Dependence on oil was the main cause of the Gulf War of 1991. Evaluate this view.

Oil was an important factor for both sides. Saddam owed an enormous war debt to Kuwait following the Iran-Iraq War which Kuwait wanted repaid. Many Iraqis felt that Kuwait was ungrateful as Iraq had suffered to protect the Arab world and wanted Kuwait to dissolve the debt. Saddam also blamed Kuwait for overproduction of oil which led to a fall in prices. He asked all OPEC members to reduce oil production in order to increase the price of crude oil and give Iraq increased revenues.

However, Kuwait increased its quota by 50%. Occupying Kuwait would give him resources to rebuild his army and economy and increase his power. He also accused Kuwait of drilling into the Rumaila oil field territory over the border; this would mean that Kuwait was stealing Iraq’s oil. In early August 1990, he launched his invasion of Kuwait, took over the country and set fire to hundreds of Kuwaiti oil fields.

The UN Security Council passed Resolution 660, condemning the invasion and insisting on a withdrawal of Iraqi troops. The United States and other NATO members feared the potential threat it posed to Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil producer; they were concerned about maintaining the free flow of oil as it was necessary for their prosperity. They sent troops to Saudi Arabia to deter a possible attack and Egypt and several other Arab nations contributed forces to the coalition; this became known as Operation Desert Shield.

The United States demanded Iraq's full, unconditional withdrawal from Kuwait in return for peace, but Iraq insisted that there should be a simultaneous withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon and Israeli troops from the West Bank, Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights, and southern Lebanon. On January 12, 1991, the United States Congress authorized the use of military force to drive Iraq out of Kuwait.

Saddam believed that Kuwait had no right to exist; he considered that historically Kuwait was an integral part of Iraq and it had only come into being because of British imperialism at the end of the nineteenth century. To occupy Kuwait would put right a historical wrong. He regarded Kuwait as the nineteenth province of Iraq. He also demanded that Kuwait’s border with Iraq be adjusted and Kuwait make a further large loan to Iraq.

He accused Kuwait of drilling below the border with Iraq in order to extract huge oil deposits which Iraq claimed as its own. In August 1990, Iraqi troops invaded Kuwait and overran the country in three days. Kuwait’s oil riches would augment Iraq’s power in the Middle East and help Saddam realize his ambition of becoming a regional leader.

Saddam’s misjudgment of the international situation encouraged him not to withdraw from Kuwait. The United Nations Security Council imposed complete trade sanctions on Iraq; Saddam did not expect them to be so successful. He wrongly believed that he could gain Arab support for his actions by agreeing to withdraw from Kuwait when the Israelis withdrew their forces from the West Bank and Gaza.

Saddam caused further outrage when he detained hundreds of foreigners as hostages and used some as human shields near military targets. Eisenhower had written back in 1957 that if a crisis in the Middle East threatened to cut off the western world from oil, the United States would use force. However, the United States had not intervened to save the Shah of Iran. He did not believe that the United States would act. He was driven out of Kuwait in February; a ceasefire was imposed in March.