What did the Persian Gulf War reveal about U.S. priorities in the post–Cold War era?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answer: The ideal answer should include:
a. George H. W. Bush’s vision of the “new world order” was one in which small countries would be protected from the aggression of other countries.
b. The Persian Gulf War was portrayed as liberating Kuwait from the Iraqi invasion.
c. U.S. involvement in the Persian Gulf War was also motivated by a desire to prevent Saddam Hussein from monopolizing the world’s oil supplies.
d. If Iraq were to expand into Saudi Arabia, as some U.S. policy makers anticipated, Iraq would control the region’s major oil fields, giving Saddam the ability to use oil as political leverage.
e. Secretary of State James Baker predicted that a recession would follow and American jobs would be lost.
f. The war was fought to prevent this from happening and to maintain the American standard of living.