What exactly caused the relationship between Iraq and the US to sour? How'd we go from supporting them in the 80s with their war against Iran to going to war with them twice since then?

by [deleted]

Is it simply because they invaded Kuwait? If so, why did we care about Kuwait? Or is it deeper than that?

Were the countries ever allies? Or was each country getting something out of their relationship in the 80s: Iran not winning the war against Iraq and Iraq not losing against Iran and no actual common goal or shared values?

Thank you!

Artrw

This is a moderator reminder for those commenting in this thread. The 20-year rule is still in effect for comments here. As a brief timeline, Desert Shield/Desert Storm ended in '91, and are ok to talk about. The 2003 Invasion of Iraq is too recent, and comments that discuss it will be deleted.