History Fact Finder | War and Conflict: Twentieth Century - What Did U.S. President George Bush Mean When He Said The United States Had To "Draw A Line In The Sand"?

What did U.S. President George Bush mean when he said the United States had to "draw a line in the sand"?

U.S. President George Bush (1924– ) was responding to an act of aggression by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein (1937– ), who ordered Iraqi troops to invade neighboring Kuwait on August 2, 1990. The line "in the sand" was drawn when Iraq failed to comply with the United Nations order to withdraw troops from Kuwait by January 15, 1991. (The United Nations is an international organization that promotes peace and democracy, or government by the people, throughout the world.) The line that Hussein crossed was soon defended: On January 16, 1991, the United States and its allies launched Operation Desert Storm to defend the Arab nation of Kuwait against Iraq. Hussein, a military dictator (one who wields absolute power through the military), had not only invaded Kuwait but proclaimed it a new Iraqi province....

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