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The New World Order was built on the ruins of the former World Order: a bipolar system
that had prevailed in international relations since the end of World War II and until the
collapse of the Soviet Union in late 1991. The old World Order was based on competition,
conflict and Cold War between the USA and the Soviet Union. Indeed, it is worth mentioning
that the New World Order did not come about over the course of one day and night, but was
the result of several international events (Freedman 1991):
1. The collapse of the Soviet Union and its satellites, i.e. the Eastern Bloc. This
strengthened US domination in the world.
2. The Second Gulf War is key to the New World Order, due to its consequences on the
world.
3. The arms race led to a significant drain on economic resources, especially in the
Soviet Union, which led the poles to enter into arms control negotiations.
The term, New World Order, first appeared in a speech by US President, George
Bush, (11.09.1990) to Congress, as he presented the US objectives in the Gulf Crisis. Among
these objectives was the consolidation of a new world, free from the threat of terror and
characterised by justice; a more secure peace system where the nations of the world to the
west and east, north and south can live in peace and prosperity (Bush 1990) and (Slaughter
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In the New World Order, economic development would be key to the future of international
relations, with the opening of new markets and the launch of a free trade policy. The Middle
East in this system had its own niche, where diplomacy, negotiation, and peace, opened the
way to solving problems by activating the role of the UN as a tool to resolve international
conflicts through military and economic sanctions and political means (Freedman 1991). In
addition the Second Gulf War was a test of the credibility of US foreign policy in the new
international order. Its relations with the Soviet Union were cooperative, which overcame
past conflict and made decisions easier to take than in the past. This crisis was an opportunity
for the USA to take a decision for war in the absence of competing powers in addressing the
crisis. UNSC resolution No 660 on (02/08/1990) condemned the invasion and demanded an
Iraqi withdrawal and calls for negotiations to resolve the differences through peaceful means.
The resolution was issued using that power, with no objection to the resolution (Nye Jr 2003).
Thus, the demands for building a New World Order was due to the earlier periods, in
the context of what is known as a dialogue of the north and south. Thus, the New World
Order for developing countries is that the system will take their demands into consideration
as a principle of sovereignty and equality and the right to self-determination and respect of
these states’ national sovereignty. These principles reflect the keenness of the countries of the South in general to stand on an equal footing with the countries of the North in the New
World Order (Freedman, et al. 1993).
The second Gulf War and the accompanying intervention and deployment of international forces in the Gulf
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Iraq had just concluded the war with Iran, and sought to reassure its neighbours in the Gulf
that no more wars would be waged in the region, but many regional analysts believed that
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its neighbours, especially Kuwait to realise regional claims. It was natural that the USA
would seek to protect its interests in the region whether safeguarding the flow of oil and gas,
or preserving the governing regimes as discussed in the last chapter. Furthermore, protecting
Israel's security and strategic superiority in the region was also one of the US objectives and
interests, largely because of the size and power of the Iraqi military after the Iraq-Iran war,
and fear of the use of this power against other states in the region. Moreover, the Iraqi force
upset the balance of power in the region, and could cause many problems for the USA in
various areas, such as
1. Demanding the exit of foreign forces from the Gulf region, after exhausting
their purpose of a foreign military presence in the conflict with Iran. Such
demands would echo domestic and international public opinion.
2. The Iraqi regional role of protecting some of the Gulf regimes, and putting
pressure on rival countries.
3. The pressure on producers in the OPEC countries to meet the demands of Iraq
to raise prices at that time. (Hunter 2010):
Based on the foregoing, the USA sought to protect its interests against the Iraqi
invasion of Kuwait in August 1990 to liberate Kuwait with the help of the international
coalition. The US-led intervention to liberate Kuwait, clarified the weakness of the GCC
states to protect themselves and that their security was significantly weak. The USA entered
directly into the balance of power in the Gulf region, as discussed in chapter two, the USA
signed security agreements with the states of the GCC, which included providing arms and
military support. From that time, the USA has been a key player in the regional balance of
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