Saddam couldn't have picked a worse time to invade Kuwait. With the Soviet union failing, the US military had a massive army ready to fight the Soviets standing around with nothing to do. Great job Sodom
I was in Turkiye as a US civilian at the time. I remember hearing from military rank and file, just before that, how boring it was not to have a war, and how difficult it was to get military promotions in peace time. They were definitely ready for it.
@@raincadeifythat’s pretty gross saying they can’t get promoted without having people to kill and not really how promotions work. It also depends on the service branch. The Air Force rarely gives out promotions because so few airmen retire from their careers because of the promotion structure
Saddam was seemingly ignorant of what was going on in the USSR or failed to fully consider the implications on the global scale. Saddam was under the assumption that the classic Cold War geopolitical order still stood and the soviets would provide the political or military cover as they l traditionally had with their clients like with Syria when they militarily intervened in Lebanon.
Jesus Christ this was long but probably the most well informed in depth historical video of the Gulf War I've ever seen on youtube. Bravo Sir! This was well done.
@@SeanMungerthese are better than the "history" channel documentaries. Super high quality. I also like the sword in the opposite corner of the room lol.
My father was a soldier in the late Soviet-Afghan War (Mujahideen). My uncle was in the coalition in the Gulf War. I was deployed in Iraq from 2005-9. I am a first generation Afghan-American Kurd. History is far more nuanced than what the average textbook or what the _”History Channel”_ would have you believe.
@@mikeking1948I'm getting ready to watch that one next after this I love how sean breaks everything down this is the kind of history that I miss I do not love revisionist history revisionist history pisses me off this is real history this is true history right here and that is the kind of history that I love
Wow, this one of the best in-depth analysis of the first Iraq/Gulf war anywhere. This type of coverage puts network and cable news coverage to shame. Kudos to you professor Sean Munger.
I've always wanted to go back to college to study history in particular, but my work schedule and lengthy commute to work prevent me from doing so. Listening to videos like this and others, where one doesnt necessarily need to be watching the sceeen to understand the subject matter being presented, are the next best thing in my opinion. I am grateful to content creators like you and others for sharing your knowledge via this platform.
This is my favorite kind of comment to receive! Several people have similar stories, commutes, long work schedules etc. I'm so glad to be helping people in your kind of situation. Thanks so much! 🙏
Here's my little contribution to this bit of history. It was obviously not mentioned because the list itself is very extensive, but as an Argentine myself I'd like to mention a the participation of Argentina in the Gulf War which sticks like a sore thumb as one of two Latin American countries to take part of the Coalition (the other one being Honduras). It was a bold, controversial and very unpopular political move by our then president Carlos Menem and our country's first (and to this day, most recent) military involvement since the Falklands/Malvinas War. It was all part of his plan to reignite and improve diplomatic relationships with the US and Europe (and pretty much everyone in NATO), the beginning of what is popularly referred to as the "carnal relationships" with the United States. Around 500 troops, a destroyer, 2 frigates, 1 cargo ship, 2 helicopters (one destroyed) and 2 cargo planes were deployed to aid on the effort, under the name of Operation Bishop. The move had enough positive reaction by the big wigs at Washington that it led to the designation of Argentina as a Major Non-NATO Ally country. More importantly, however, and more tragically as well, Argentina's involvement on the Gulf War is often considered to be one of the main reasons behind the 1992 terrorist attack on the Embassy of Israel in Buenos Aires and the 1994 attack to the Argentine-Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA in Spanish) which left 22 and 85 dead respectively. To date, the only terrorist attacks carried out in our soil by a foreign actor. Carlos Memem was son of Syrian immigrants and a Sunni Muslim-turned-Catholic, so there was a cultural aspect to it as well. To this day, no one has faced justice for these attacks. It really amazes me how such a minuscule and overall irrelevant aspect of such a conflict can actually have so many repercussions that most people aren't even aware of.
