Opposition to War
"Can't remember a worse time... On 16 January 1991, the United States, with support from Britain and the other Coalition powers, launched a massive military attack on Iraq. The so-called '1990-91 Gulf War' was in actual fact a one sided slaughter. By the time it officially finished on 28 February 1991, an estimated quarter of a million people had been killed, most of them Iraqi civilians and conscripts."
("1990-1991: Resistance to the Gulf").
People opposed to the war believed the United States wanted access to Middle East's vast oil supply MORE for economic gain than to help Kuwaitis. This portrayed the United States as imperialists, rather than responsible defenders of human and sovereign rights("Persian Gulf War").
"Despite the diversity of the antiwar movement, several common themes emerge in Madison's protest literature. Perhaps the most prevalent criticism was the economic nature of American involvement. Madison's antiwar protesters commonly portrayed US involvement in the Gulf War as nothing more than the cynical protection of American economic interests--in particular the Persian Gulf's vast oil supplies."
("1990-1991: Resistance to the Gulf").
The United States, while driving Iraq out of Kuwait, still left Saddam Hussein in power in Iraq. Some opponents of America's first Gulf War believed we went too far, while others asserted we did not go far enough. ("The Gulf War").
Cost of War and Amount of Casualties of U.S. Troops
The U.S. Department of Defense has estimated the cost of the Gulf War at $61 billion.
Less than 500 American Troops died in the Persian Gulf War
("Gulf War Casualties by Name").
Less than 500 American Troops died in the Persian Gulf War
("Gulf War Casualties by Name").
