Secondary 4 Social Studies Notes
Chapter 1: Managing Peace & Security: Regional & International Conflict (Part I)
Key issues / Content Focus
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
How conflict in one region can affect the rest of the
world
Case study of Iraq-Kuwait conflict (1990-91)
- causes of conflict
- role of UN
- impact on the rest of the world
-
analyze causes of conflict
evaluate role of UN
evaluate impact of conflict on nations involved
and the rest of the world
Taken from http://www.seab.gov.sg/SEAB/oLevel/syllabus/2008_GCE_O_Level_Syllabuses/2192_2008.pdf
1
Secondary 4 Social Studies Notes
Chapter 1: Managing Peace & Security: Regional & International Conflict (Part I)
Introduction
Population:
- The largest group of people in
the Middle East is the Arabs.
Geographical Location:
- The Middle East refers to a
region that covers parts of
o Northern
…………………………………………………………………………………………..
Africa
o Soutwest Asia
o Southeast Europe
What is the Middle
East like?
Refer to map on
TB pg 3
Economic Development:
- Great disparity exists with regards to the level of
economic development in the Middle East
- The richest countries in the region are those with
oil reserves such as Saudi Arabia & Kuwait. These
countries have a per capita income of US$23,000.
- However, the poorest countries in the region such
as Sudan & Yemen have per capita income of only
US$800.
 The poorer countries in the Middle East are
resentful of their richer neighbours
 Potential source of conflict in the Middle East
Consider: Think of products that you use daily
that requires oil to produce. Oil is a necessity
for almost all businesses to operate. If oil prices
fluctuate regularly, or is sold at a very high
price, then all sectors of the economy would be
adversely affected  despite this volatility,
economies around the world are still highly
dependant on oil. Why don’t they find or use
other sources of energy to replace oil? Thus
studying about this area is important as our
daily lives are affected by events that happen in
this area.
Religion:
- The main religion in
the Middle East is
Islam.
- Other religions in the
region include
Christianity & Judaism
Strategic Importance of the Middle East to the
World:
I) Oil Reserves
- The Middle East (ME) is one of the most
important oil-producing regions in the world.
- Most of these ME countries are members of
the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting
Countries (OPEC).
- The main aim of OPEC is to stabilize oil
prices in the world by controlling the
amount of oil produced by its members.
II) Trade Route
- The Suez Canal which links Europe to the
Middle East & Asia is located in the Middle
East.
- The Suez Canal is an important trade route for
the transportation of goods & oil around the
world.
 Many countries in the world such as USA &
USSR are very concerned about what goes
on in the Middle East & they would even
intervene at times to safeguard their own
interests
2
Secondary 4 Social Studies Notes
Chapter 1: Managing Peace & Security: Regional & International Conflict (Part I)
HISTORICAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN IRAQ AND KUWAIT
-
Iraq & Kuwait are neighbours that
share a common history & culture in
that both were once under the
Ottoman Empire & British colonies.
1961
- The British granted independence to Kuwait.
- The Iraqis refused to recognize Kuwait’s independence as they claimed that Kuwait was historically
a part of Iraq & was governed under the same territory when they under the Ottoman Empire.
- Iraq claimed sovereignty over Kuwait & sent troops to claim Kuwait in 1961.
- The Iraqis only backed down when the British & other Arab nations sent troops to help Kuwait.
1963
- Iraq gave up its claim over Kuwait given pressure from other Arab nations
as well as receiving a large sum of money from Kuwait.
- However, Iraq still refused to give up on Kuwait & it used its military
power to threaten Kuwait over border disputes several times.
1980s
- Iraq & Kuwait worked with each other. For example, Kuwait helped Iraq by giving it a loan of
US$14 billion during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-88) (refer to TB pg 7 and next page of notes
about this war).
- The Kuwaitis helped Iraq for their own national interests as they were worried that success
of the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979 would lead to a rise of fundamentalism in the
Middle East.
- (Think: why did the Kuwaitis want to prevent the rise of fundamentalism in the region?)
