Conflicted: A History Podcast
Untangling history’s greatest controversies. Every month, we take a hard look at the historical conflicts that raise difficult questions, stoke controversy, and send our moral compasses spinning.
The Gulf War 1991 – Part 1: Lines in the Sand
On August 2, 1990, Saddam Hussein invaded the tiny emirate of Kuwait. The resulting conflict triggered a chain reaction that changed the world. In this first installment in a three-part series, we trace the origins of the Kuwait crisis, chronicle Saddam’s rise to power in Iraq, and explore America’s symbiotic relationship with the Persian Gulf.
SOURCES:
Aburish, Said K. Saddam Hussein: The Politics of Revenge. 2000.
Atkinson, Rick. Crusade: The Untold Story of the Gulf War. 1993.
Al-Radi, Nuha. Baghdad Diaries. 1998.
Charles Rivers Editors. The Gulf War. 2018.
Coll, Steve. Ghost Wars. 2004.
Coll, Steve. Branigin, William. “US scrambled to shape view of ‘Highway of Death’”. 3.11.1991.
Corrigan, Jim. Desert Storm Air War. 2017.
Coughlin, Con. Saddam: His Rise and Fall. 2005.
Dunnigan, James F. Macedonia, Raymond M. Getting It Right. 1995.
Finlan, Alastair. The Gulf War 1991. 2003.
Gordon, Michael R. Trainer, Bernard E. The General’s War. 1995.
Hallion, Richard P. Desert Storm 1991. 2022.
Hiro, Dilip. Desert Shield to Desert Storm: The Second Gulf War. 1991.
Hiro, Dilip. Cold War in the Islamic World. 2018.
Karsh, Efraim. The Iran-Iraq War, 1980-1988. 1989.
Karsh, Efraim. Rautsi, Inari. Saddam Hussein. A Political Biography. 1991.
Khadduri, Majid. Ghareeb, Edmund. War in the Gulf, 1990-1991. 1999.
Mufson, Steven. 1990 Aug 6. “Kuwait Assets Form Vast, Frozen Empire”. The Washington Post.
Murray, Williamson. Woods, Kevin M. The Iran-Iraq War. 2014.
Meacham, Jon. Destiny and Power. 2015.
Morris, David J. Storm on the Horizon. 2004.
Riedel, Bruce. Kings and Presidents: Saudi Arabia and the United States. 2019.
Swofford, Anthony. Jarhead. 2003.
Wyndham, Buck. Hogs in the Sand. 2020.
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With the Nika Riots behind them, Justinian and Theodora rebuild Constantinople and pursue a bold new agenda for the Byzantine Empire. Belisarius sails to war against the Vandal Kingdom. John the Cappadocian seeks to driv…
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