Saddam used false historical claims to invade Kuwait. He claimed Kuwait was historically part Iraq. This doesn't make sense since the modern Iraqi borders themselves were created by British colonialism. Also, Kuwait became an independent state in 1899, when Iraq was still a province of the ottoman empire
Yea, it’s a trend to use screwed history to claim regions of land at these parts of the worlds 😂 For some countries it’s OK to go back 1000 of years and others it’s ludicrous to go back 50. It all depends on who you support 😂😂😂
@@aAverageFan I'm not saying that you have to believe what their reasoning is, but the "steal their oil" narrative just defies logic. That being said even Trump parroted that talking point, so I can't really blame them
@@theshenpartei CNN/CBS and ABC spent the weeks before desert shield speculating GW1 might be a Vietnam in the desert. In a country that relies on trucks and petroleum products for everything, No one said why this was a strategic imperative. It was implied but never spoken. Iraq was portrayed as "the fourth largest army in the world" even though the majority of it's army was probably at half (or less) strength and had poor capability. Post war, Russia pissed it pants.
@@NoManClatuer-pd8ckI mean they weren’t far off with that assumption with how the second gulf war turned out. We were in Iraq for how long for it to end up in Isis hands when we left.
@@joshmccarty8800 On the other hand GW 1.0 & Co./Saudi's knew a completely destabilized Iraq would lead to Iranian hegemony. 2.0 didn't get that memo. Old man Cheney dropped it. Shiite wacky hijinks ensue.
I was a kid in Riyadh when Saddam launched his Scud missiles. That first night, I was hiding under the sofa covered with a wet towel, terrified. But eventually, we would go out to the roof and scan the sky for them. Your deep dive is refreshing and well-delivered.
I am surprised about how delusional he was about the soviet union. -Recomends putting their money in them despite they rapidly collapsing. -Blames arab states for lowering the price oil when it was the ussr trying to save their economy. -Thinks the usa wouldn't have done anything when the collapse of the ussr freed up their army.
The more you dive into it, the more I think Saddam was an idiot whose only real knowledge was brutally keeping rebels in line. Not justifying 2003, but yeah.
it might have been Perun who said that Saddam managed to pick basically the only time that the West still had all of it's pre-budget cut Cold War era military capabilities, and was not distracted by the Soviet Union. Strategically speaking this was probably the single worst time to invade that he could have picked.
@@Slimetime69420true, but he did still rule another 12 years. Not bad for a dictator. Eventually got his sons killed, but thats not unusual. (If we ignore his suffering population, but again he did). And the US did roll over Iraq with an allegedly "weakened" US military in 2003.
A few comments: In the early part of the video, you show British forces in the Gulf/Arabian region but you left a large country blank: Aden, now known as South Yemen. I know as I served there with the British army 1966-1967. Later you talk about the US having forces based in the Gulf in the 1970s; From my work in Saudi Arabia and surrounding countries in the 1970s, I know this to be untrue. The Gulf was then known as the British Lake. I remember the US Navy first putting in appearances in the UAE in the mid 980s and how the Royal Navy crews based in the Gulf would get into fights with them (while I was working in Abu Dhabi). During my time in Saudi Arabia, maintaining nav aids for the Saudi civil aviation authority, I remember going out to check on middle and outer markers at Taif airport. When I got to the middle marker, which overlooked the airport, I was surprised to see an anti-aircraft missile battery that had been there for longer than I could remember, had disappeared. Collegaues working at the airport told me it had been packed up and flown to Iraq. A couple of days later, I was at the airport checking nav aids for the Saudi air force's planned night flights when I was held at the threshold of the active runway, while an inbound Iraqi air force was landing. When he had passed, I was still held for a 2nd arrival. The aircraft looked like Il76. Next day, I discovered that these 2 planes had gone back to Iraq, carrying a couple of Saudi F5s. This was all part of Saudi Arabia's military aid to Iraq in the Iran/Iraq war which had recently broken out. After Abu Dhabi, I moved to work in Kuwait. Toward the end of July 1990, it became obvious to those following events closely that relations between Iraq and Kuwait were getting worse. The Kuwaitis were demanding that Iraq pay back Billions (which the Iraqis didn't have). The meeting took place in Jeddah to try to resolve the squabble between Iraq and Kuwait over debt repayments. I knew something was not right on August 1st 1990 when Kuwait TV showed the Emir returning from this meeting, reporting that he had not got what he wanted. This was an early afternoon/lunchtime news broadcast. Later that day, a later news broadcast showed the Emir returning but saying this time that negotiations were still under way; almost as if they had swapped news bulletins and got them out of sequence. This was the time I decided to call my wife who was in the Philippines, awaiting the arrival of our son. I knew she never watched the news so I told her to make sure she watched from now on. I also asked her where she had hidden my passport when she had left Kuwait as I thought I would need it soon. At the same time, my boss was preparing for a trip to the US that night so I asked him if he knew the words to the Iraqi national anthem and where could I get some Iraqi flags. I couldn't go into detail about what I thought was happening as he was with our customer at the time, a Lt. Colonel in the Kuwait Ministry of the Interior. Next morning, I awoke just before 06:00 in my 10th (top) floor apratment and was drinking coffee while looking out at the street below. There was a couple of loud bangs nearby and a pair of fast jets flew past my building. I discovered later that one of the telephone exchanges near me had been hit with a couple of missiles, taking out an important link in the telecoms chain linking Kuwait to the outside world, via Saudi Arabia. Then CNN told me that Iraqi forces had crossed the border and were headed for Kuwait City. The irony was that I had arranged to take a colleague to a Kuwait police station to help him fix a radio. That police station was the border post with Iraq! So I had to tell my colleague that the trip was off as the police station was no longer in Kuwait! A "bumpy" few days followed with no real grief from the Iraqis, even when they tried to force us to go to a hotel for transport to Iraq as human shields, I told them to bugger off. Then, after 10 days, we heard the US was getting involved and would soon be on their way. That was when we decided to try our luck and escape over the desert into Saudi Arabia. Interesting times!
