iraqi moves and to reassure partners, a buildup that would become Operation Desert Shield. The decision to respond with a broad coalition and a heavy air-land force, and the later combat of Desert Storm, grew directly out of that single night’s aggression. The invasion of Kuwait thus marked a new phase in American military engagement in the Middle East that continues to shape strategy and service today.