COULD KING HUSSEIN HAVE STOPPED SADDAM HUSSEIN?
By Nick Gier, Professor Emeritus, University of Idaho ngier@roadrunner.com Queen Noor and Former King Hussein of Jordan As we approach the 19th anniversary of Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait on August 2, I’d like to focus on the role that King Hussein of Jordan played in trying to avoid this disastrous turn of events. President George H. W. Bush “drew a line in the sand” and insisted the Iraqi forces be withdrawn. Saddam Hussein resisted all efforts to change his mind, so in early 1991 the U.S., along with 33 other countries (including 11 Muslim nations), restored Kuwaiti sovereignty during a 42-day air and ground campaign. Because of fear that Saddam would invade Saudi Arabia as well as Kuwait, the Saudi government allowed the stationing of U.S. and British troops in the country. On August 6, 1990, Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney assured the Saudis that “after the danger is over, our forces will go home.” No formal agreement was ever signed with the Saudis, and U.S. forces, risin
