Winning a Real Victory Over Iraq

Publication Date: February 1991

Publisher: Heritage Foundation (Washington, D.C.)

Author(s): James A. Phillips

Research Area: Government; Military and defense

Keywords: National security

Type: Report

Coverage: Kuwait Iraq

Abstract:

Now that Iraqi forces appear to be trapped in a steadily tightening noose, they should not be allowed to escape a humiliating defeat. A face-saving settlement that prolongs Saddam’s rule will perpetuate Iraq as a radical and destabilizing force in the Middle East and raise the long-term American and allied costs of containing the Iraqi threat. The U.S. should stay the course in Kuwait and inflict a crushing defeat on Saddam Hussein that will shake his hold on power and deter future Saddams from challenging vital U.S. interests. Given Saddam’s determination to fight the “mother of all battles” against the allies, the U.S. now should impose the “mother of all defeats” on Saddam.