Why Did The United States Declare War On Iraq

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As the United States’ and world economy relied on oil, it was important that the production of oil would be protected, and keep a stable flow of oil from the Gulf region. While the United States was protecting its many interests in the Middle East after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, US oil interests were a major influence in the decision to declare war on Iraq. The United States goals were to protect its interests in the region, including the protecting Kuwaiti oil productions, while also liberating Kuwait from their Iraqi invaders and force Iraq to leave the country. Since Kuwait had invested money into the United States, they were obliged to help the leaders of the country, as the United States risked losing these investments if the government …show more content…

Oil was a major interest and influence in declaring war against Iraq after the Kuwait invasion because access to oil was important for keeping the US and world economy stable. If oil exports suddenly dropped, then this would cause the price of oil to increase, making it less affordable and raising prices around the world as the economy is dependent on crude oil as a major source of energy. If the cost of energy were to increase due to a rise in cost of oil, it would cause prices of all products to increase. At the time of the invasion, the United States was importing half the amount of oil it consumes, and losing access to some of that oil would have had major consequences to the economy. The United States declared war on Iraq to prevent them from gaining control of oil productions, which would allow them to cease exports to the US or other countries. Keeping US access to oil from the Persian Gulf was extremely important, as the economy was mostly dependent on the imports of crude oil, and played a major role in declaring war on Iraq. If imports from the region fell, it would have had drastic impacts on