A First-Lens Analysis
Bush and Hussein and Causal Variables

Introduction

When we examine international relations through our First Lens and focus on individual leaders, two important factors come into view: who the person is and how that person makes decisions. The Persian Gulf Crisis involved an international coalition of many states and thereby was the consequence of many leaders' decisions. At one level, a complete history of the conflict would involve examining all of the input from all of the major players. This case study, however, focuses on the two key players, U.S. president George H.W. Bush and Iraqi president Saddam Hussein. A First-Lens analysis assumes that Bush and Hussein's choices stemmed from their background and experience prior to the crisis. The First Lens shows an American president dominating international politics and a regional Arab leader growing in stature even as he faced an international coalition. Both ultimately calculated that a limited regional war was necessary. The picture that emerges through the First Lens suggests that without Bush and Hussein, the Persian Gulf Crisis of 1990–1991 would have proceeded very differently.

First-Lens Analysis:

GEORGE H.W. BUSH: A PROFILE
SADDAM HUSSEIN: A PROFILE