As a Persian Gulf War Veteran, I'd like to thank you for your deep dive into this subject. As you mentioned, there are plenty of "war map" and "timeline" coverage of the war, but there was pretty much no in-depth source covering all of the mechanics that brought us to the war, through the war, and the aftermath (at least not in one collection, such as your video). For me, you've been able to answer a lot of questions, confirm some suspicions, and add a lot of clarity. I'm especially grateful that you included mention of Gulf War Syndrome and it's likely connection with burn pits, depleted uranium, pesticides, and those (supposedly voluntary) PB pills. Thank you for this video. And for those watching and reading along, it's easy to criticize service members in hindsight. But you have to remember- a lot of us were 18-22 year old kids who joined the military in peacetime, mostly as an escape from declining wages once the excess of the 80s was winding down. I was told I was heading to the middle east directly after my MOS school, shortly after boot camp- and STILL couldn't find places like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, or Kuwait on a map. Everything was propaganda- we were going to protect the people of Saudi Arabia, and then to "free the innocent people of Kuwait." Before all this, we were all in high school- we were cool 80s kids. We didn't pay much attention to the news. Had we, we might have questioned why we were suddenly going to war with a country that we had recently supported. We didn't have the Internet to inform us of these things like kids have now. It does little good to judge young people of that era with the lens of today.
The pills. I remember people asking what they were, who made it, is it tested, etc. and told 'Dont matter, you're taking it'. I definitely remember being wound up like a $20 Rolex to storm Normandy and save the world from Hitler 2. Then processing prisoners with their uniforms rotting off their bodies, like castaways, after surrendering entire companies for a MRE. Oh and *don't* forget Vadering up 5 times a day. Good... times.
I am sorry that this "money" war happened and you were sucked into it. Those pills, burning trash, ptsd everything people went through is well put in this video and your comment brings additional point of view on all of it... As a younger person who is alive in "internet" aka "connected" world i wonder how/if a conflict like this happened today... and if it indeed happen, how long would it last.
To be fair in 1991 you fought against country that invaded another country, and not just you there were lot of countries in the coalition and even UN backed it up, excluding war crimes like highway of death (btw ironic how most war crimes US did in wars was done by the airforce) it was a mostly a quick and clean operation, unlike 2003 invasion of Iraq that was illegal and based on false pretenses.
Thank you for this comment! It was very insightful and I will be more empathetic when talking about veterans of this age, hope you can use this same empathy with us young folk too, we’re just trying to figure everything out like you did and times seem to be more ahead of us than with us
My uncle who was a part of the force deployed for the liberation of Kuwait, he was shocked at the brutality and carnage he found as the road leading into Kuwait was lined with Kuwaiti citizens hanging from poles, and as the Iraqi army was fleeing the city with vehicles filled with Gold, Electronics, stacks of cash, were carpet bombed from above with no way to escape the US Aircraft sent to mow down the fleeing Larsenists. He said seeing the level of burning bodies and the smell forever changed him. His PTSD was off the charts, and he was a Gunnery Sargent and one of the toughest guys I ever knew. When he cane back he really struggled and never really recovered. God protect our veterans and current military and give them peace.
@SeanMunger I know these comments are 7months old... but I check your channel all the time to see if you posted anything new. Thank you for your work, I am grateful you do this.
As a European born in the 2000s, I have never heard much about the Gulf War from either the media or people who lived during the time due to the subsequent 2003 Iraq War far overshadowing it in terms of public discourse. I am an aspiring foreign relations student and the in depth look into both the domestic as well as international situation of all the nations entangled in this conflict helps paint a more enlightening picture of the whole affair, and provides extremely valuable for the past, present and future of everyone involved. Your channel is a true hidden gem and you provide a true treasure cove of masterfully explained historical topics. Bit of a sidenote, but I'd love to see deconstruction like this done about the US/NATO intervention in the Yugoslav wars, as that is another 90s era conflict which has largely faded from the public consciousness outside of Eastern Europe. It had extreme effects on the overall politics and stability of European continent with many of it's effects being felt even now, as well as being an important talking point in the later years of the Clinton administration.
