The Lowdown: A Short History of the First Gulf War: (The Lowdown)

This is a concise history of Saddam's road to ruin - the denouement of Iraq. "The Lowdown: A Short History of the First Gulf War" gives an explanation of the causes of the Gulf War in 1990-91 and how the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s shaped the political and diplomatic landscape that led to a confrontation between President Saddam Hussein of Iraq and a world coalition led by the United States. At the end of the Iran-Iraq War in 1988, Iraq was in significant debt. Saddam coveted Kuwait's vast oil revenues and considered using his vast and seasoned army to get them. He presumed that there would be little resistance to an invasion - a dreadful miscalculation. When Iraqi forces poured into Kuwait, much of the world united against them. The First Gulf War opened a new chapter in the region's politics, bringing together the Arab states and the Western world. Yet, ultimately, it was a war that convinced Saddam to continue his defiance of the West and to exercise even greater ruthlessness to stay in power - a situation which led to the Coalition invasion of Iraq in 2003. After that 2003 onslaught, many speculated as to what had gone wrong in the first Gulf War. Why had Saddam been able to survive? What was it that drove him to continue to snub the world and pursue his objectives so aggressively? "The Lowdown: A Short History of the First Gulf War" considers these questions, examines the character and experiences of Saddam himself, revisiting the First Gulf War in light of more recent events.

Table of Contents:
Introduction: The Gulf War Part 1: The Invasion of Kuwait Part 2: Desert Storm Part 3: The Causes of War Part 4: The Rise of Saddam Hussein Part 5: Saddam's War Part 6: Disciplining the Iraqi People Part 7: Saddam's War Crimes Part 8: Saddam's Victory Part 9: The Gulf Crisis, 1990 Part 10: The Road to War Part 11: Desert Shield to Desert Sabre Part 12: The Hundred Hour War Part 13: Looking Back

About the Author :
DR ROB JOHNSON is Deputy Director of the Oxford Changing Character of War Programme and Lecturer in the History of War at the University of Oxford. His primary research interests are Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and Iraq, and his work includes conventional military operations, irregular warfare and counter-insurgency, as well as intelligence and strategy. He lectures on the History of War in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Century, and is a specialist on Afghanistan. Rob Johnson's recent publications include: The Iran-Iraq War (Palgrave, 2010); How to Win on the Battlefield (Thames and Hudson, 2010), and Oil, Islam and Conflict (Reaktion, 2008).

Review :
'As Saddam Hussein intended, the Gulf War of 1990-1991 took the world by surprise. Hoping that no one would either notice or oppose his invasion of Kuwait, Saddam miscalculated, and a sleeping lion called The Coalition awakened. In less than two hours, the author paints a big-picture view of the Persian Gulf conflict, with a little history before and after. British narrator John Simpson enunciates clearly, smartly aiding listener comprehension. Simpson inflects his speech to a pleasing conversational tone, thus avoiding the droning monotony too often heard in nonfiction. This wise combination of brevity and skilled reader should appeal to many listeners'. J.A.H. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine.