The United Nations and the Gulf Crises: From the Multilateralism of 1991 to the Unilateralism of 2003

This thesis examines the role of United Nations Security Council Resolution 678 in the two Gulf conflicts, highlighting its impact on both the 1990-1991 Gulf War and the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Particular attention was given to the strategic importance of the Middle East, especially in relation to the energy resources, within the broader context of the transition from a bipolar to a unipolar international system following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Initially, the thesis analyzes the role of Iraq under Saddam Hussein and the foreign policy of the United States during the presidency of George H. W. Bush. Then, in response of Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990 the United Nations Security Council adopted the Resolution 678, authorizing the use of force by “all necessary means” to restore the sovereignty of Kuwait. Right after the conflict the United Nations imposed a series of disarmament obligations on Iraq through subsequent resolutions. After the September 11 attacks, the administration of George W. Bush adopted the Bush Doctrine, grounded in the principle of preventive war to prevent any potential terrorist threats. Within this context the United States accused Iraq of possessing weapon of mass destruction and invoked the Resolution 678 to justify the 2003 military intervention, which led to the collapse of Saddam Hussein’s regime and the Ba’ath party. The study argues that the interpretation of Resolution 678 constituted a central element in the legitimization of military interventions, despite remaining the subject of significant international debate from both political and legal perspectives.