I never realized the connection between Clinton's disaster of a military rescue in Somalia in early presidency, making him hesitant to get the US involved in the Yugoslavian attrocities. To be fair, neither did Europe, European govts sat around yapping & doing absolutely nothing about human rights attrocities next door to them, for all the Clinton waffling, when the US decides to do something it actually does it in a timely manner. The EU has been one huge clusterfuck of lots of talk & criticizing the US while doing absolutely nothing except bickering arguing & making promises they take months to do a thing about. Europe was a disaster of inaction in both Yugoslavia & the Ukraine, lots of talk & promises, followed by more arguing & zero actuon
I believe I’ve heard him refer to himself as Doctor Munger before, but don’t quote me on that however without a doubt 100% he’s a history teacher (I assume a professor but I haven’t heard him mention that word yet, however I’ve only heard him say Doctor Munger once IF I heard him say that at all so he obviously prefers to let his knowledge tell his story for him and that’s alright I’m totally for it he doesn’t need to tell us everything obviously but I’m sure knowing he legitimately studied history does help some people to trust that what he’s saying is true).
I have a Ph.D. in history so I can legitimately be called "Dr. Munger," and while I *am* a history teacher, I'm not a "professor" in the way most people mean it (on faculty at a higher education institution). So I do not call myself "Professor."
I'm a veteran of Desert Shield/Storm. I'm one of the 250,000 Gulf War Syndrome vets, and have struggled my entire adult life with it. It would be nice if you did a deep delve into it. If you read the book Gassed in the Gulf you would have a really good foundation to build on. If you consider us 250,000 Gulf War vets, then the Gulf War produced more casualties than any other conflict since WWII, significantly exceeding Korea & Afghanistan and slightly edging out Vietnam. Obviously, not in deaths, just total casualties. Taking care of all these poisoned vets has been a huge financial burden for taxpayers - so I hope the cheap oil was worth it.
I'm a persion war vet too,was on highway of death, war crimes, all I sore was men in Iraq military uniforms, actually buried some,as far as a financial burden, just read, there giving all these illegals 2.200$,a month,pretty sad,they will take care of them before vets,I know I was gassed ,counted over 50 wells burning were we stayed,I think the burning oil was major problem, I said it from day one,for me,I feel great 63ys old,in best shape of my life,so far,so good. Lol
I had a supervisor who was a gulf War veteran. He said they were told to take white pills which they had no idea what they were. Just that they would protect them from Saddam's gas attack. Come to find out later he and so many others were given anthrax in pill form.
My father was a tank driver in the first Gulf War. I was 5 years old. Some of my oldest memories are of my mother and the her lady friends hovering over the TV in Germany as the ground invasion began. Little did I know that 17 years later I too would be fighting in Iraq with my wife and mother doing much of the same thing for me. It didn't make my service any easier knowing how afraid my family was for me. But they never faltered in they're support of us troops. God bless The Rock of the Marne. Hooah
@@stephengeorge3507 with all due respect sir, the claim that the us gov't pays illegal immigrants 2200 per month is totally false if you actually look it up. Complete misinformation to spread hate against immigrants.
Sean is absolutely spot on when he says that this is an often over-looked war in terms of its cumulative effects on recent, modern & future geo political events / history. Nice to see it being given the attention & deep dive that it certainly deserves!
While the wars in the middle east weren't _strictly_ blood for oil (to the consternation of our 45th president), they were absolutely in furtherance of -capitalism- the liberal Democratic order. One of the lesser reported side effects of this war (and a case study in why American health care results are so poor) has been the expansion in Kuwaiti waistlines coinciding with the expansion of US fast food companies. Originally sent there to provide food for the troops on base, it turns out the Kuwaitis wanted to drink that milkshake after all...
On top of the fact that w. Bush brought a slew of ppl from his father's admin into his own (who thought there was unfinished business w Iraq & saw in 9/11 the perfect opportunity to complete it) Bush also personally had feelings that taking Baghdad would have given his dad a much better chance at reelection. So, again, unfinished business I guess but in this instance it seems like it has a more personal air to it.
The issue with the "no blood for oil" protests is that it ignores the fact that the Kuwaitis were bleeding regardless of US involvement. What they were really saying is "No American blood for oil".
@@economiccrisis9267 globally most people are focused on a 'world peace,' which Americans want to. But most Americans are more concerned with keeping us out of the rest of the world's problems.