You failed to mention the fight that erupted at the Arab summit prior to the golf war where the Kuwaiti foreign minister decided to increase the production of oil to bring the price down to punish Iraq just to be a$$ holes you also forgot to mention that the Kuwaiti foreign minister‘s daughter stood in Congress and said that she witnessed in the hospitals, Iraqi soldiers, ripping babies out of incubators. If you actually went over all that fact, truthfully, you would see that he was goaded into the Kuwait war he even asked permissionfrom the United States and they told him we don’t have a positive or negative thing to say about you invading Kuwait. He took that as America gives me the greenlight.
Kuwait is allowed to raise and lower prices, they are their own country. that’s doesn’t justify invasion. April Glaspie (Mistakenly) told Saddam that the US has no opinion on arab vs arab affairs, as in we weren’t going to supper iraq and kuwait over the border disputes. it was not a green light to invade and even saddam knew that
@@conorcane1211 What a childish remark. Invasions happen for strategic interests, especially when a country feels threatened. Iraq was threatened by much lower oil prices - therefore it went in. Quite literally nobody follows geopolitical rules when their state is threatened by whatever action. The invasion was, for all intents and purposes, absolutely justified
I think that Sadam was like Stalin in certain way and he just did not trusted West since birth, and West part was not able to offer enough friendly hand or and step back in order to show that they are not about confrontation but that they seek some common sense
@sashagrey2984 the USA never liked him. The USA just supported Red China in order to keep the communist world split and fighting against one another instead of working together. The most important act of the USA in the whole squabble was to simply hold the UN seat to prevent Vietnam from placing their puppet on the voting seat.
Really underrated points about the supposed and overstated influence of oil companies and interests compared to other interests and motivations. Refreshing!
I was at my sister's house off Prescott Ave in Modesto taking a shower when the Gulf War broke out, and working at Holiday in as a bell hop. Good stuff.
45:51 Steve Coll not David Coll as you call him. It has Steve Coll written at the bottom of your exert of his book plus it says Steve Coll not David Coll on the front of the book you held up
Excellent work, some nice expansion on The world Fact Book. I have four questions if you would please. 1. What percentage of oil supplied to the US came from the Gulf ? 2. If that percentage was reduced to zero how would that affect the price per gallon to the US population and what would the flow on effect be ? 3. Did the Kurds believe they were part of Iraq ? 4. You mentioned " disputed oil fields.." How many oil wells in Kuwait were very close to the Iraqi border dropped, with the intent, to move under the border into Iraq's territory tapping Iraqi oil ? I ask you as your black and white pursuit of facts and vision to see between lines is admirable. Thank You in advance.
@@alibloushi5749 I refer you to a book published by the university of Kuwait in the وثاق تاريخية مركز دراسات الخليج و الجزيره في جامعه الكويت Page.57 62...... Read it yourself. Kuwait, Iraq, and the rest of the Arab world need to thank the English for even establishing your countires.
The Ottomans claimed land all the way down to Bahrain but they did not have de facto jurisdiction south of the city of Basra. To say Kuwait is part of Basra is like saying Bahrain is part of Basra , which is absurd.
@@cpsoud Kuwait was a district that belonged under the administration of the province of Basra under ottoman rule. That is historical fact. The ottoman documents still exist that prove this.
@@Nebuchadnezzar18 Kuwait was never part of the Ottoman Empire unlike the city of Basra, Kuwait didn’t pay taxes to the ottomans nor did they serve in the ottoman military nor did they have Turkish governors appointed by the sultan like in Baghdad and Basra. Instead they have a sheikh from the al-Sabah dynasty starting from 1752.
This is a strange one, because I can tell you exactly where I was on August 2nd 1990. It's on my shellback certificate. I was crossing the equator for the first time on a US Navy destroyer, eating a grape out of a fat man's belly button as a part of my initiation.
Good vid, thanks. Picture is of the wrong John Kelly though, you’re speaking of John Hubert Kelly, Bush’s Asst Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs not the General whose picture you showed.
The picture you posted of general Kelly when talking about meeting with saddam huessien. Is wrong. The picture you posted is John F. Kelly who I know personally. You're talking about John H. Kelly.
9:07 In 1948, the US imposed an inembargo on Israel. In 1967, Israel and the US weren't even allies, and it had no support. In 1973, the tides turned over for Israel before the American aid.
I was soldier in West German Army at that time and we had to guard US baracks in Bavaria, which were just up the street from our own army baracks. So I remember it very well - for the first time we ran around all day with live ammunition (battle rifle HK G3) and were often at the shooting range, exercising with all kind of weapons (including Panzerfaust, machine gun MG3 - which is like German MG42 from WW2, hand granades, pistol P8). I guess that German government counted at that time with the possibility that German soldiers will have to go to war - at that time our army had over 3000 main battle tanks (today only 350-400).
As a Kuwaiti everything in this video is absolutely correct im glad you studied this very well. May the Kuwaiti and American friendship and cooperation continue. Much love from Kuwait
In an interview shortly before the invasion and after being told by Saddam of his multiple issues with Kuwait and his plan to invade U.S. Ambassador April Glaspie told Saddam, ‘[W]e have no opinion on the Arab-Arab conflicts, like your border disagreement with Kuwait.’ The U.S. State Department had earlier told Saddam that Washington had ‘no special defense or security commitments to Kuwait.’
