Iran and Iraq represent different, hostile strains of the Muslim religion (i.e. the Shiite and Sunni branches) and there have been long-simmering border disputes between the countries. Those facts, plus Arab-Persian cultural differences, make these two countries enemies.
Due to hostility stemming from the Iranian Islamic Revolution and the hostage crisis, the United States shifted its friendship from Iran to Iraq. The U.S. hoped to use Iraq to counter the spread of the radical Islam of the Khomeini regime in Iran to oppressed peoples of the Emirates and to Saudi Arabia.
Iran and Iraq were involved in a war for most of the 1980s. There is some evidence that the United States encouraged Iraq’s president, Saddam Hussein, to go to war against Iran. The United States provided massive military and economic aid to Iraq during its eight-year war with Iran which lasted from 1980 to 1988. At the urging of the U.S., Saddam’s war effort was backed in the form of loans from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and other Arab nations. According to G. Simon Harak, S.J.’s blog post titled, “Why DID Iraq Invade Kuwait,” (www.mcadams.posc.mu.edu/blog/harak.html), Kuwait helped finance Iraq’s war effort to the tune of billions of dollars, although Iraq contended that the money was payment for oil and not a debt.
Saddam felt that Kuwait should forgive part of the war debt because he had halted the “expansionist plans of Iranian interests” on behalf of his own country and in defense of the other Gulf Arab states. He was angered by Kuwait’s refusal to cancel the debt. Hussein had other reasons to be angry with Kuwait: he believed that Kuwait intentionally depressed world oil prices, which was significant for Iraq’s ability to repay debts incurred during the Iran war; and, Iraq maintained a long-time claim that the northern Kuwaiti Rumelia oil fields belonged to it. (http://www.history.com/topics/persian-gulf-war)
Thus, at two in the morning on August 2, 1990, some 80,000 Iraqi troops invaded and occupied Kuwait. Sadam’s plan was that if Iraq’s invasion was successful, it would give him direct control over a significant portion of the world’s oil supply. It would also disrupt the Middle East balance of power and place Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf emirates in jeopardy. If Saudi Arabia fell to Saddam, Iraq would control one-fifth of the world’s oil supply. Iraq’s 545,000-man army also threatened the security of such valuable U.S. allies as Egypt and Israel. (Id.)
The United Nations, led by the United States, tried to convince Saddam to withdraw from Kuwait. The UN told Saddam that if he did not withdraw, he would face an allied coalition that would force his army to withdraw. However, Hussein assumed that his fellow Arab states would stand aside. He was wrong. Two-thirds of the 21 members of the Arab League condemned Iraq’s actions and supported the UN efforts. (Id.)
By January 1991, the UN assembled a coalition of forces from 34 nations: Afghanistan, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Britain, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Honduras, Italy, Kuwait, Morocco, The Netherlands, Niger, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Korea, Spain, Syria, Turkey, The United Arab Emirates and the United States. All combined, it numbered some 750,000 soldiers, including 540,000 U.S. personnel and smaller forces from Britain, France, Germany, the Soviet Union, Japan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, among other nations.
On January 16, 1991, U.S. and other allied forces launched Operation Desert Storm, led by U.S. commanders General H. Norman Schwarzkopf and General Colin Powell. Desert Storm consisted of a devastating bombing campaign, several weeks of virtually undefended aerial attacks, followed by a ground campaign. (http://www.historyguy.com/GulfWar.html#gulfwardates and
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/gulf.war/facts/gulfwar/)
After only 100 hours, the ground campaign forced the Iraqi forces out of Kuwait and most of the way back to the capital of Baghdad. The war ended when Saddam petitioned for peace. Because the UN forces had only the limited purpose of the removal of Iraq from Kuwait, Saddam was allowed to stay in power. The war ended with a small number of American casualties— 148 died, 453 wounded. By contrast, more than 100,000 Iraqi soldiers had been killed, with 300,000 wounded. (Weissman, Revolution, pp. 301-302.) After the ceasefire, and for the next decade, conflicts between the U.S. and Sadam continued: Iraq refused to allow inspections for suspected weapons of mass destruction; and, Iraqi forces regularly exchanged fire with U.S. and British aircraft over the no-fly zone. These events contributed to the America-Iraq war of 2003.
“From a Distance,” written by Julie Gold (1985), recorded by Bette Midler in 1990 on the eve of the Persian Gulf War (also recorded by Judy Collins, Nanci Griffith and many others), was “an unofficial anthem of the Persian Gulf war.” It became the most requested song on Saudi Band Radio and was very closely associated with that war. The song won a Minute Man award from the U.S. Army for inspiring troops during the Persian Gulf War. Midler’s version remained No. 1 on the Billboard magazine’s adult contemporary chart and on its “Hot 100” list for 19 weeks. Midler’s recording earned a Grammy for Song Of The Year.