1988 onwards
 Worsening of relations between Iraq & Kuwait
3
Secondary 4 Social Studies Notes
Chapter 1: Managing Peace & Security: Regional & International Conflict (Part I)
Information about the Iran-Iraq War (1980 – 1988)
1979
o
o
Islamic Revolution in Iran: overthrow secularism and monarchy, rejection of Western influences 
spread Fundamentalism: strict adherence to the teachings of the Quran
Problems: if this movement spreads in the region, then trade with Western countries might be affected
 may stop selling oil and close down Western investments in the Middle East  some Middle East
countries saw the need to stop spread of this movement
1980s
o
o
Iraq supported by USA and other Arab nations to use military action against Iran, which would help
them meet their aim of curbing the spread of the Islamic Revolution to the Middle East.
Kuwait provided financial support of US$14 billion loan to Iraq to fight Iran.
End of war
o
o
o
o
o
Both countries were devastated by the effect of the war. It cost Iran an estimated 1 million casualties.
Iraqi casualties are estimated at 250,000-500,000 killed or wounded.
The financial loss was also enormous, at the time exceeding US$600 billion for each country (US$1.2
trillion in total).
The economic cost of war is more profound and long-lasting. Economic development was stalled and oil
exports disrupted. These economic woes were of a more serious nature for Iraq (more than $130 billion
of international debt, excluding the interest, incurred during the war).
Of Iraq’s $130 billion debt, US$67 billion was loaned from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE and Jordan.
Much of the oil industry in both countries was damaged in air raids. Cities on both sides had also been
considerably damaged.
4
Secondary 4 Social Studies Notes
Chapter 1: Managing Peace & Security: Regional & International Conflict (Part I)
Reasons for the Worsening of Relationship between Iraq & Kuwait (Causes of Conflict)
Identify factor
Economic problems
in Iraq related to oil
production and
pricing
Describe factor
(What is the factor all about?)
-
-
-
-
Before the start of the 8 years Iran-Iraq War,
Iraq was a relatively prosperous country with
about US$35 billion in reserves.
However, Iraq was adversely affected by the
war: (1. heavy losses in human lives, 2.
economy was in ruins due to huge debts
owed – money loaned to the purchase of war
equipment & food during the 8-year war, 3.
US$230 billion needed for post-war
reconstruction)
To find ways to repay its heavy debts, get
money for reconstruction & solve its economic
problems, Iraq wanted to earn more revenue
through the sale of oil.
However, oil prices were falling due to
overproduction from some countries & to
prevent a further decline in oil prices, OPEC
imposed quotas on the amount of oil that its
member countries could produce.
Kuwait & the UAE ignored the quotas set &
continued to produce oil way above their
assigned limits.
This resulted in the fall of oil prices from
US$18 to US$7 per barrel. Iraq would lose
US$1 billion from oil sales each time when oil
prices fell by US$1.
Explain factor
(How did the factor lead to a
worsening of relationship between
Iraq & Kuwait?)
90% of Iraq’s revenue was
dependent on the sales of oil 
Iraq lost a lot of revenue due to the
fall in oil prices  Not enough
revenue for reconstruction &
payment of debts  Iraq felt that
Kuwait & UAE were waging an
economic war on Iraq & that they
wanted
to
destroy
Iraq
economically  Iraq was very
angry with Kuwait & the UAE 
Worsening of relations between
Iraq & Kuwait
Territorial disputes
-
Iraq & Kuwait inherited their borders from the
British & some of these borders were not welldefined & they continued to create problems
for Iraq & Kuwait after the 2 states gained
independence.
A) Rumaila oilfield
(Refer to TB pg 8
cartoon on slant
drilling)
-
The unclearly-defined borders between Iraq &
Kuwait resulted in the 2 states sharing the
Rumaila oilfield, a profitable oilfield.
In 1990, Iraq accused Kuwait of stealing oil
from the Iraqi side using slant-drilling
technology but Kuwait insisted that it had only
taken its side of the oil.
Iraq demanded that Kuwait stop drilling oil
from the Rumaila oilfield completely as well as
compensation of US$2.4 billion for the amount
of oil that Kuwait had supposedly taken from
the oilfield.
Kuwait refused as it claimed that it had only
taken oil from its own side of the oilfield.
