The Regime Change Consensus

"Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait on August 2, 1990 sounded the death knell for the U.S. policy of constructive engagement toward Iraq. This policy had continued U.S. support for Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War in an attempt to moderate Iraqi behavior. In the long run, the failure of engagement ingrained the "lesson" in U.S. thinking about Iraq that any attempt to incentivize Saddam to change his behavior was pointless. George H.W. Bush responded to the invasion by mobilizing U.S. forces to deter an invasion of Saudi Arabia in Operation Desert Shield, forming an international coalition to impose sanctions on Iraq, and demanding that Saddam leave Kuwait"--