When viewed from the angle of the debates trying to project the future of the new world order, the First Gulf War was important for several reasons. First, this was the first ever that smart bombs had been used, i.e. precision-guided bombs and missiles tuned with incredible accuracy and were very effective in destroying their intended targets and were crucial to the US-led international
coalition’s swift victory. Second, the war coincided with the development of cable news networks whose 24-hour coverage of the war led to the emergence of the CNN Effect. The CNN Effect is the ability of the news media to shape public opinion, including that of public officials, thus influencing major foreign policy decisions. Third, the success of the international coalition, though able to garner a swift victory against Iraq, triggered false hopes about the role of institutions and major powers to act collectively against a common threat in the post-Cold War order. Finally, though the war liberated Kuwait and forced Saddam Hussein to accept UN-imposed sanctions and allow inspectors to check for weapons of mass destruction, it did not remove him as a threat to US interests in the Middle East. Along with Iran, Iraq became part of the US “dual containment strategy.” Though the First Gulf War was over within weeks, America’s account with Saddam Hussein would only be settled by its invasion of Iraq in 2003.