Iraq felt that Kuwait was stealing oil
from its side of the oilfield & that
would reduce the amount of oil that
Iraq could sell  reduce its
revenue  affect the Iraqi economy
badly  Iraq felt that Kuwait was
trying to damage its economic
interest  Iraq was very angry with
Kuwait  Worsening of relations
between Iraq & Kuwait
Iraq is an almost landlocked country & its only
 Iraq felt that Kuwait was trying
-
-
B) Bubiyan &
-
5
Secondary 4 Social Studies Notes
Chapter 1: Managing Peace & Security: Regional & International Conflict (Part I)
Identify factor
Describe factor
(What is the factor all about?)
Warbah Islands
-
-
-
port is Umm Qasr.
Iraq had a dispute with Kuwait over the
ownership of 2 islands, Bubiyan & Warbah,
which Kuwait inherited from the British.
These 2 islands were important to Iraq
because they are strategically located off the
Iraqi port of Umm Qasr & by controlling the
islands, Kuwait could block off Iraq’s access
to the Persian Gulf. This would in turn affect
Iraq’s oil transportation leading to a drop in oil
revenue for Iraq.
Iraq did not accept Kuwait’s ownership of the
2 islands & had attempted to claim the islands
by force in the 1960s & 1970s but these
attempts failed.
From 1978, Iraq wanted to lease the 2 islands
from Kuwait but failed to reach a suitable
agreement with Kuwait.
Kuwait refused to lease the 2 islands to Iraq
as it feared that this would start further
territorial demands from Iraq & threaten
Kuwait’s sovereignty.
Explain factor
(How did the factor lead to a
worsening of relationship between
Iraq & Kuwait?)
to block its access to the
Persian Gulf  preventing the
Iraqis from transporting oil to
the rest of the world & obtain
revenue from oil sales for
reconstruction & pay its debts
 Iraq felt that Kuwait was
trying to damage its economic
interest  Iraq was very angry
with Kuwait  Worsening of
relations between Iraq &
Kuwait
6
Secondary 4 Social Studies Notes
Chapter 1: Managing Peace & Security: Regional & International Conflict (Part I)
The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait (Immediate Cause of Conflict)
-
-
The Iraqi invasion was a success as the 16000-strong Kuwaiti army was caught by surprise & did not have
enough time to be fully mobilised.
It should be noted that Kuwait never expected that Iraq would invade it & it always saw the deployment of
Iraqi troops along the borders as merely an Iraqi attempt to pressurize Kuwait to give in to its demands (e.g.
to pay for the oil that Kuwait supposedly stole from the Iraqi side of the Rumaila oilfield & to give up control
of the Bubiyan & Warbah Islands).
Although there was some resistance to the Iraqis, Kuwait fell to Iraq within 12 hours of the invasion.
The Iraqi army then moved towards the Saudi Arabia border & stationed themselves there.
Why did the Iraq invade Kuwait?
Identify factor
Describe factor
What is the factor all about?
Explain factor
How did the factor lead to the Iraqi
invasion of Kuwait?
Iraq’s “Official Reason” for the invasion of Kuwait
- The Iraqi government claimed that it had gone into Kuwait because the revolutionaries in Kuwait had invited
the Iraqi forces in to free them from the Kuwaiti government.
7
Secondary 4 Social Studies Notes
Chapter 1: Managing Peace & Security: Regional & International Conflict (Part I)
Identify factor
Saddam Hussein’s
leadership
Describe factor
What is the factor all about?
-
-
Saddam Hussein was also worried that there
would be an uprising against him in Iraq.
The 8-year war with Iran had left the Iraqi
economy & country devastated.
Even though Saddam Hussein claimed that
the war had been a great success, the Iraqis
did not think so because the prices of basic
necessities were extremely high & this had
made Saddam Hussein very unpopular with
the Iraqis.
