The Bush Administration¹s Relation With Iraq Prior to Iraq¹s Invasion of Kuwait

The Bush Administration¹s Relation With Iraq

Prior to Iraq¹s invasion of Kuwait:

Credibility and Misperception

Prior to the August 2, 1990 invasion of Kuwait on the part of Iraq, the United States had questionable relations with Iraq dictator, Saddam Hussein, to say the least. In retrospect, which is inherently advantageous as a 20/20 perspective, questions remain unanswered as to whether or not the United States was too appeasing to Saddam Hussein in the years, months, and days leading up to that early August morning. There remains to this day lingering questions as to the role that the US Ambassador to Iraq, April Glaspie, played in conveying the Administration¹s message to the Iraqi leader. In addition, questions surrounding the Administrators official policy, the calculations (or miscalculations) on the part of the State Department and other agencies within the US government, the Administrations covert plan to aid an Italian bank in illegal loans to benefit Saddam¹s military and the advice that the US received from other Arab nations with respect to what US relations should be with Iraq in terms of any impending border dispute, constitute a limited context of the issues that faced the Administration as it tried to deal with the leader of the largest economy of the Persian Gulf region.

English: Former President of Iraq, Saddam Hussein,...

April Glaspie shakes hands with Saddam Hussein

Carlos Cardoen meets with Iraqi Leader Saddam Huss...

The Bush Administration¹s relations with Iraq prior to its invasion of Kuwait were clouded in a context of misperception by both states and further complicated by a lack of credibility on the part of key actors of both sides as well. This tragic sequence of events that led to the invasion of Kuwait cannot solely be attributed to personality traits or even actions by key individuals within the Administration. In retrospect, it is much more complex than that. However, the actions and public and private statements on the...