The drones fired by Iraqi militia at Saudi oil facilities this week are a reminder of times when the Gulf states’ northern neighbor presented an even greater threat.
On August 2, 1990, Iraqi tanks rolled across the Kuwait border. Six months later, a US-led coalition that included tens of thousands of Gulf troops forced them out. In 2003, the US returned to topple Saddam Hussein’s regime, this time without Gulf countries’ active participation.
That left a political vacuum in Iraq, which Iran later filled. The Gulf deepened its alliance with Washington, giving Tehran an argument to strike the region. For Kuwait, the anniversary comes as it is attacked once more by Iran and its proxies in Iraq. The response, much like in 1990, is to buy more US kit: the country purchased $2 billion worth of American air defense systems last month.