Furthermore, during the war with Iran, the
Iraqi government had build up an army of a
million personnel to deal with the Iranian
threat & Saddam Hussein was worried that
th
this huge Iraqi army (the 4 largest army in
the world then) would turn against him if the
situation in Iraq failed to improve.
 if Iraq could gain control over
Kuwait, it could control 20% of the
world’s oil production  have
more oil to sell as well as more
control over oil production & oil
prices  guaranteed higher
revenue from oil sales for Iraq 
solve Iraq’s economic problems,
Saddam Hussein would regain
popularity among the Iraqi people
& the huge Iraqi army  Secured
Saddam Hussein’s political power
in Iraq  Iraqi invasion of Kuwait
-
Before the invasion of Kuwait, Saddam
Hussein met up with the American
ambassador (April Glaspie) in July 1990 to
discuss the problems between Kuwait & Iraq.
-
From the meeting, Saddam Hussein believed
that the Americans were sympathetic to the
Iraqi situation & that they were not likely to go
to Kuwait’s aid should anything happen to it.
Glaspie also misunderstood and thought that
Iraq would continue with negotiations
 Saddam Hussein thought that he
would not have to fight US forces
if he attacked Kuwait  more
confident about attacking Kuwait
as he thought that Iraqis would
have a high chance of winning (if
have to fight USA  superior
military  lead to defeat and
further economic problems) 
Iraqi invasion of Kuwait
-
-
Misreading the
position of USA
Saddam Hussein, had always considered
himself as the leader of the Arab world.
However, the Kuwaitis had repeatedly refused
to give in to Iraq’s demands.
For example, since 1978, Kuwait had refused
to lease the 2 islands of Bubiyan & Warbah to
Iraq & in the talks held at Saudi Arabia on 1
August 1990, Kuwait refused to pay for the oil
that the Iraqis claimed that it had stolen from
the Iraqi side of the Rumaila oilfield.
Explain factor
How did the factor lead to the Iraqi
invasion of Kuwait?
 Saddam Hussein saw Kuwait’s
repeated refusal to comply with
Iraq’s demands as a form of
defiance  wanted to teach the
Kuwaitis a lesson & force them to
comply to Iraq’s demands  Iraqi
invasion of Kuwait
-
8
Secondary 4 Social Studies Notes
Chapter 1: Managing Peace & Security: Regional & International Conflict (Part I)
Timeline of Developments in the Iraq-Kuwait conflict
Dates
24 July 1990
Developments / Events
-
Iraq accused Kuwait of attempting to harm it economically by producing too much
oil.
Iraqi troops & tanks were deployed along Kuwait’s borders
1 August 1990
-
Iraq pulled out of the negotiations with Kuwait.
2 August 1990
-
Iraqi invasion of Kuwait
UN condemned Iraq’s actions & demanded that it withdraw its troops
unconditionally from Kuwait.
8 August 1990
-
Operation Desert Shield [led by USA, supported by the West (abt 30
countries) & Arab League]: USA deployed troops & warplanes in Saudi Arabia to
prevent possible Iraqi military operations against the country.
29 Nov 1990
-
UN Security Council issued an ultimatum authorizing military action if Iraq did not
withdraw from Kuwait by 15 January 1991.
30 Nov 1990
-
US President Bush invited Saddam Hussein for joint talks.
15 January 1991
-
Iraq ignored UN ultimatum.
17 January 1991
-
Operation Desert Storm (authorised by UN) began with the invasion of Iraq by
the coalition forces to drive Iraqi troops out of Kuwait.
27 February 1991
-
Coalition forces drove the Iraqis out of Kuwait.
28 February 1991
-
The war ended with Iraqi defeat & it acceptance of all the UN resolutions.
Iraq not invaded / conquered
9
Secondary 4 Social Studies Notes
Chapter 1: Managing Peace & Security: Regional & International Conflict (Part I)
Consequences of the conflict on Iraq & Kuwait and the Rest of the World
Identify
consequence
Kuwait
Sufferings of the
Kuwaiti people
Describe consequence
What is the consequence all about? / How did the
consequence come about?
Explain consequence
How did the consequence affect the
countries / people involved?
-
During the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait, more
than 1000 Kuwaiti civilians were killed &
thousands of them were tortured.
The Kuwaitis were also treated harshly &
many of them were forced to flee their
country.
Museums, hospitals, shops & houses were
also looted by the Iraqi soldiers.
The Kuwaitis suffered losses in
human lives & property, sme
Kuwaitis also lost their homes &
faced economic hardships &
discrimination as refugees
The economic cost of the Iraqi invasion on
Kuwait was very great.
When the Iraqi army was retreating from
Kuwait, they set fire to 600 out of the 950 oil
wells in Kuwait.
The damages that the Iraqis inflicted on
Kuwait amounted to US$25 billion.
The Kuwaitis lost their main source
of revenue when the Iraqis
destroyed the oil wells  Less oil to
sell for revenue  Less funds
available to rebuild the country 
Economic hardships & low
standards of living for the Kuwaitis
Before the invasion of Kuwait, Iraq was one
of the undisputed military powers in the
th
Middle East. (4 largest military in the world)
 feared by the other countries in the region.
During the war, the coalition forces used
state-of-the-art weapons against the Iraqis.
E.g., the coalition forces used Tomahawk
cruise missiles, F-14s & F-117 Stealth
warplanes to destroy the Iraqi air defence
capability  the coalition troops were able to
carry out a sustained bombing campaign
against the Iraqi ground troops  Great
losses for the Iraqis
Led to low morale among the remaining Iraqi
troops & many of them chose to surrender.
Iraqi tanks, armoured vehicles, trucks &
troops fleeing the attack of the coalition
troops formed long queues on the main road
north from Kuwait to the southern Iraqi city of
Basra. These fleeing soldiers were bombed
by the coalition warplanes  Thousands of
troops were killed
The war destroyed the Iraq war
machine  The Iraqis lost one-third
of its military strength as a result of
the war with the coalition troops 
Weakened defence of Iraq
During Operation Desert Storm, coalition
leaders encouraged dissatisfied groups in
Iraq to rise up against Saddam Hussein.
One of the groups that went against Saddam
Hussein was the Kurds (one of the ethnic
groups in Iraq).
The Kurds had been fighting for their
homeland & had been brutally put down by
1. Thousands of Kurds were
massacred, many were displaced
and some fled Iraq and became
refugees & suffered great hardships
in other countries
Economic losses
-
Iraq
Destruction of Iraq’s
military capability
-
(Refer to TB pg 22
Fig 1.17, Fig 1.19 &
Fig 1.20)
-
-
Political instability in
Iraq
-
2. UN passed a resolution that
condemned Iraq’s handling of the
10
Secondary 4 Social Studies Notes
Chapter 1: Managing Peace & Security: Regional & International Conflict (Part I)
Identify
consequence
Sufferings of the
Iraqis
Describe consequence
What is the consequence all about? / How did the
consequence come about?
the Iraqi army.
- During the war, the Kurds rose up against
Saddam Hussein as they knew that his power
was on the decline after the massive defeat
that the Iraqis had suffered.
- Moreover, the Kurds were also led into
believing that the coalition forces would help
them in their quest to overthrow Saddam
Hussein.
- However, there was no help from the coalition
forces & Saddam Hussein deal with the
Kurds harshly (e.g. torture, arrests,
executions).
Explain consequence
How did the consequence affect the
countries / people involved?
Kurdish issue  it saw Iraqi actions
to be threatening to regional peace
& security  resolution allowed for
foreign intervention in Iraqi internal
affairs
&
UN
deployed
peacekeeping forces in northern
Iraq to provide safe places for the
Kurds  Iraq’s sovereignty was
compromised as foreign powers
could now intervene with Iraq’s
internal affairs  negative political
impact
-
The Iraqi people suffered as they
could not carry out their daily
activities  Disruption to the lives
of the Iraqis  Standard of living
plunge.
At the start of the Operation Desert Storm,
coalition warplanes bombed Iraq & destroyed
a large part of Iraq’s infrastructure, e.g. the
supply of electricity in Iraq was cut off by the
coalition bombings. Contamination of the
water supply in Iraq as the water purification
& sewage treatment facilities could not
operate without electricity. Spread of
diseases in Iraq & the people’s health
suffered.
(Refer to Annex C for more details, e.g.)
International
Environmental
catastrophe
-
When it became obvious to the Iraqis that
they were losing the battle against the
coalition forces, they set fire to the Kuwaiti oil
wells & dumped about 11 million barrels of oil
into the Persian Gulf.