I address this in the video, and the series of events you're describing is based on the Iraqi transcripts, which omit Glaspie's words expressing concern about Iraq's conduct.
@@CasualHistorian So your choice on the right side of this is by taking the word of Glaspie and company? What if they are lying, it does happen, way too often. And even so, sure seems like they should have picked up on an obvious need for clarity instead of sitting back and letting Iraq jump into a setup.
@@CasualHistorian I remember reading about this from the BBC at the time, as I recall. At least one British journalist was in attendance and "gobsmacked" at her words waiting for subsequent clarification out of Washington DC that never came, reportedly. I always felt Saddam took America at it's word and believed he had a green light.
Also the speech where saddam talks about burning half of Israel. As followes "if Israel attacks our industrial sector we will let the fire burn half of Israel" I remember watching that speech live. It's also on TH-cam.
He does cover that in the video, it looks like the U.S. was not prepared to go to war over a border dispute and would prefer the Arabs to solve their problems peacefully amongst themselves which is fine Saddam just wasn't interested in a border realignment he wanted it all. I don't think the theory of the U.S. giving Saddam a blank cheque and then betraying him stands.
@@markgrehan3726 Even 3 days after the Iraqi Invasion the Bush administration still did not care. They said it wasn't there concern. It wasn't until Margret Thatcher flew to Washington and talked to Bush the USA flipped on Iraq. You can believe what you want and you will believe what is necessary to maintain your belief about America and therefore yourself as an American, but the the facts are against you. The idea that Washington wasn't aware that Saddam would invade after getting our green light after everything that happened he did in the 1970s and 1980s (0ften with our backing) is simply crazy.
Wonder if anyone remembers that Condoleezza Rice visited Sadaam when he told her about his plan to invade Kuwait. Sadaam asked her on air, if the USA would intervene on Kuwait's side, her answer was America will not interfere in Arab's wars'' So, she set him up'
Not a single primary source backs up the claim that Glaspie, in any way, gave Saddam a green light. Even Iraqi sources don't support it. Only the abridged version of the meeting released by Saddam even implies it.
27:15 thats not the right John Kelly. The picture you have is of one of Trumps cabinet members. The John Kelly you're talking about is a career diplomate that died in 2011. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hubert_Kelly
I have a book coming out this year. I was a steward on the BA Flight 149. I'm a contributor to Stephen Davis' book Operation Trojan horse. There is a new documentary coming out by Sky TV called Flight 149.
Actually a pretty good analysis. There were news reports all summer that Saddam was threatening war. Saddam had a legitimate complaint about Kuwait. Iraq needed higher oil prices in order to rebuild after the Iran-Iraq War. Kuwait kept cheating on OPEC agreed-upon production quotas, forcing the price down. In summer 1990, oil was $11 a barrel. Saddam fashioned himself as OPEC's "enforcer," who would destroy Kuwait's ability to overproduce. And he did. George Bush was criticized throughout the media for continuing to vacation at Kennebunkport while tanks rolled into Kuwait. Saddam's Baathist Party was a secular political party and his war with Iran was supported by the USA. The USA even gave Saddam gas shells to use on Iran. When it then became obvious the Iraqis didn't know how to aim the poison gas, we lent them Marines to help out. Afterward, Saddam's henchmen took liking to poison gas. They developed their own weapons and then used them on Kurdish civilians, killing about 5,000. The gassing of the Kurdish civilians was the 1988 event that turned Washington against Saddam. Games without frontiers, war without tears.
11:50 i don't think anyone would call faisal an extravagant. You must mean Saud his older brother who ruled before him. Besides, the shah was the most extravagant monarch i can think of.
40:40 Kuwait is a sheikhdom, not a kingdom, though the ruler is titled Emir but was a shiekh historically. A kingdom is more prestigious and bigger in terms of arabian titles and states. Kuwait was never a kingdom.
A kingdom doesn’t necessarily mean more prestigious or more titles it’s just a different name for a monarchy. Look at Bahrain for example which transitioned into a kingdom from a sheikdom in 2002 but it didn’t gain anymore prestige nor titles.
Yeah ... oil companies have no say in US foreign policy ... not even the the Arab-American Company or the Persian-British (later Iranian-British ... later British Petroleum) Company. Granted that both Trumann and Eisenhower had a more correct (actions and words on the same side) policy. I really know very little of US/British policy in the region before the late 1970s or around the time I started watching nightly news. Yes, the US sold a lot of chemicals and dual-use technology to Saddam. The US also supplied the satellite images Saddam used for his chemical weapons attack. Yes, it was (also) about aiding Iran to fight Iraq - the US was doing dual containment. Dual containment involves aiding both sides so as to weaken both sides. You'll soon find a job at the George Marshall Foundation! (btw, I don't think Gen. Marshall would be that happy if he knew what's being done under his name)
The Iran Iraq war went on for 9 years,not 8....it may not have been 9 full calender years but it began in 1980 and ended in 1988....that spans NINE years.....1980 was year 1,1981 was year 2,1982 was year 3 and so on so by the time we get to 1988 we are at year 9 .....with 1989 being the 10th and final year of the decade@CasualHistorian
Those are footnotes that tell you what sources I'm citing at that point of the video. You can check the description to see what sources the numbers refer to.
Because he took what would suit him and discarded what didn’t suit him. Territorial acquisition, financial gain and obtaining power in geo-politics are some terms he was prepared to use to his advantage.