I’m 11 minutes in and when you said you’re going centuries back in context, I got so excited! Your videos are fantastic and really help to fill in a major gap in my history knowledge, as I loved history throughout school but they jumped past post-WWII pretty quickly and I was never able to pursue a history degree for my bachelor’s. Your deep dives are absolutely fantastic - your channel is my recent favorite
LOVE THIS . I am a Gulf War Veteran . An earlier comment touched on the generation that made up the Military back then . So true . The naivete , the trust in our "Leadership" along with so many other things. Dang , my family knew more about what was going on there (where i was) back on American Soil via CNN than I'd ever know from infrequent "huddles" (formation) . To hear that Media was suppressed is amazing to me . Anyway , i could go on n on about how great all of this is but from all the comments ive heard , ots already been stated . Your format is OUTSTANDING Sir . Your "Chapters" and the way you place present content in future chapters as a forewarning is incredible for a guy like me (with ADD) to focus . Recently subscribed to your channel , I'm fixin to watch Titanic when im done commenting here but I'm'a DEFINITELY advertise your channel on Social Media . Another earlier comment , with regards to amount of subscriptions couldnt be more true .
i listen to these podcast style at work, and have run through most of the long form content. I love what you’re doing man, and really appreciate the work you put into each and every one of these to make them as detailed and comprehensive as possible
I love when a new >1hr historical analysis video comes out. Not many channels I know that make these, but when they do come along it's a bit of a treat
Recently found you through your Iran-Contra video and now you post this! Really enjoying your videos, especially the more modern day ones. Keep up the amazing work!
Haha, I'm the opposite, in that I found the channel thru the grant video and really like that civil war/reconstruction era stuff along with the birth of the labor movement during that time and then on to the modern day. Although I am enjoying this video, as well.
I find your videos very helpful and informative. Iran-contra and the Gulf War were subjects I knew were important but struggled to wrap my head around until I watched your videos on the subjects. The top down perspective with historical context really helped me to understand not just the conflict, but also the wider landscape of the Middle East during and before the Gulf War. As the say, keep up the good work. I think videos like this have a hugely positive impact on a lot of people who may otherwise never understand how and more importantly why these conflicts happen.
Absolutely incredible video! It’s rare to see such in-depth and non-biased analysis on this site As a fellow history graduate from Brazil, I congratulate the undoubtedly weeks long research you had to go through for a quality video like this Just stumbled upon your channel, yet the first impression has been fantastic! Looking forward to future works from you
Like many others, I only found this channel recently and I have been stunned by the quality and the pace of your releases. Each time you speak on a topic, it should immediately become a definitive reference point. I'm excited to see more take notice of this underrated channel - and they will soon.
I still can’t believe my professor asked me to summarize such a complex & multilateral conflict within a 20 mins presentation during my last year of BA😳 Thanks for another fantastic video for us conflict nerds
Wow… instant subscription. Sean if you keep putting out content like this you will be a very very important resource to millions and millions of people. I love your style of educating your audience.
I am 56 and have for decades, paid a lot of attention to current events and history.. and hats off.. this is the best summary of events of the time I have ever seen.. and well presented.. much respect
Been loving these deep dives you’ve been doing, it may be more time between uploads but it’s so worth it especially after finishing the Pierce video, can’t wait to watch!
I honestly can't put into words how thankful I am that i found your channel ❤️ The way you narrate and teach is not only clear to understand but also engaging. I already used the things you taught me with the JFK assassination in conversations with friends and family. So thank you so much 😊
I love your approach to history, especially how you actually have a relevant education from the field unlike so so many other youtubers talking about anything and everything they have no connections to.
That you have less than 30k subscribers is an absolute travesty. I'm personally offended that more people aren't aware of you, given the quality of both sequence and research on display here. You span the gamut from a focused instructor to well-spoken, lucid orator and storyteller. There is a masterful, deft balance of information and emotional throughline. A concise, sharp historical record of a relatively complex conflict. I could say the exact same about your examination of Iran-Contra. I've always loved history, but I would have never missed your class if I had you as a professor.
