Small little piece of info overlooked: Kuwait is a member of the United Nations. Countries that do NOT abide by the laws set down by the UN don't get the protection the members of the UN because they aren't a member. Kuwait had oil, too, and therefore had alot more interests to protect and joined the UN probably for that reason. Iraq claims that hundreds of years ago Kuwait was part of Iraq and Saddam Hussein decided centuries later to go and "take it back". If someone steals your land it's usually an understandable practice to deal with it right away and not centuries later after anyone who had anything to do with it is long dead.