logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2019
10 m

The invasion of Kuwait

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Thousands of Iraqi troops and tanks began pouring into Kuwait on 2 August 1990. The tiny, oil-rich Gulf state was immediately taken over by Saddam Hussein's military. Sumaya Bakhsh has spoken to Sami al-Alawi who joined the Kuwaiti underground resistance trying to free the country.

Photo: Soldiers shelter behind a tank during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on August 2nd 1990. Credit: REUTERS.

Up next
Apr 2025
The Cu Chi tunnels of the Vietnam War
During the Vietnam War, North Vietnamese VietCong guerrillas built a vast network of tunnels in the south of the country as part of the insurgency against the South Vietnamese government and their American allies. The tunnel network was a key base and shelter for the North Vietna ... Show More
9m 43s
Sep 4
Star Trek: America's first interracial TV kiss
In 1968, American television boldly went where it had never gone before, broadcasting what's claimed to be the country's first interracial kiss in a TV programme. The moment of passion was between Captain Kirk of the starship USS Enterprise and communications officer Lieutenant U ... Show More
10m 47s
Apr 2026
The world's first perfume archive
On 26 April 1990, the world's first perfume archive opened in Versailles, France.The idea behind L'Osmothèque was to create a collection of scents and preserve their memory.Perfumer Jean Claude Ellena was one of the team who created it.He speaks to Jen Dale about how L'Osmothèque ... Show More
10m 6s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2021
Evacuate Kuwait
On August 2nd 1990, the Iraqi military invaded Kuwait City overnight, and its residents woke up to a city under occupation. The only airport was put on lockdown, and the Iraqi military set up checkpoints on the city's streets. The US, UK and Russia condemned the invasion, and som ... Show More
33m 50s
Dec 2023
Saddam Hussein Part 4: The First Gulf War
After Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, US forces are deployed to the region. For some Iraqis, it seems like the perfect time to rise up against their dictator. As economic sanctions bite, Saddam treats himself to a bit of retail therapy. All the while, his sons are becoming terrifying ... Show More
46m 42s
Feb 2024
#64 The Gulf War
📖 Episode Transcripts in Link Below ⬇️ Today, we delve into the history of the Gulf War from 1990-1991, a conflict triggered by the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and involving an international coalition. https://patreon.com/HistoryinSlowGerman?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=cop ... Show More
4m 46s
Mar 2023
The Invasion of Iraq
<p>A compilation of stories marking the 20th anniversary of the American led invasion of Iraq in March 2003. </p><p>Caroline Hawley, who was the Baghdad correspondent for the BBC at the time, speaks to Max Pearson about reporting on Iraq. </p><p>Contributors:</p><p>Lubna Naji - s ... Show More
51m 56s
Feb 2024
Bader Al-Saif: Kuwait's Perceptions, People, and Progress
This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Bader Al-Saif, a U.S.-trained Kuwaiti academic. Together, they discuss Kuwaitis’ perceptions of the Israel-Hamas war, U.S. geostrategy, and where Kuwait itself is headed almost 35 years after Iraq’s invasion of the country. Then, Jon c ... Show More
37m 41s
Feb 2024
124. Saddam Hussein vs The Ayatollah
In September 1980, Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi forces invaded neighbouring Iran and so began the longest conventional war in modern history. After initial Iraqi successes, a brutal stalemate set in that was reminiscent of the horrors of the First World War. The Iraq-Iran War saw the u ... Show More
51m 17s
Aug 2021
US withdrawal: The Fall of Saigon
<p>The desperate scramble to evacuate the US embassy at the end of the Vietnam war in 1975, also the 1940s Indian radio station calling for independence. We'll look at life as a 'human shield' in Iraq under Saddam, the man who invented the term 'genocide' and why, and the messy d ... Show More
55m 11s