Thank you so much! I'm happy to have 30K subscribers, it's much better than I had 6 weeks ago. My goal is to teach people history that they might not have sought out before. Comments like yours make me hopeful that I'm doing that. 😉
@@SeanMunger This is the first video of yours I've watched and I'm glad I found this channel. I'm sure you'll have 100k subscribers in no time. Very few channels do these kind of in depths break downs of the politics and history surrounding conflicts like this. There's millions of people who appreciate this kind of content but it's a matter of how many people stumble across it or UA-cam recommends it to. Seems you're doing pretty well in the algorithm though and I'm sure your channel will continue to grow. I'm a history nerd and I can recognize when someone is genuinely passionate about these subjects and want to share their knowledge which I appreciate as a younger, less educated but curious person whos struggled to find this type of content and resource to expand my own knowlefge. Keep up the good work. I'd recommend more of these war related videos but I'll be sure to check out your other videos on other topics as well
Every video you put out like this has been pure gold! I absolutely cannot wait to tear into this one tonight! Thank you for making amazing content Sean!
I know a lot of work goes into long videos like this, and it is greatly appreciated. More videos like this one please, if you can. I love learning about all the little things going on at the time of a great event in history, not just the event itself.
8:13 Hello from Nicaragua 🇳🇮, Sean! I am very glad you’re covering “Dessert Storm”. I was pretty young at the time and didn’t realized then how pivotal that war was to every conflict that came after that. Thank you for giving us, your followers, such in depth view in each of your videos. Great documentary!!
I want to thank you for this. This subject has been of interest to me and every other video / story was more so based to the battles or just a brief overview of the buildup to this. And i really love your context build up from as far back as the 1920s. Phenomenal video and the video wasnt as long itself as i thought. Your clear speech makes it easy to watch the video for me at 1.5x speed and i loved it all.
My dad was in the 82nd Airborne Division and he served in the Gulf War so I remember A LOT even though I was only six years old at the time. It's so strange because there was over 600k US troops deployed which dwarfs even our invasion of Iraq in 2003. I was living on Ft. Bragg at the time, and you could hear the artillery at all hours because they were training like crazy right before they deployed.
looking forward to really getting into the meat of this-you're a brilliant presenter and I love your videos. it's extremely pleasing to see your channel grow so quickly!
I had an ex girlfriend who ended up joining the Army and went to Iraq. She saw the highway of death firsthand and said it was unbelievable. Burnt body after burnt body after burnt body sitting in their truck seats, frozen in time.
Really liking your take on things, notably this one, so many focus on the military response and skim over the geopolitical reasons it got to that point. It’s also interesting reading comments from the younger audience that wasn’t around to experience it personally. That point in life when you realize you’re not reading history, but have become part of it.
listening to your videos has helped my “PTSD” so much. your channel is criminally underrated and i genuinely hope that you get the subscribers which you deserve. thankyou for making my life easier with the videos you put out.
This is my first video on this channel, and I have to say this has been one of the most informative videos I've seen in a long time. Thank you so much!
Dear Sean, I don't always find history easy to listen to, even though I'd really like to know. The problem is that it is often long and complicated, and in most cases, quite boring. However, you made your video/lecture such a joy to watch. Two and a half hours went by without me noticing. Your style is most engaging, and your analysis and treatment of the historical events are so skilfully put together that they are 'accessible'. Well done, and thank you.
Disagree with your assessment of the highway of death being a war crime. But even so this is probably the best video I've watched on the golf war. Excellent video.
I'm a millennial (I'll be 36 in a few weeks) and the Persian Gulf War was absolutely something that was on my radar as a 4-year-old. Why? Because of back-to-back 24-hour news coverage that your average person living in the 90s couldn't get escape from (my father was OBSESSED with watching international news) and because as a New Yorker, this along with the WTC attack in 1993, was in the back of my mind when 9/11 happened when I was 14. So many of these things are connected, they are definitely not isolated events.
I'm millennial too (39) and I remember this at 6 and nonstop news cycle but to be fair, WWF did a Sgt Slaughter vs Warrior program that also just emphasized it.