Great environmental damage  1.
water pollution as the oil that was
dumped into the Persian Gulf
threatened the survival of the
marine life there, affected food
chain  2. air pollution from the
smoke as well as harmful gases
produced by the fires in the oil wells
 Furthermore, it also cost millions
of dollars to put out the fires in the
oil wells & to clean the oil slick from
the Persian Gulf
-
At the time when the Iraqis invaded Kuwait,
about 2 million foreign workers from
Bangladesh, India, Egypt, the Philippines &
Palestine were employed in Kuwait.
These workers fled when war broke out.
Foreign workers lost their jobs &
income  They could no longer
support their large families back
home  Standard of living for the
families of the foreign workers in
other countries also affected.
(refer to TB pg 26 Fig
1.22 & Fig 1.23)
Displacement of
foreign workers
-
Role of the UN in the conflict between Iraq & Kuwait
11
Secondary 4 Social Studies Notes
Chapter 1: Managing Peace & Security: Regional & International Conflict (Part I)
-
The United Nations had been successful in dealing with the conflict between Iraq & Kuwait in that it
managed to gather its members to form a coalition force, put an end on Iraqi aggression on Kuwait & return
peace to the Middle East.
The UN could have been so successful because:
Reason
Effect
1) Support & Co-operation of the permanent
members in the Security Council
- All 5 permanent members in the Security Council
passed the UN resolutions to take action to stop
Iraqi aggression in Kuwait.
- The permanent members were able to come to an
agreement over the Iraqi issue because:
By 1990 & 1991, the Cold War was over &
Russia & China no longer saw the need to
veto the resolutions proposed by their exideological rival, USA
Majority of the permanent members had
vested interest in the Middle East (oil supplies)
& they wanted the conflict between Iraq &
Kuwait to end
 The UN resolution to deal with the conflict between
Iraq & Kuwait could be passed by the Security
Council
 Authorized UN to take action against the Iraqis
 Deter Iraqi aggression on Kuwait
2) The leading role played by USA
- USA played a crucial role in gaining the support of
the Security Council members to pass the UN
resolutions to deal with Iraqi aggression in Kuwait
- USA took the lead in contributing forces & aid to
counter Iraqi aggression
 The UN resolution to deal with the conflict between
Iraq & Kuwait could be passed by the Security
Council & other UN members were pressurized to
follow US lead & contribute manpower & resources
to deal with Iraq
 UN had the mandate & means to take action
against the Iraqis
 Deter Iraqi aggression on Kuwait
3) Co-operation of large Western countries
- The operation against Iraq required a huge amount
of troops & equipment
- However, UN has no army on its own. It also did
not have the means to gather a well-trained & wellequipped force that was large enough to deal with
the Iraqis.
- Only the large Western countries had the troops,
equipment & material necessary for the operation
against Iraq
- The large Western countries were willing to
contribute troops, equipment & resources to UN to
deal with Iraq as they had strategic interests in the
Middle East (oil supply & ship route)
 UN had the troops, equipment & resources to take
military actions against the Iraqis
 Deter Iraq aggression on Kuwait
12
Secondary 4 Social Studies Notes
Chapter 1: Managing Peace & Security: Regional & International Conflict (Part I)
Reason
Effect
4) Support of the international community
- Many countries in the world were willing to join the
coalition to deal with the Iraqis because the conflict
between Iraq & Kuwait affected their interests
adversely.
- This was so as the prices of oil increased 15% in
the first few days of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait & if
oil prices continued to increase, the economies of
these countries would be badly hit.
- The international community wanted the conflict
between Kuwait & Iraq to be resolved quickly
 UN had the troops, equipment & resources to take
military actions against the Iraqis
 Deter Iraq aggression on Kuwait
SEQ:
1. ‘O’ Level 2008
a) How far was the issue of oil production responsible for the worsening relationship between Iraq and Kuwait?
Explain your answer.
b) Here are 3 results of Operation Desert Storm (invasion of Kuwait):
o Destruction of Iraqi military forces
o Political instability
o Environmental damage
Was any one of these more significant than the others? Explain your answer.
13