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 2: The Storm
As the Iraqi army digs into Kuwait, the world considers how to respond to Saddam Hussein’s breach of national sovereignty. President George H.W. Bush vows that the aggression “will not stand” and begins assembling an international coalition to force a withdrawal. Invited into Saudi Arabia, the recently reformed American military prepares for an eventual confrontation with Iraq’s battle-hardened forces. Meanwhile, a hostage crisis unfolds and a domestic debate threatens to fracture Bush’s Coalition.
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.
Baudrillard, Jean. The Gulf War Did Not Take Place. 1991.
Bergen, Peter L. The Rise and Fall of Osama bin Laden. 2021.
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.
Engel, Jeffrey A. When the World Seemed New.
Finlan, Alastair. The Gulf War 1991. 2003.
Gordon, Michael R. Trainer, Bernard E. The General’s War. 1995.
“The Gulf War” / FRONTLINE. PBS. Jan 9, 1996.
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.
Lockwood, Stuart. 2015 June 5. “That’s Me In The Picture”. The Guardian.
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.
Woodward, Bob. 1991, May 4. “Regal Audience for a Forceful Presence”. The Washington Post
Wyndham, Buck. Hogs in the Sand. 2020.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Podcast Episodes
The Partition of India – Part 2: Two Blind Eyes
As the British Raj crumbles, old animosities begin to stir in the subcontinent’s communities. Mohandas Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru face a formidable new adversary in the form of Muhammed Ali Jinnah, who calls for the cre…
The Partition of India – Part 1: End of Empire
In the summer of 1947, the British Raj relinquished its hold over the Indian subcontinent. In its wake, two new nations were created: India and Pakistan. The hastily-drawn border between the countries slashed through com…
Human Error: The Destruction of KAL Flight 007
On September 1st, 1983, a South Korean commercial airliner inexplicably drifted 200 miles off course into restricted Soviet airspace. In response, a Soviet fighter plane intercepted the aircraft, fired two missiles, and…
The Stock Market Crash of 1929 – Part 3: The Music Stops
After weeks of uncertainty and fear, the Great Crash finally arrives on October 24th, 1929. While America’s financial infrastructure burns, Jesse Livermore makes $100 million in a single week. Wall Street’s great cheerle…
History Daily (Special Featured Podcast): “The Start of the Cuban Revolution”
In this special featured episode of History Daily, host Lindsay Graham gives an atmospheric retelling of the events of December 2nd, 1956. On that day, the communist revolutionary Fidel Castro launched the Cuban Revoluti…
The Stock Market Crash of 1929 – Part 2: Age of Illusion
As economic disaster looms in the Fall of ‘29, the American public is blissfully unaware, entranced by stratospheric share prices and the sunny proclamations of Wall Street cheerleaders. Jesse Livermore, the infamous “Bo…
The Stock Market Crash of 1929 – Part 1: To The Moon!
One of the worst financial disasters in history unfolded on Wall Street in late October of 1929. Within a week, 30 billion dollars had disappeared into thin air, leaving the global economy in tatters and heralding the be…
Gore: The Brutal History of Bullfighting
Some revere it as an art form, others revile it as a blood sport, but no matter where you stand, few traditions stir up strong emotions quite like the centuries-old ritual of bullfighting. Born in the villages of rural S…
Ghosts in the Mountains: The Mujahideen Civil War (Part 4)
It’s 1992. The 40th Army is long gone and the Soviet Union has collapsed, but war still rages across Afghanistan. As the Afghan communist regime crumbles, Ahmed Shah Massoud and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar’s forces clash in Kabu…
Ghosts in the Mountains: The Soviet-Afghan War – Part 3
As the CIA wages a covert proxy war against the Soviet 40th Army, the Mujahideen are showered with billions of dollars and cutting-edge weaponry. An old animosity between two prominent Mujahideen commanders – Ahmed Shah…