I give you credit, you took an over-covered, boring, tale, a tale that reminds us all the first time when we realized that having our children recite the pledge of allegiance so blindly , might not be such a good idea, your diligence, sense of timing, and contect have made this piece worth watching.
The claim made by Abdul Karim Qassim was just a pinch to put the Kuwaitis back into their place, this was probably recommended by the British, Humphrey Trevelyan the ambassador there from ‘58 to ‘61 called him our man in Baghdad during an interview with Abdullah Alnafisi, he was also shown pictures of Humphrey and Abdul Karim in the pool.
When the British were carving up the former Ottoman Empire they failed to provide Iraq with something every other state on the Gulf possesses - a deep water seaport. At General Scwartzkopf''s urging, Kuwait refused to lease unihsbited marshlands which would have made a secure port possible for Iraq at Umm Qasr. Kuwait was also overproducing oil from shared fields. Milton Viorst reported sbout these provocations at the time. Norman wanted to be the greatest General since Patton,
This is what happens when people play politics, not understanding real geo-political situation of Middle East. British & American imperialist and corporates were all about power, money, control and all about self interest at the expense of people of those nations. I’m not defending Islamists, but it fuelled and justified religious texts that said this is what happens when Kaffir has power over Political Islam. As a consequence the indigenous Christian and non Muslim people of those nations were in the target of these Islamists. It was easy target, the stupidity and most of moslem people of those nations that shared neighbours with Christian, Jews & Shia were easily manipulated to turn against them. Even to the point where they targeted cultures once the other religious groups left like Kurdish residents. This mess is part of the End of Days that Bible is talking about.
Difference between US Forces in Pacific in WWII and Korea and then subsequent Vietnam wars, was simple. America was in a direct threat of Japan and were attacked in Pearl Harbour. It’s military, air and naval forces were destroyed, sunk or annihilated. Because of this WWII was fully justified on that basis.
Here is something for ya.
Keep making great content, friend.
The fact you didn’t even ENTERTAIN the idea that he was being a silly goose 🪿
Do you mean a ridiculous waterfowl ?
A real rascal
Sillydam Goossein
Saddam used false historical claims to invade Kuwait. He claimed Kuwait was historically part Iraq. This doesn't make sense since the modern Iraqi borders themselves were created by British colonialism. Also, Kuwait became an independent state in 1899, when Iraq was still a province of the ottoman empire
No it was made part of the British empire in 1899
I thought he claimed they were stealing Iraqi oil by angle drilling.
1961.... not 1899
There were accusations Kuwait was slant drilling across border into Iraq's oil field.
Yea, it’s a trend to use screwed history to claim regions of land at these parts of the worlds 😂 For some countries it’s OK to go back 1000 of years and others it’s ludicrous to go back 50. It all depends on who you support 😂😂😂
That was a great deep dive. Love how you casaully destroyed a few conspiracy theories along the way
Same! Very refreshing.
You know when someone says "the US WanTs to steal their oiL" you're talking to someone who gets their political talking points from Bill Maher.
@@dunnowy123 Or someone who doesn't believe the official narrative set by that state department
@@aAverageFan I'm not saying that you have to believe what their reasoning is, but the "steal their oil" narrative just defies logic. That being said even Trump parroted that talking point, so I can't really blame them
@@aAverageFanhow do you explain every oil company insisting that America end its relationship with Israel?
I was 20 and myself and many friends were convinced there'd be a big war, another draft and we'd all get called up.
The first gulf war was before my time but I do remember the second gulf war. I did have a doctor who served on a ship during the first gulf war.
@@theshenpartei CNN/CBS and ABC spent the weeks before desert shield speculating GW1 might be a Vietnam in the desert. In a country that relies on trucks and petroleum products for everything, No one said why this was a strategic imperative. It was implied but never spoken. Iraq was portrayed as "the fourth largest army in the world" even though the majority of it's army was probably at half (or less) strength and had poor capability. Post war, Russia pissed it pants.
@@NoManClatuer-pd8ckI mean they weren’t far off with that assumption with how the second gulf war turned out. We were in Iraq for how long for it to end up in Isis hands when we left.
@@joshmccarty8800 that's an excellent point. We didn't know back then the job would be left unfinished. 👍
@@joshmccarty8800 On the other hand GW 1.0 & Co./Saudi's knew a completely destabilized Iraq would lead to Iranian hegemony. 2.0 didn't get that memo. Old man Cheney dropped it. Shiite wacky hijinks ensue.
I was a freshman in high school. Our history teacher had us make books of news clippings from the local paper about the war. I still have my book
Very well made video...A huge amount of behind-the-scene details that are never mentioned in other videos! Bravo!
Really appreciate your frank rendering of history. It shows a level of maturity that is (sadly) missing in a great many scholastics of our generation.
Indeed. The mainstream media is also complicit with the immaturity as well.
@@EarthForcestruth.
More like a simplistic rehash of broadcast news. And a total ignorance of what was learned afterwards.
I was a kid in Riyadh when Saddam launched his Scud missiles. That first night, I was hiding under the sofa covered with a wet towel, terrified. But eventually, we would go out to the roof and scan the sky for them. Your deep dive is refreshing and well-delivered.
I am surprised about how delusional he was about the soviet union.
-Recomends putting their money in them despite they rapidly collapsing.
-Blames arab states for lowering the price oil when it was the ussr trying to save their economy.
-Thinks the usa wouldn't have done anything when the collapse of the ussr freed up their army.
I never clicked so fast on a video !
