During the first two weeks of the US-led air campaign, the Allies dropped more conventional explosives on Iraq and Kuwait than in the whole of 310-week long World War II. How was it that Saddam Hussein had failed to draw the right lesson from the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War: the United States would never allow an unfriendly nation to dominate the Gulf, containing two-thirds of the global oil reserves? And how was President George Bush able to assemble and hold together a formidable Coalition of 28 Western and Muslim countries fielding 750,000 troops and an unparalleled military machine in the region? In this lucid and perceptive narrative and analysis, Dilip Hiro lays bare the complex political-economic motivation and diplomatic maneuvering that preceded the 42-day conflict. He shows how Saddam made a catastrophic miscalculation by invading Kuwait to punish it for undermining Iraq s economy by depressing oil price by flooding the international market. Containing maps, a chronology of events, extensive source notes, and all relevant Security Council resolutions, this books is a comprehensive and objective chronicle of the 20th century s last major conventional war as well as an invaluable aid to the understanding of contemporary history and Middle Eastern affairs.