Bush I

Gulf War

Faced with massive debts and low oil prices in the aftermath of the Iran–Iraq War, Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein decided to conquer the country of Kuwait, a small, oil-rich country situated on Iraq's southern border. After Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990, Bush imposed economic sanctions on Iraq and assembled a multi-national coalition opposed to the invasion. Some in the administration feared that a failure to respond to the invasion would embolden Hussein to attack Saudi Arabia or Israel. Robert Gates attempted to convince Brent Scowcroft that Bush should tone down the rhetoric but Bush insisted it was his primary concern to discourage other countries from "unanswered aggression". Bush also wanted to ensure continued access to oil, as Iraq and Kuwait collectively accounted for 20% of the world's oil production, and Saudi Arabia produced another 26% of the world's oil supply.