😂
The more you dive into it, the more I think Saddam was an idiot whose only real knowledge was brutally keeping rebels in line. Not justifying 2003, but yeah.
it might have been Perun who said that Saddam managed to pick basically the only time that the West still had all of it's pre-budget cut Cold War era military capabilities, and was not distracted by the Soviet Union. Strategically speaking this was probably the single worst time to invade that he could have picked.
@@Slimetime69420That's so true the more I think about it. Wow, lol.
Completely agree. I think this is something that is pretty common among autocrats
@@Slimetime69420true, but he did still rule another 12 years. Not bad for a dictator. Eventually got his sons killed, but thats not unusual. (If we ignore his suffering population, but again he did). And the US did roll over Iraq with an allegedly "weakened" US military in 2003.
He grew up an uneducated thug, so I think you’re right.
This is (perhaps inadvertently) one of, if not the best high level overviews of recent history of the Middle East and the US's involvement in it.
Excellent video! Well done.
You are by far one of my favorite historian TH-camrs for a long time now.
Your channel defiantly deserves more exposure.
A few comments: In the early part of the video, you show British forces in the Gulf/Arabian region but you left a large country blank: Aden, now known as South Yemen. I know as I served there with the British army 1966-1967.
Later you talk about the US having forces based in the Gulf in the 1970s; From my work in Saudi Arabia and surrounding countries in the 1970s, I know this to be untrue. The Gulf was then known as the British Lake. I remember the US Navy first putting in appearances in the UAE in the mid 980s and how the Royal Navy crews based in the Gulf would get into fights with them (while I was working in Abu Dhabi).
During my time in Saudi Arabia, maintaining nav aids for the Saudi civil aviation authority, I remember going out to check on middle and outer markers at Taif airport. When I got to the middle marker, which overlooked the airport, I was surprised to see an anti-aircraft missile battery that had been there for longer than I could remember, had disappeared. Collegaues working at the airport told me it had been packed up and flown to Iraq. A couple of days later, I was at the airport checking nav aids for the Saudi air force's planned night flights when I was held at the threshold of the active runway, while an inbound Iraqi air force was landing. When he had passed, I was still held for a 2nd arrival. The aircraft looked like Il76. Next day, I discovered that these 2 planes had gone back to Iraq, carrying a couple of Saudi F5s. This was all part of Saudi Arabia's military aid to Iraq in the Iran/Iraq war which had recently broken out.
After Abu Dhabi, I moved to work in Kuwait. Toward the end of July 1990, it became obvious to those following events closely that relations between Iraq and Kuwait were getting worse. The Kuwaitis were demanding that Iraq pay back Billions (which the Iraqis didn't have). The meeting took place in Jeddah to try to resolve the squabble between Iraq and Kuwait over debt repayments. I knew something was not right on August 1st 1990 when Kuwait TV showed the Emir returning from this meeting, reporting that he had not got what he wanted. This was an early afternoon/lunchtime news broadcast. Later that day, a later news broadcast showed the Emir returning but saying this time that negotiations were still under way; almost as if they had swapped news bulletins and got them out of sequence. This was the time I decided to call my wife who was in the Philippines, awaiting the arrival of our son. I knew she never watched the news so I told her to make sure she watched from now on. I also asked her where she had hidden my passport when she had left Kuwait as I thought I would need it soon. At the same time, my boss was preparing for a trip to the US that night so I asked him if he knew the words to the Iraqi national anthem and where could I get some Iraqi flags. I couldn't go into detail about what I thought was happening as he was with our customer at the time, a Lt. Colonel in the Kuwait Ministry of the Interior.
Next morning, I awoke just before 06:00 in my 10th (top) floor apratment and was drinking coffee while looking out at the street below. There was a couple of loud bangs nearby and a pair of fast jets flew past my building. I discovered later that one of the telephone exchanges near me had been hit with a couple of missiles, taking out an important link in the telecoms chain linking Kuwait to the outside world, via Saudi Arabia. Then CNN told me that Iraqi forces had crossed the border and were headed for Kuwait City. The irony was that I had arranged to take a colleague to a Kuwait police station to help him fix a radio. That police station was the border post with Iraq! So I had to tell my colleague that the trip was off as the police station was no longer in Kuwait!
A "bumpy" few days followed with no real grief from the Iraqis, even when they tried to force us to go to a hotel for transport to Iraq as human shields, I told them to bugger off. Then, after 10 days, we heard the US was getting involved and would soon be on their way. That was when we decided to try our luck and escape over the desert into Saudi Arabia. Interesting times!
Very interesting insights!
Fascinating! Thanks for sharing mate
Stop lying
Hey man it's great to see your channel is finally taking off. You deserve the recognition.
you look a lot healthier then you have in the past good job buddy
Thanks
Man iran during cold war would be a very interesting topic
Thanks!
You failed to mention the fight that erupted at the Arab summit prior to the golf war where the Kuwaiti foreign minister decided to increase the production of oil to bring the price down to punish Iraq just to be a$$ holes you also forgot to mention that the Kuwaiti foreign minister‘s daughter stood in Congress and said that she witnessed in the hospitals, Iraqi soldiers, ripping babies out of incubators. If you actually went over all that fact, truthfully, you would see that he was goaded into the Kuwait war he even asked permissionfrom the United States and they told him we don’t have a positive or negative thing to say about you invading Kuwait. He took that as America gives me the greenlight.
Kuwait is allowed to raise and lower prices, they are their own country. that’s doesn’t justify invasion. April Glaspie (Mistakenly) told Saddam that the US has no opinion on arab vs arab affairs, as in we weren’t going to supper iraq and kuwait over the border disputes. it was not a green light to invade and even saddam knew that
@@conorcane1211 If that was not a green light I don't know what is.
