hes which include Iraqi missiles fired at Kuwaiti oilinstallations and the reflagging of Kuwaiti oil tankers during the Iran-Iraq War in which U.S. ships patrolled the Persian Gulf and Kuwaiti tankerswere reflagged with U.S. flags. 1CNN The Gulf War (Video) (Atlanta, CNN News, 75 min., 1991) 4AP Press Toronto Star (January 20, 1991) A18 The Iraqi government had also accused the Kuwaitis of stealing 2.5billion barrels of oil from its Rumaila oil fields by sliding drills intoIraqi oil pipelines. They had also accused Kuwait of exceeding OPEC oilproduction which had dropped the price of oil from $20 a barrel to $13 abarrel in the first six months of 1990. This meant 1 billion dollars lessfor Iraq everytime that price of an oil barrel went down by a dollar.Saddam said he would stop them from continuing aggressive action:"The oilquota violators have stabbed Iraq with poison dagger. Iraqis will notforget the saying that cutting necks is better than cutting means of living.O'God almighty, be witness that we have warned them".1 His foreign ministerTariq Aziz later said in a letter to the Arab league that Kuwait is"systematically, deliberately and continuously" harming Iraq by encroachingon its territory, stealing oil, and destroying its economy.1 "Suchbehaviour amounts to military aggression".1 These were just signs of theDesert Storm to come. 1CNN The Gulf War (Video) (Atlanta, CNN News, 75 min., 1991) Personally, Saddam Hussein had reasons to want to go to war againstthe Western nations. He grew up as young boy hating the British forimprisoning the uncle that had cared for him. Later, he joined the BaathParty which was based on a platform of Arab unity and as a member was sentto try to assassinate General Abdul Karim Qasim who they believed to bevery friendly with the Western nations. By going to war, he hoped to fosterArab unity against the Western nations, like an Islamic holy war againstthe "infidels". He also believed th...
