9781422285985

US-Led Wars in Iraq, 1991-Present

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tions , are considered to have the force of international law behind them. The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously to approve U.N. Security Resolution 660, which called for the “immediate and unconditional” with- drawal of Iraq from Kuwait. Powerful leaders like U.S. President George H.W. Bush and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher also spoke out against Iraq’s aggres- sive invasion. The Soviet Union, which had been Iraq’s main provider of military supplies, suspended deliveries of weapons and equipment. Even the leaders of some other Arab countries, like Saudi Arabia and Egypt, spoke out against Saddam Hussein’s conquest. Despite the international opposition, SaddamHussein believed no one would dare try to force him from Kuwait. After all, both the United States and the Soviet Union—considered the world’s “superpowers” at the time— had been badly burned by involvement in foreign wars against seemingly The U.N. Security Council votes on a resolution condemning Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in the summer of 1990. The U.N. Security Council’s responsibilities include peacekeep- ing operations, the establishment of international sanctions, and the authorization of military action through resolutions.