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Primary Sources In The Gulf War

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To see what occurred in events we were not present for we turn to various form of media. Commonly, we see primary sourced media that may not always be truthful. To demonstrate the biases that can be found in primary sources, the primary sources must first be analysed and then compared to secondary sources, which have been written after extensive research and collaboration. Primary sources alone should not be relied upon to provide clear and unbiased views of historical events as demonstrated by these documents. This essay will be focused on the events of the Gulf War with an analysis of primary sources such as the National Security Directive (45), a personal recount of a British Tornado pilot’s - John Peters - time as a hostage in Iraq, and …show more content…

When Iraq did not allow for UN inspectors to arrive, the United States invaded, forcing Iraq to allow the inspectors in. This resolution forced Iraq to give up their chemical and nuclear weaponry and also forced them to restore Kuwait’s independence and government. The United States was ready to go to war with them though they preferred to have the United Nations on their side. The United States was and still is one of the United Nations most powerful members and so it is clear that the reason that the United Nations interfered in the Gulf War to appease …show more content…

Aoude. It states that the “Iran-Iraq war had served US interests. It weakened both Iran and Iraq and devastated their economies. Iran [ended up with] mountains of debt, which compelled Saddam Hussein to…. [invade and occupy] Kuwait.” This led to the Gulf War. Essentially, this document discusses the tendency of the United States to ‘cause chaos’. Sources such as this news article from the NY Times reveal that the United States actively yet secretly interfered in the Iran-Iraq war which then led to the Gulf War. The article states,
“…questions about the White House's often-stated insistence in the early 1980's that it was remaining neutral in the Iran-Iraq war, since the United States was arming both sides in its desire to see neither side dominate the vital oil region.
…American arms, technology and intelligence helped Iraq … into the regional power that invaded Kuwait… sparking the Persian Gulf war ...”
This can lead one to believe that the United States was vying for its own interests in both wars and was arguably one of the causes for the second. None of this was mentioned in any of the primary sources used and shows that primary sources only show the surface of what happened and how secondary sources are necessary for the truth. This ties into the primary source, United Nations and the Second Gulf War: Security Council Resolution #687 as it mentions how eager the United

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