So I owe my neighbor Kuwait a lot of money, and I suspect he is drilling into my oil reserves. Could I get rid of this nuisance by invading Kuwait? | AskHistorians Archive Observer

So I owe my neighbor Kuwait a lot of money, and I suspect he is drilling into my oil reserves. Could I get rid of this nuisance by invading Kuwait?

by Saddam_Hussein_Abd

I have the fourth largest army in the world, and all the Arab nations are on my side, surely nothing can go wrong? Heck, Kuwait is so tiny I bet Americans can't even find it on a map.

US_AMB_April_Glaspie

We have no opinion on your Arab – Arab conflicts, such as your dispute with Kuwait. Secretary Baker has directed me to emphasize the instruction, first given to Iraq in the 1960′s, that the Kuwait issue is not associated with America.