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St. Augustine's Just War Theory And The Persion Gulf War

On August 2nd, 1990 the first Iraqi tanks crossed into Kuwait, as part of

an invasion that marked the start of a six-month conflict between the

United States and Iraq. These tanks were ordered to invade Kuwait by Saddam

Hussein, the ruthless dictator of Iraq. The Iraqi troops looted Kuwaiti

businesses and brutalized Kuwaiti civilians. Saudi Arabia began to fear

that they may be invaded as well, and on August 7th they formally asked

President Bush for US assistance. The US pledged to defend the Saudis, and

to remove the Iraqis from Kuwait. Great masses of troops from many

different nations were deployed in the Persian Gulf area. At 4:30 PM EST on

January 16, 1991, the first aircraft with orders to attack Iraqi targets

were launched from Saudi Arabia, marking the beginning of Operation Desert

Storm.

Dictators like Mr. Hussein cannot be allowed to take advantage of smaller

countries like bullies after lunch money. There has to be someone to stop

them, or they will gain more and more power and land, just as Adolf Hitler

tried to do in World War II. That someone, in the case of Mr. Hussein, was

the United States, along with a multinational coalition. The US had just

cause in entering a war against Iraq because of Iraq's invasion of the

small and defenseless nation of Kuwait. Actions such as that must be

repulsed. Iraq had no just cause in invading Kuwait; their reasons were

either obscure or for their benefit. The US had to help Kuwait regain their

nation.

In protecting the Saudis from invasion and removing the Iraqis from Kuwait

the US had the right intention. The real reason the US decided to fight the

Iraqis was to restore Kuwait's government and to defend Saudi Arabia. There

was no underlying reason, such as to receive better prices on oil or to

make the Kuwaitis indebted to the US so as to receive favors. Throughout

the war, the US made clear their purpose and intent in fighting the Iraqis,

and not once did they stray from it....