From a distance the world looks round and real
And the snow-capped mountains white
From a distance the ocean meets the stream
And the eagle takes to flightFrom a distance there is harmony
And it echoes through the land
It’s the voice of hope
It’s the voice of peace
It’s the voice of every manFrom a distance we’re all having love
I know one is in me
And there are no guns, no guns and no disease
No hungry mouth to feedFrom a distance we are instruments
Marching in the common land
Playing songs of hope, playing songs of peace
They’re the songs of every manGod is watching us, god is watching us
God is watching us from a distance
From a distance you look like my friend
Even though we are at warFrom a distance I just cannot comprehend
What all this fighting is forFrom a distance there is harmony
And it echoes through the land
And it’s the hope of hopes
It’s the love of loves
It’s the heart of every manIt’s the hope of hopes
It’s the love of loves
This is love from every manGod is watching us, god is watching us
God is watching us from a distance
From a distance you look like my friend
Even though we are at warGod is watching us, god is watching us
God is watching us from a distance
From a distance you look like my friend
Even though we are at war
“The Persian Gulf War Song,” written and sung by T-Roz (Tommy Roz) (https://youtu.be/hZK2QGu9-Qw) is a cynical parody set to the tune of “New York, New York.” It is based on the assumption that American foreign policy is shaped by the oil industry.
Start spreading the news, I’m leaving today
We’re going to make a fight of it in old Kuwait
These gas guzzling blues are making us pay
And at the very heart of it is old Exxon
I want to wake up in a hospital and still see my feet
Cause I’m just too young to die for some oil rich Arab sheik
We’ll fight ‘em with tanks, we’ll fight ‘em with planes
I’ll be the reincarnation of Rambo or John Wayne
If they use chemical warfare, then I guess we’ll bomb them from the air
It’s up to you, Saddam Hussein
Attack Iraq!
I want to wake up in a hospital and still see my feet
Don’t want to be a prisoner of war, on a MIA list
Kill or be killed, son of a bitch
Our nuclear bomb will melt them away
We won’t take no more camel dung from Saddam Hussein
And if we should somehow fail, well send in the National Guard led by Dan Quale
It’s up to you George Bush, George Bush.
“Highwire,” was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and performed by the Rolling Stones (https://youtu.be/aKwk8S5RkyQ). It is one of the rare examples of the Rolling Stones taking on political issues—in this case, the fall-out from the Persian Gulf War. The song’s lyrics deconstructed the build-up to the war and criticized the politics behind it. On the song, Mick Jagger said at the time of its release, “It’s not about the war. It’s about how it started.” Keith Richards continued, “This is not about the war. It’s about how you build up some shaky dictator. You can’t build them up, ’cause then you’ve got to slam them down.”
We sell ’em missiles, We sell ’em tanks
We give ’em credit, You can call the bank
It’s just a business, You can pay us in crude
You love these toys, just go play out your feuds
Got no pride, don’t know whose boots to lick
We act so greedy, makes me sick sick sickSo get up, stand up, out of my way
I want to talk to the boss right away
Get up, stand up, whose gonna pay
I want to talk to the man right awayWe walk the highwire
Sending the men up to the front line
Hoping they don’t catch the hell fire
With hot guns and cold, cold nightsWe walk the highwire
Sending the men up to the front line
And tell ’em to hotbed the sunshine
With hot guns and cold, cold nightsOur lives are threatened, our jobs at risk
Sometimes dictators need a slap on the wristAnother Munich we just can’t afford
We’re gonna send in the eighty-second airborneGet up, stand up, who’s gonna pay
I wanna talk to the boss right away
Get up, stand up, outta my way
I wanna talk to the man right awayWe walk the highwire
Putting the world out on a deadline
And hoping they don’t catch the shellfire
With hot guns and cold, cold nightsWe walk the highwire
Putting the world out on a deadline
Catching the bite on primetime
With hot guns and cold, cold nightsGet up! Stand up!
Dealer! Stealer!
Hey!We walk the highwire
We send all our men into the front lines
We’re hoping that we backed the right side
With hot guns and cold, cold nightsWe walk the highwire
We send all the men up to the front lines
And hoping they don’t catch the hellfire
With hot guns and cold cold, cold, cold, cold nightsWe walk the highwire
We walk the highwire
With hot guns and cold, cold, cold nightsWith hot guns and cold, cold nights
“Gulf War Song,” written and sung by Moxy Früvous (1991) is a Canadian song. Although written about the Persian Gulf War, it is actually less about a specific war, than a statement about war and peace in general. (https://youtu.be/H2Y7HslyQXE). There are alternative acappella versions by The Brown Jabberwocks: (https://youtu.be/HLEsIeBgb18) and the Bard Acappella Group: (https://youtu.be/pfmPCVFaz8k)
We got a call to write a song about the war in the Gulf
But we shouldn’t hurt anyone’s feelings
So we tried, then gave up, ’cause there was no such song
But the trying was very revealing
What makes a person so poisonous righteous
That they’d think less of anyone who just disagrees?
