One similarity between the Korean War and the Persian Gulf War is that in each conflict the:

1. United States attempted to limit traffic through the Suez Canal 2. dictators of North Korea and Iraq were removed from office 3. sentimet of the American public turned against the conflict 4. United Nations took action to halt the aggression

4. United Nations took action to halt the aggression.

In Korea, when communist forces from the North invaded the South in 1950, the United States sought and obtained United Nations backing to intervene. The goal was to keep South Korea free and democratic. The Korean War lasted from 1950 to 1953, and about 5 million people (soldiers and civilians) lost their lives in the conflict. Korea remains divided at the same line where things stood prior to that war.

Saddam Hussein, leader of Iraq, ordered the invasion of Kuwait. Hussein's takeover of the neighboring nation occurred on August 2, 1990. That same day, his actions were denounced unanimously by the United Nations Security Council, demanding that Hussein's forces retreat from Kuwait. On August 6, the Security Council banned all trade with Iraq. On August 9, the United States sent forces to the Persian Gulf to begin a defense of Kuwait, called Operation Desert Shield. By November, the UN Security Council resolved to use force against Iraq unless they withdrew from Kuwait by January 1, 1991. Since that did not happen, Operation Desert Storm commenced on January 16, 1991. The international military effort of Desert Storm included forces from 32 nations was under the supreme command of General Norman Schwarzkopf of the United States.