I’m a millennial as well 38. Despite me being alive at the time I really don’t remember the Gulf War. I don’t know if it was because I really didn’t watch the news at that time or what
I’m a millennial as well 38. Despite me being alive at the time I really don’t remember the Gulf War. I don’t know if it was because I really didn’t watch the news at that time or what
I wonder if people watching news all the time on TV was a natural evolution from people in the 1940s wishing their radio news program was on 24/7. That thought had to have been in the back of Ted Turner’s mind from when he was a kid.
Same here I'm 39 and I remember seeing it on a TV at my school. That would have been 1st grade or kindergarten. I remember our teacher watching it on a classroom TV while we were gluing paper together or something and her being emotionally invested enough that I went home and asked my parents to explain it. My dad is a WWII history buff and would have been late 20's at the time so he was more than happy to educate me.
Mr Sean Munger, thank you so much for this very informative and interesting history information. I also served there at the Persian Gulf War. I always wanted to know more about it and what led to it. I subscribed to your awesome channel to learn more about other historical events here in the US and abroad. Again, thanks again.
Excellent video I’d really love to see a follow up one on the 2003 invasion of Iraq I really love these long format videos and being somebody who is also big on context I love how you make sure you provide as much as possible before going into the videos such an underrated channel I hope it will blow up soon it deserves more views
I'm a military tech and history nerd, and I've seen all of the stuff you're not talking much about a thousand times, it's nice to get the other parts. Thank you Dr!
Started with your Iran-Contra video and already I’ve fallen in love with your channel. Your videos are by far some of the most detailed and in-depth history documentaries I’ve ever seen.
its so cool to see you essentially pioneer this hypermodern way of talking about human history, both in a factual and physical way, but also about what it means or what it might mean. the way you can seamlessly use visual aids and geography is awesome as you *do it better* with more of a captivating energy than ive seen with anyone else. you've ignited a second wind in the history nerd that resides within. for this we thank you sir or as my tribe would say miigwech., miigwech.
Seen a few other documentaries on the Gulf War in previous years, finally UA-cam has graced me with your channel, all I can say is that it's awesome. I'm only 11 minutes in on this video but dang the information that's hitting me already is top notch explaining the intro to the war and how things were set up.
One point I would like to make, bombing retreating soldiers is not a war crime, bombing civilians and surrendering soldiers would have been. The troops on the "highway of death" were not surrendering, they were repositioning so they could put up a fight elsewhere. The claim that it is a war crime is just plain false. Retreating soldiers are not considered out of combat as defined by any legal agreement. If you think about it that would make any strike on troops not currently fighting a war crime. Otherwise I really enjoyed the video, very well put together and I liked that it focused on the aspects that were not direct military action.
You're parroting a very thin lie. That was one of the most despicable war crimes ever perpetrated, using banned weapons such as cluster bombs, and many in the convoy were civilians. During the Feb 25 ground war they fitted plows onto M1A1 Abrams tanks and indescriminately buried thousands of surrendering Iraqi soldiers and civilians alive. Acts of utter cowardice. The US seems happy to indiscriminately massacre from behind the safety of superior technology, but when the playing field is leveled, they flake out. The US has repeatedly set the bar extremely low in military conduct, they no longer have any shred of moral high ground remaining.
Call it what you like. The fact that the matter is. If the roles are reversed and the Iraqis did this too Americans while everybody knew a formal declaration of a ceasefire was about to happen, the Americans would rightfully consider it widely inappropriate and inhumane. So justify it however you want. This is what happens when countries who don’t shut up about the rule of law, freedom, justice and humanity turn into hypocrites.
Best video you’ve done by a country mile! All of the criticisms I had in the past are gone. Your tone is amazing, it’s no arrogant, and you seem enthusiastic about the content. This is fantastic to see, we need more content like this online. I have no doubt if you continue you will blow up consistently
I’m a fan of the ‘pins on maps’ history. However, I will watch this because I have never seen or heard of a deep-dive into the Persian gulf war. I have watched a couple of your other videos. Thank you for making these videos.
Mr Munger - thank you for your amazing content. You have the great talent of explaining very complex subjects in simple and clear terms. Looking forward to your next episode!
Just came to say I always come back to your videos, they've become part of my political comfort viewing. You have a laid back style while also being insanely informative.