@@Mark-gg6iy diplomatic injunction is what they were referring too, a injunction to the UN showing evidence. not a full blown military invasion.
@@conorcane1211
What a childish remark. Invasions happen for strategic interests, especially when a country feels threatened.
Iraq was threatened by much lower oil prices - therefore it went in.
Quite literally nobody follows geopolitical rules when their state is threatened by whatever action.
The invasion was, for all intents and purposes, absolutely justified
Iraq was selling more oil than its OPEC quota it wasn’t just Kuwait. In fact every opec country at the point were selling more than their OPEC quota.
I think that Sadam was like Stalin in certain way and he just did not trusted West since birth, and West part was not able to offer enough friendly hand or and step back in order to show that they are not about confrontation but that they seek some common sense
Hell yeah, new casual historian video.
Can you do the third inch do China war when Vietnam occupied Cambodia for 10 years till the in lead election in the early 90s.
Good old days, then USA officially supported Pol Pot, the good friend of US democracy.
@sashagrey2984 the USA never liked him. The USA just supported Red China in order to keep the communist world split and fighting against one another instead of working together.
The most important act of the USA in the whole squabble was to simply hold the UN seat to prevent Vietnam from placing their puppet on the voting seat.
@@sashagrey2984 The US also supported Pakistani dictator Yahya Khan when he was committing a genocide in Bangladesh in 1971
Thank you for your work on these videos and thank you to your patrons
Really underrated points about the supposed and overstated influence of oil companies and interests compared to other interests and motivations. Refreshing!
My mom worked on the 94th floor. Its a strange feeling that you just showed everybody her death
Literally everybody who has seen this video has seen the last seconds my mom was alive and even see what ended her. Weird
I remember hearing President Bush announce the invasion on the radio when I was a kid and how much it scares the living crap out of me for some reason
Can't wait to watch this later in the weekend. (And boo! on demonetization)
I was at my sister's house off Prescott Ave in Modesto taking a shower when the Gulf War broke out, and working at Holiday in as a bell hop. Good stuff.
45:51 Steve Coll not David Coll as you call him. It has Steve Coll written at the bottom of your exert of his book plus it says Steve Coll not David Coll on the front of the book you held up
Wake up babe new casual historian vid dropped
Excellent work, some nice expansion on The world Fact Book.
I have four questions if you would please.
1. What percentage of oil supplied to the US came from the Gulf ?
2. If that percentage was reduced to zero how would that affect the price per gallon to the US population and what would the flow on effect be ?
3. Did the Kurds believe they were part of Iraq ?
4. You mentioned
" disputed oil fields.." How many oil wells in Kuwait were very close to the Iraqi border dropped, with the intent, to move under the border into Iraq's territory tapping Iraqi oil ?
I ask you as your black and white pursuit of facts and vision to see between lines is admirable.
Thank You in advance.
I was born 1/13/91. My dad watched the beginning of Desert Storm from the waiting room.
Your detail is very much appreciated!
Shoutout to the casual historian from Lebanon 🇱🇧
Great video man!
thanks
Under ottoman Kuwait was a district that belonged to the province of Basra. That's historical fact. Even the university of Kuwait admits to this.
Stop lying! All kuwaiti literature doesn’t say that. All iraqis have failed to prove this in anyway
@@alibloushi5749 I refer you to a book published by the university of Kuwait in the
وثاق تاريخية
مركز دراسات الخليج و الجزيره في جامعه الكويت
Page.57 62...... Read it yourself.
Kuwait, Iraq, and the rest of the Arab world need to thank the English for even establishing your countires.
The Ottomans claimed land all the way down to Bahrain but they did not have de facto jurisdiction south of the city of Basra. To say Kuwait is part of Basra is like saying Bahrain is part of Basra , which is absurd.
@@cpsoud Kuwait was a district that belonged under the administration of the province of Basra under ottoman rule. That is historical fact. The ottoman documents still exist that prove this.
@@Nebuchadnezzar18 Kuwait was never part of the Ottoman Empire unlike the city of Basra, Kuwait didn’t pay taxes to the ottomans nor did they serve in the ottoman military nor did they have Turkish governors appointed by the sultan like in Baghdad and Basra. Instead they have a sheikh from the al-Sabah dynasty starting from 1752.
Good, thorough work. Thanks!
This is a strange one, because I can tell you exactly where I was on August 2nd 1990.
It's on my shellback certificate. I was crossing the equator for the first time on a US Navy destroyer, eating a grape out of a fat man's belly button as a part of my initiation.
1990 I was 6. I remember watching desert storm when they attacked Baghdad at night. Was nuts
*Awesome post, like your detailed comments and reference materials. Subbed you immediately after watching this video.*
Good vid, thanks.
Picture is of the wrong John Kelly though, you’re speaking of John Hubert Kelly, Bush’s Asst Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs not the General whose picture you showed.
👏👏👏 thanks for the vid 💯
My dad was in the Marines at the time, though he didn’t fight in the Gulf War as he was stationed in Japan and the Philippines
The picture you posted of general Kelly when talking about meeting with saddam huessien. Is wrong. The picture you posted is John F. Kelly who I know personally. You're talking about John H. Kelly.
9:07
In 1948, the US imposed an inembargo on Israel.
In 1967, Israel and the US weren't even allies, and it had no support.
In 1973, the tides turned over for Israel before the American aid.
I was soldier in West German Army at that time and we had to guard US baracks in Bavaria, which were just up the street from our own army baracks.
