Case 171 - Forging Consensus: The Western Alliance and the Invasion of Kuwait

Gibbons, Earl F.

This case study covers the period from Iraq’s August 2, 1990, invasion of Kuwait to September 15, 1990, when Great Britain and France independently announced their intentions to deploy large contingents of ground forces to Saudi Arabia. Events are traced along a single dimension:-the building of the military coalition. The study asks participants to consider three broad questions: The appropriateness and character of U.S. hegemonic leadership; burden-sharing and the rights and responsibilities of allies; and the character of post-Cold War cooperation.

The following case studies could usefully be assigned along with this one: “Diplomacy during the Persian Gulf War” (Case Study 169) and “The Kuwait Crisis: Sanctions, Negotiation, and the Decision to Go to War” (Case Study 164).