I have watched almost all of your videos, and I love them all! I especially like how they are all interconnected, wether minor subjects are referenced in each video (also a smart marketing tool) and I think your anecdotes/explanations are always thoughtful, organized, and clarified when tangential or a proposal of an idea in the context of research. From one context lover to another, you’re doing great work!
I appreciate this analysis of the war beyond the usual military emphasis, and in particular I found the section on the environmental effects to be very striking. This is history told by a historian, and it shows, both in the scrupulous depth of it's research and in the professional manner in which it is presented. The latter of which had me engrossed throughout it's feature length runtime. I'm glad I found this video on my recommended. I think I oughta share this video with my Middle Eastern History professor, he'll get a kick out of it.
Thank you for your insights on this conflict! As a zoomer, the history of the 80s-90s I was taught mostly hinged on US-Soviet relations and was very black and white (and hurried through in favor of the world wars). I don't have any memory before 9/11, so it's kind of jarring seeing how much more nuanced the US presence in the Middle East was before that event. I hope you keep making these longer form videos!
Others have probably mentioned this but The Operations Room has a really good series that gets into the details about the combat operations of the gulf war. I really like this video for focusing on the politics of it all, thanks Sean!!
A great channel for learning. I’ve heard of so many of these events before, but they’re usually just mentioned here or there. It’s nice to learn why and how things happened
I remember watching this on TV with my old man when I was in jr high. I asked him then if he thought I would have to fight in Iraq. Very prophetic question, 13 years later I did.
@@SeanMunger My pleasure!. My degree was in history and I've had entire courses that didn't come near this thoroughness. Can't wait to start Iran Contra.
I really appreciate this video. I was just a kid, born in 86, when all this went down. To be honest, I've lived my entire life and not really thought much about it, despite my older brother having been on a destroyer in the Gulf at this time. I wouldn't even have thought to look something up about it, then this video showed up randomly on my feed. I'm glad it did.
I appreciate the video, and its excellent analysis of the first Gulf war. I do want to clarify, as someone who is more familiar with war crimes than I'd like to be, that the 'highway of death' was not a war crime. There were people who claimed that it was, but none with a good understanding of what constitutes a war crime. To borrow from a military lawyer: "Not everything that is unpleasant is a war crime." If you've got a source that comes to that conclusion, and is familiar with the relevant international law, I'd be very interested.
I think it hinges on cluster munitions being kinda banned under some treaties (to which the US was not party) along with an argument that once the highway was blocked, those surviving didn’t have a means of surrendering, just trapped to get bombed. However this critique is not really specific to Highway 80, it applies to all air warfare, and…I’m not sure highway 80 is really the best place to argue that, because…well, the purported victims largely had it coming under most folks’ moral compass
Even as just a history BA, it is so, so appreciated to have some actually good, thoughtful, and well-researched history content on the platform. Really glad to see a few superb channels like this not only making content but starting to catch on.
If anyone wants a military breakdown on the same level of depth and detail as this video is on everything surrounding the war, I can not recommend HypohistoricalHistory’s nearly 3 hour long part 1 video on the war in Iraq. Part 1 covers this war, part 2 is supposed to cover 2003 onward when it comes out. Amazing details and well presented.
Small side note, my history professor differentiated between Bush Sr. & W by referring to them as 41 & 43. As in “This was a policy that was brought into effect by Bush 43 during his first term.”
Love your videos and approach to history! You have a similar style to my favorite history teacher, and it's always nice to get all (or at the very least, a good chunk) of the context needed. Thanks for a great video!
I've watched this twice, and about to go again. I feel like I've just taken a history red pill on Gulf War 1. I cannot wait to be sat at a dinner party and someone mentions it. Full smug face, "I happen to know a thing or two about this". Thank you for a brilliant video.
I live in the north west of England, a place heavily impoverished by Thatcher’s government. What people outside the uk might not realise is there were street parties when she died. Ding ding the witch is dead was number 1 on the charts (people weren’t saying witch though). It was a wild experience and pretty telling example of what her legacy is especially in former coal mining towns like my home town. Also, amazing video as usual. I can’t even imagine the amount of research that goes into covering the topics you do
Thanks for your kind words! I have a lot of British friends and many of them have similar stories and deep bitterness over the Thatcher years. American media was generally very kind to her at the time, but the deeper you dig the more ugly her legacy becomes. She was utterly without empathy, and that's the worst thing for a national leader to be missing.