So I remember it very well - for the first time we ran around all day with live ammunition (battle rifle HK G3) and were often at the shooting range, exercising with all kind of weapons (including Panzerfaust, machine gun MG3 - which is like German MG42 from WW2, hand granades, pistol P8). I guess that German government counted at that time with the possibility that German soldiers will have to go to war - at that time our army had over 3000 main battle tanks (today only 350-400).
Fantastic subject choice here! Like you were reading my mind. And very well done.
As a Kuwaiti everything in this video is absolutely correct im glad you studied this very well.
May the Kuwaiti and American friendship and cooperation continue.
Much love from Kuwait
Are going to get a video on the second gulf war in 2003?
The good ole days where the two major parties actually debated in attempt to balance the budget.
In an interview shortly before the invasion and after being told by Saddam of his multiple issues with Kuwait and his plan to invade U.S. Ambassador April Glaspie told Saddam, ‘[W]e have no opinion on the Arab-Arab conflicts, like your border disagreement with Kuwait.’
The U.S. State Department had earlier told Saddam that Washington had ‘no special defense or security commitments to Kuwait.’
I address this in the video, and the series of events you're describing is based on the Iraqi transcripts, which omit Glaspie's words expressing concern about Iraq's conduct.
@@CasualHistorian So your choice on the right side of this is by taking the word of Glaspie and company? What if they are lying, it does happen, way too often. And even so, sure seems like they should have picked up on an obvious need for clarity instead of sitting back and letting Iraq jump into a setup.
@@CasualHistorian I remember reading about this from the BBC at the time, as I recall. At least one British journalist was in attendance and "gobsmacked" at her words waiting for subsequent clarification out of Washington DC that never came, reportedly.
I always felt Saddam took America at it's word and believed he had a green light.
Also the speech where saddam talks about burning half of Israel. As followes
"if Israel attacks our industrial sector we will let the fire burn half of Israel" I remember watching that speech live. It's also on TH-cam.
31:20 The "foreign scientist" was a Canadian man named Gerald Bull, and he was actually an engineer, not a scientist.
you look good and healthy man! Great video as always
Because George Bush said 'your beef with Kuwait is not my concern' when Sadam asked what did the USA think about a military operation against Kuwait.
Secretary of state said: we have no dog in that fight.
He does cover that in the video, it looks like the U.S. was not prepared to go to war over a border dispute and would prefer the Arabs to solve their problems peacefully amongst themselves which is fine Saddam just wasn't interested in a border realignment he wanted it all. I don't think the theory of the U.S. giving Saddam a blank cheque and then betraying him stands.
@@markgrehan3726 Even 3 days after the Iraqi Invasion the Bush administration still did not care. They said it wasn't there concern. It wasn't until Margret Thatcher flew to Washington and talked to Bush the USA flipped on Iraq. You can believe what you want and you will believe what is necessary to maintain your belief about America and therefore yourself as an American, but the the facts are against you. The idea that Washington wasn't aware that Saddam would invade after getting our green light after everything that happened he did in the 1970s and 1980s (0ften with our backing) is simply crazy.
@@posmoo9790 But I'm not American, just someone who watched the video but thank you for allowing me to believe what I want.
@@markgrehan3726 your country didn't participate?
I just stumbled on you. Great content. Subscribed
When I saw the name of the channel and clicked on the video I was shocked to see you aren't Simon.
Why did Sadam Hussein invaded Kuwait? Because he was So Damn Insane
He genuinely believed that the US will support him just like they supported him in his invasion of Iran
Wonder if anyone remembers that Condoleezza Rice visited Sadaam when he told her about his plan to invade Kuwait. Sadaam asked her on air, if the USA would intervene on Kuwait's side, her answer was America will not interfere in Arab's wars'' So, she set him up'
Tone deaf take on Israel's power over the US. You cannot understand this topic from your position...
I remember this time well man I was 18 that fall geeze Louise time flies
please add time stamps to the video description
The Kuwaiti trade minister told Saddam that they were drinking his milkshake and he didn't take it well.
[Saddam]: “You Americans can’t handle losing ten thousand men in a single battle!”
[Stormin’ Norman]: “I don’t plan on it, but you should.”
Really enjoyed listening to this with my headphones on at work.
Subbed and looking forward to listening to part 2
TLDR: US, UK and allies did not want iraq to get nukes, and iraq was in heavy debt
Man, I admire you a lot.
Glaspie didn't give him the impression that the US wouldn't get involved then? As has been popularly suggested for decades.
Not a single primary source backs up the claim that Glaspie, in any way, gave Saddam a green light. Even Iraqi sources don't support it. Only the abridged version of the meeting released by Saddam even implies it.
27:15 thats not the right John Kelly. The picture you have is of one of Trumps cabinet members. The John Kelly you're talking about is a career diplomate that died in 2011.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hubert_Kelly
I have a book coming out this year. I was a steward on the BA Flight 149. I'm a contributor to Stephen Davis' book Operation Trojan horse. There is a new documentary coming out by Sky TV called Flight 149.
Actually a pretty good analysis. There were news reports all summer that Saddam was threatening war. Saddam had a legitimate complaint about Kuwait. Iraq needed higher oil prices in order to rebuild after the Iran-Iraq War. Kuwait kept cheating on OPEC agreed-upon production quotas, forcing the price down. In summer 1990, oil was $11 a barrel. Saddam fashioned himself as OPEC's "enforcer," who would destroy Kuwait's ability to overproduce. And he did. George Bush was criticized throughout the media for continuing to vacation at Kennebunkport while tanks rolled into Kuwait.
