Why Did the United States Enter the Persian Gulf War? Civics Question 114

The United States entered the Persian Gulf War to force the Iraqi military from Kuwait.

Question 114 asks why the United States entered the Persian Gulf War. There is one accepted answer: to force the Iraqi military from Kuwait. Say that sentence and stop. You do not need the years, the name of the operation, or the names of any leaders.

What Happened

Kuwait is a small country on the Persian Gulf, next to a much larger neighbor, Iraq. In August 1990 Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait and took control of it.

The United States led a large group of countries that demanded Iraq pull out. Iraq stayed, and the coalition began an air campaign in January 1991, followed by a ground attack. Iraqi forces were driven out of Kuwait within weeks and Kuwait was restored to its own government.

Why the Officer Asks This

This is the last of the five questions on the list that ask why the country entered a war, questions 101, 106, 110, 111 and 114, and it is the only one from the end of the century. The reasons behind the others do not carry over to it.

The wars in questions 110 and 111 were fought over communism. This one was fought over a border. The Cold War was ending as this war began, and the answer reflects that.

How to Remember It

Two country names, one sentence: Iraq out, Kuwait free. The answer names the country that invaded and the country that was invaded, in that order.

The name of the war helps as well. The Persian Gulf is the water both countries sit on, so the name points you to the region and the region points you to the two names you need.

Common Ways People Get This Wrong

The most common miss is answering “to stop the spread of communism.” That sentence belongs to questions 110 and 111, and it does not apply here.

The other mix-up is the later war in Iraq that began in 2003. This question is about the war of the early 1990s, the one fought to push Iraqi forces out of Kuwait.

What to Say on Test Day

Say “to force the Iraqi military from Kuwait.” Then stop.

You do not need the dates, the coalition, or anything about what came afterward. The sentence on the list is the answer.