Essay About Us Assistance And Legitimate Authority

Gulf War
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On August 2nd, 1990 the first Iraqi tanks crossed into Kuwait, as
part of an invasion that marked the start of a six-month conflict
between the United States and Iraq. These tanks were ordered to
invade Kuwait by Saddam Hussein, the ruthless dictator of Iraq.
The Iraqi troops looted Kuwaiti businesses and brutalized Kuwaiti
civilians. Saudi Arabia began to fear that they may be invaded as
well, and on August 7th they formally asked President Bush for
US assistance. The US pledged to defend the Saudis, and to
remove the Iraqis from Kuwait. Great masses of troops from
many different nations were deployed in the Persian Gulf area. At
4:30 PM EST on January 16, 1991, the first aircraft with orders to
attack Iraqi targets were launched from Saudi Arabia, marking the
beginning of Operation Desert Storm.
Dictators like Mr. Hussein cannot be allowed to take advantage of
smaller countries like bullies after lunch money. There has to be
someone to stop them, or they will gain more and more power and
land, just as Adolf Hitler tried to do in World War II. That
someone, in the case of Mr. Hussein, was the United States,
along with a multinational coalition. The US had just cause in
entering a war against Iraq because of Iraqs invasion of the small
and defenseless nation of Kuwait. Actions such as that must be
repulsed. Iraq had no just cause in invading Kuwait; their reasons
were either obscure or for their benefit. The US had to help
Kuwait regain their nation.
In protecting the Saudis from invasion and removing the Iraqis
from Kuwait the US had the right intention. The real reason the
US decided to fight the Iraqis was to restore Kuwaits government
and to defend Saudi Arabia. There was no underlying reason,
such as to receive better prices on oil or to make the Kuwaitis
indebted to the US so as to receive favors. Throughout the war,
the US made clear their purpose and intent in fighting the Iraqis,
and not once did they stray from it.
Legitimate authority was established when the Congress voted to
follow United Nations resolution 678, section two of which
“Authorizes Member States co-operating with the Government of
Kuwait, unless Iraq on or before 15 January 1991 fully
implements, as set forth in paragraph 1 above, the foregoing
resolutions, to use all necessary means to uphold and implement
resolution 660 (1990) and all subsequent relevant resolutions and
to restore international peace and security in the area.” The vote to
follow the resolution was as good as a declaration of war, as far
as legitimate authority is concerned, and is in some ways better.
The adoption of the resolution only authorized the use of force to
remove Iraq from Kuwait. This limited the ability of our military
to completely destroy Iraqs military or to drive Hussein from
power. Our authority to remove Iraq from Kuwait was clearly
legitimate.
The Gulf War was fought with proportionality clearly in the
leaderships mind. President Bush planned to get Iraqs troops out
of Kuwait and then stop. He had no intention of carrying the war
further. Although Bush would have dearly liked to have marched
US troops toward Baghdad to destroy Husseins government, he
did not, because of the risk of heavy casualties, and because it
went against the proportionality idea. The leaders who picked
targets for