Saddam's Baathist Party was a secular political party and his war with Iran was supported by the USA. The USA even gave Saddam gas shells to use on Iran. When it then became obvious the Iraqis didn't know how to aim the poison gas, we lent them Marines to help out. Afterward, Saddam's henchmen took liking to poison gas. They developed their own weapons and then used them on Kurdish civilians, killing about 5,000. The gassing of the Kurdish civilians was the 1988 event that turned Washington against Saddam. Games without frontiers, war without tears.
11:50 i don't think anyone would call faisal an extravagant. You must mean Saud his older brother who ruled before him.
Besides, the shah was the most extravagant monarch i can think of.
40:40 Kuwait is a sheikhdom, not a kingdom, though the ruler is titled Emir but was a shiekh historically. A kingdom is more prestigious and bigger in terms of arabian titles and states. Kuwait was never a kingdom.
A kingdom doesn’t necessarily mean more prestigious or more titles it’s just a different name for a monarchy. Look at Bahrain for example which transitioned into a kingdom from a sheikdom in 2002 but it didn’t gain anymore prestige nor titles.
Yeah ... oil companies have no say in US foreign policy ... not even the the Arab-American Company or the Persian-British (later Iranian-British ... later British Petroleum) Company. Granted that both Trumann and Eisenhower had a more correct (actions and words on the same side) policy. I really know very little of US/British policy in the region before the late 1970s or around the time I started watching nightly news.
Yes, the US sold a lot of chemicals and dual-use technology to Saddam. The US also supplied the satellite images Saddam used for his chemical weapons attack.
Yes, it was (also) about aiding Iran to fight Iraq - the US was doing dual containment. Dual containment involves aiding both sides so as to weaken both sides.
You'll soon find a job at the George Marshall Foundation!
(btw, I don't think Gen. Marshall would be that happy if he knew what's being done under his name)
Where is Part 2 ?
It's currently in a Google doc waiting to be written.
The Iran Iraq war went on for 9 years,not 8....it may not have been 9 full calender years but it began in 1980 and ended in 1988....that spans NINE years.....1980 was year 1,1981 was year 2,1982 was year 3 and so on so by the time we get to 1988 we are at year 9 .....with 1989 being the 10th and final year of the decade@CasualHistorian
Please normalize the volume levels of the clips in your videos. I don't need to wake up to Jimmy Carter screaming at me.
8:14 Ad skip
What are the numbers in the top right?
Those are footnotes that tell you what sources I'm citing at that point of the video. You can check the description to see what sources the numbers refer to.
@@CasualHistorian Thank you for the quick responce
Where did the beard go?
Remember that girl who said that iraq soldiers threw babies to the floor to die at that hospital?
Ty for allowing me to skip the the ads
Pretty good piece, my friend, I’m not sure if I could’ve said it better? Thorough, concise and complete.
21:15 says it all hahaha
Not sure why Saddam would make claims to older Turkish possessions to justify his invasion, lol
Because he took what would suit him and discarded what didn’t suit him. Territorial acquisition, financial gain and obtaining power in geo-politics are some terms he was prepared to use to his advantage.
I give you credit, you took an over-covered, boring, tale, a tale that reminds us all the first time when we realized that having our children recite the pledge of allegiance so blindly , might not be such a good idea, your diligence, sense of timing, and contect have made this piece worth watching.
The claim made by Abdul Karim Qassim was just a pinch to put the Kuwaitis back into their place, this was probably recommended by the British, Humphrey Trevelyan the ambassador there from ‘58 to ‘61 called him our man in Baghdad during an interview with Abdullah Alnafisi, he was also shown pictures of Humphrey and Abdul Karim in the pool.
LMAO at the oil companies thinking Israel would loosen its grip on the United States .
Kuwait should of been part of Iraq from the beginning. The British did them wrong. How can you export oil without a deep water port?
Most wars are about resources. Oil is one most fought over resources. The British are blamed for many divide and conquer subdivision
To repay debts and loot
Love ur content❤❤
I grew up in the Iran-Iraq war ( 1980-1988 ) and I eye witnessed Saddam’s crimes during that time.
حدثني عن جراءمكم الان في العراق
وسابقا بسوريا واليمن...
27:48 turns out he was right. Who voted America to be the policeman of Central Asia I missed that bit
When the British were carving up the former Ottoman Empire they failed to provide Iraq with something every other state on the Gulf possesses - a deep water seaport.
At General Scwartzkopf''s urging, Kuwait refused to lease unihsbited marshlands which would have made a secure port possible for Iraq at Umm Qasr. Kuwait was also overproducing oil from shared fields. Milton Viorst reported sbout these provocations at the time.
Norman wanted to be the greatest General since Patton,
Slant drilling,
This is what happens when people play politics, not understanding real geo-political situation of Middle East. British & American imperialist and corporates were all about power, money, control and all about self interest at the expense of people of those nations. I’m not defending Islamists, but it fuelled and justified religious texts that said this is what happens when Kaffir has power over Political Islam.
As a consequence the indigenous Christian and non Muslim people of those nations were in the target of these Islamists. It was easy target, the stupidity and most of moslem people of those nations that shared neighbours with Christian, Jews & Shia were easily manipulated to turn against them. Even to the point where they targeted cultures once the other religious groups left like Kurdish residents. This mess is part of the End of Days that Bible is talking about.
Difference between US Forces in Pacific in WWII and Korea and then subsequent Vietnam wars, was simple. America was in a direct threat of Japan and were attacked in Pearl Harbour. It’s military, air and naval forces were destroyed, sunk or annihilated. Because of this WWII was fully justified on that basis.
You should make a video on iraq after the Gulf War leading up to the 2003 invasion
But then they realized Iraq was close to Russia.