It has been 30 years since the Gulf War, in which multinational forces centered on the United States began to use force against Iraq, which invaded Kuwait in the Middle East.
Iraq is still paying compensation to Kuwait, and it has led to the turmoil that has continued until now, such as the war in Iraq, which has brought about a major change in the power balance of the Middle East.
It has been 30 years since the start of the Gulf War, when the former Iraqi Hussein administration invaded neighboring Kuwait, and the multinational forces centered on the United States began to use force.
The multinational forces released Kuwait with overwhelming military power, including high-tech weapons such as cruise missiles, and the images of the moment when the missiles hit the target became a symbol of the Gulf War at that time.
Since then, Iraq has been subject to economic sanctions and is obliged to pay Kuwait $ 52.4 billion, and is still paying from oil revenues.
The confrontation with the United States continued, and the Hussein administration collapsed in the 2003 Iraq War, but confusion continued, including the subsequent sectarian confrontation and the rise of the extremist organization IS = Islamic State.
In addition, neighboring Iran, which had been in conflict during the Hussein administration, has become more influential, and the conflict with the United States has intensified in Iraq, which has brought about a major change in the power balance of the Middle East in the last 30 years.
"Iraq was once said to be a breakwater against Iran, but now it has become deeply connected to Iran and has finished its role. Arab countries have finished their role," said Salmad Bayati, an Iraqi think tank specializing in security. We lost the breakwater and now Saudi Arabia is about to take on that role. "
An opportunity to expand the international contribution of the Self-Defense Forces
The Gulf War was triggered by the invasion of neighboring Kuwait in August 1990 by the former Iraqi Hussein administration.
Iraq suffered from debt repayment due to the war with Iran for eight years until 1988, and asked Kuwait to cut production to raise oil prices, but the refusal was the background of the invasion. ..
The United States, which had become the only superpower after the end of the Cold War, formed a multinational army based on a resolution of the United Nations Security Council, and in January 1991, decided to use force against Iraq, and the Gulf War began. I did.
The Iraqi army routed in front of the overwhelming military power of the multinational forces, including high-tech weapons such as cruise missiles, and Kuwait was released in February of the following month, after which Iraq accepted a ceasefire.
Although Japan provided a total of $ 13 billion in assistance over the Gulf War, its international reputation was harsh, and the Self-Defense Forces subsequently mined minesweeped in the Persian Gulf for the first time abroad.
The following year, in 1992, the Self-Defense Forces enacted the "PKO Cooperation Law" to participate in UN peacekeeping operations, which led to the expansion of international contributions by the Self-Defense Forces in the wake of the Gulf War.
Meanwhile, Iraq has been subject to economic sanctions under a UN Security Council resolution and is obliged to pay compensation to Kuwait.
In addition, the confrontation with the United States continued after that over the alleged development of weapons of mass destruction.
Following the terrorist attacks in 2001, the United States set out to fight terrorism and embarked on the Iraq War in 2003, and the Hussein administration collapsed.
However, in the Iraq War, there was no UN Security Council resolution, and the weapons of mass destruction that the United States used as the reason for the war were not found, which greatly damaged the prestige of the United States.