She’s just a pacifist, he’s just a patriot
If I said you were crazy, would you have to fight me?Fighters for Liberty, fighters for Power
Fighters for longer turns in the shower
Don’t tell me I can’t fight, ’cause I’ll punch out your lights
And history seems to agree that I would fight you for meSo we read and we watched all the ‘specially selected news
And we learned so much more ’bout the good guys
Won’t you stand by the flag? Was the question unasked
Won’t you join in and fight with the allies?
What could we say, we’re only 25 years old?
With 25 sweet summers and hot fires in the cold
That kind of life makes that violence unthinkable
We’d like to play hockey, have kids and grow oldFighters for Texaco, fighters for Power
Fighters for longer turns in the shower
Don’t tell me I can’t fight ’cause I’ll punch out your lights
And history seems to agree that I would fight you for me
That us would fight them for weHe’s just a peacenik and she’s just a warhawk
That’s where the beach was, that’s where the sea
What could we say…we’re only 25 years old?
And history seems to agree that I would fight you for me
That us would fight them for weIs that how it always will be?
“The Guardian,” is written and sung by Captain Andy Hoskinson, a veteran of the Persian Gulf War. He wrote this song as a tribute to those who served with him. (https://youtu.be/Qa3lA-0F1bU)
It was a hot sunny day in Fort Hood,
I got a call like I knew I would,
There’s trouble brewing in a foreign land,
They need us to come lend a helping hand
I gathered my gear and said goodbye to my spouse
With a tear in my eye I walked out of my house
Off to the airfield and got on a plane,
Wondering if I will ever see my son again
I am the guardian, I answer my country’s call
To keep my country safe I stand on a wall
On a wall so you can sleep at night
But the end of the day, I know my country will treat me right (Repeat)
For six long months we stayed and stayed
We knew it would be tough, many dues would be paid
War is mostly boredom with some terror thrown in
We never know what will happen until the fighting begins
We missed our families and we missed our wives
We couldn’t wait to get on with our lives
We had blood sweet and tears through the god’s of war
But we never forgot what we were fighting for
We are the guardians we answer my country’s call
To keep my country safe we stand on a wall
On a wall so you can sleep at night
But the end of the day, we know that our country will treat us right (Repeat)
“Persian Gulf War (Set Fire to the Rain),” was written by Abigail Urquidez as part of a high school world history project and is sung by her and a friend. It is set to the song “Set Fire to the Rain!”
(https://youtu.be/4R3oGnRblOI) Simple, direct lyrics set out one common perspective of the policies behind the conflict.
In January, Saudi called, and the U.S.
They came and helped them.
Four months, the job was done.
April, 1991, the Persian Gulf War was over.
Iraq minds, too strong
But their army was far too weak.
The US sent 230,000 men prepared to defeat
US air assaults Iraq and Kuwait targeting military
Ground assaults defeating Hussein’s troops in four days
Iraq set fire to the wells, watched it burn as the economy fell.
Well it burned while they cried ‘cause Iraq was screaming our names, our names!
Operation Desert Storm was formed by President Bush
To protect Saudi Arabia from Saddam Hussein
US air assaults Iraq and Kuwait targeting military
Ground assaults defeating Hussein’s troops in four days
Iraq set fire to the wells, watched it burn as the economy fell.
Well it burned while they cried ‘cause Iraq was screaming our names, our names!
Singer-songwriter Randy Newman provides his take on the Persian Gulf War in “Lines in the Sand.” (1991) The song was recorded on January 15, 1991, the night before the bombing started. (http://articles.latimes.com/1991-01-24/entertainment/ca-969_1_randy-newman) The audio can be fund at (http://listenmusicfm.net/track/Lines-in-the-Sand-by-Randy-Newman-with-lyrics-698833)
Oh, sons and daughters
Sail ‘cross the sea
Fight now for justice
And liberty
Fly ‘cross the ocean
A friend needs a hand
You must try to defend their
Lines in the sand.Deep in the desert
Evening draws nigh
Brave sons and daughters
Look to the sky
The blood of these children
A stain on the land
If they die to defend some
Lines in the sand.We old men will guide you
Though we won’t be there beside you
We wish you well
We wish you well.Oh sons and daughters
Listen to me
March on to Glory
And Victory
The whole world will watch
As you make your brave stand
As you try to defend the
Lines in the sand.