Kuwait was a small country that, had once been part of the Ottoman Empire and then a British Protectorate. Most of the country's revenues derived from the oil industry. Saddam already controlled over 20 % of the world's oil reserves.Saudi Arabia contained an additional 20 %. Since the world economy was primarily driven by fossil fuels, what Saddam could do with these resources could easily be imagined.
The population was small, about 1.9 million, and its military was not a factor in regional politics.Kuwait had loaned Iraq considerable sums during the Iran/Iraq war. …
