波斯湾战争(1990～1991年)

Persian Gulf War，亦称海湾战争（Gulf War）。

1990年因伊拉克入侵科威特而引发的国际冲突。虽然伊拉克领袖海珊认为科威特违法从伊拉克油田攫取了石油，但这次入侵被认为主要是为了夺取科威特大片的油田为动机。美国和其同盟北大西洋公约组织在阿拉伯国家联盟的支持下开始於当月派遣军队到沙乌地阿拉伯。在联合国安理会要求的最後撤军期限没有如期实现後，在美国主导下的对伊拉克空袭开始了（1991年1月16/17日）。伊拉克领袖海珊将大量科威特石油倾入大海作为回应。一场激烈的陆地战（2月24～28日）立刻取得了胜利，虽然在此之前海珊还没有火烧油井，但最後还是花了八个多月後才扑灭之。估计伊拉克军队死亡人数约有8,000～100,000，而联盟国则损失约300人。海珊後来面临了国内广泛的人民起义，但被他奋力平息了。一个联合国批准的贸易禁令在战後仍生效，在接下来的十年间仍因伊拉克的生物和核子武器研究问题悬而未决。

English version：

1990～1991年

Persian Gulf War

International conflict triggered by Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in August 1990. Though justified by S. Hussein, the Iraqi leader, on grounds that Kuwait was illegally taking oil from an Iraqi field, the invasion was presumed to be principally motivated by desire to acquire Kuwait's own rich oil fields. The U.S. and its NATO allies, supported by a coalition of Arab nations, began massing troops in Saudi Arabia that month; when a UN Security Council deadline for Iraq's withdrawal was ignored, a massive U.S.-led air offensive against Iraq began (January 16/17, 1991). Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi leader, responded by pumping millions of gallons of Kuwaiti oil into the gulf. A powerful ground offensive (February 24-28) achieved victory almost immediately, though not before Hussein had had scores of oil wells set alight; the last were not extinguished for some eight months. Estimates for Iraqi military deaths range from 8,000 to 100,000; the Allies lost about 300 troops. Hussein subsequently faced widespread popular uprisings, which he managed to quell. A UN-sanctioned trade embargo remained in effect, pending destruction of Iraq's chemical- and nuclear-weapons research facilities, through the decade.