@@SeanMunger yeah I was like 14-15 at the time so I didn’t fully understand her impact here. However growing up, learning local history and getting involved with trade unionism has definitely opened my eyes a lot. Plus I basically grew up under her policies with Blair, Cameron and to a lesser extent May. So I saw in real time every service, especially youth and mental health, shut down due to lack of funding
Another great video from this channel. Loved your Iran contra video and this was just as good if not better. Feels like this era of history doesn’t get the attention or in-depth analysis it deserves so glad you’ve chosen to cover it. Will probably need to watch the video a couple times before I truly get my head around all the moving parts similar to the Iran contra video but this first watch was throughly enjoyable. Thanks
Saddam couldn't have picked a worse time to invade Kuwait. With the Soviet union failing, the US military had a massive army ready to fight the Soviets standing around with nothing to do. Great job Sodom
I was in Turkiye as a US civilian at the time. I remember hearing from military rank and file, just before that, how boring it was not to have a war, and how difficult it was to get military promotions in peace time. They were definitely ready for it.
@@raincadeifythat’s pretty gross saying they can’t get promoted without having people to kill and not really how promotions work. It also depends on the service branch. The Air Force rarely gives out promotions because so few airmen retire from their careers because of the promotion structure
@ohsweatbret who are you to know better than the soldiers living under the promotional system?
@@ohsweatbretprofile pic checks out
Saddam was seemingly ignorant of what was going on in the USSR or failed to fully consider the implications on the global scale.
Saddam was under the assumption that the classic Cold War geopolitical order still stood and the soviets would provide the political or military cover as they l traditionally had with their clients like with Syria when they militarily intervened in Lebanon.
Jesus Christ this was long but probably the most well informed in depth historical video of the Gulf War I've ever seen on youtube.
Bravo Sir! This was well done.
I’m convinced this guy’s a robot. There’s just no way he just keeps churning out quality this quickly!
LOL, I've worked on almost nothing else for the past 3 weeks!
@@SeanMungerincredible job tho, I’ve watched and rewatched this over the last couple months 🔄
I love these type of videos. I dont like politics, but geo politics. Isn't that funny lol.
@SeanMunger
@@SeanMungerthese are better than the "history" channel documentaries. Super high quality. I also like the sword in the opposite corner of the room lol.
My father was a soldier in the late Soviet-Afghan War (Mujahideen). My uncle was in the coalition in the Gulf War. I was deployed in Iraq from 2005-9. I am a first generation Afghan-American Kurd. History is far more nuanced than what the average textbook or what the _”History Channel”_ would have you believe.
Absolutely right!
I was confused until I read the "Kurd" part then everything made sense.
Pretty remarkable family history, thanks for sharing.
You are an Afghani Kurd by heritage ? Or am i misreading?
That is some crazy family lore you've got going on, man.
insane crossover, you should write a memoir of your family's stories, I'm sure it'd be a most interesting read
Criminally underrated channel. Easily some of the most informative historical information on UA-cam.
Criminally?
@@AviViljoen Its almost a crime that not more people know this channel, because it is very informative and it should be the norm, not exception.
Word. Stumbled upon it last week and watched to Iran Contra affair. Great stuff, unbelievable what they got away with
@@mikeking1948same vid brought me here too. Agree I can't believe this isn't more popular. Amazingly informative
@@mikeking1948I'm getting ready to watch that one next after this I love how sean breaks everything down this is the kind of history that I miss I do not love revisionist history revisionist history pisses me off this is real history this is true history right here and that is the kind of history that I love
Wow, this one of the best in-depth analysis of the first Iraq/Gulf war anywhere.
This type of coverage puts network and cable news coverage to shame.
Kudos to you professor Sean Munger.
I've always wanted to go back to college to study history in particular, but my work schedule and lengthy commute to work prevent me from doing so. Listening to videos like this and others, where one doesnt necessarily need to be watching the sceeen to understand the subject matter being presented, are the next best thing in my opinion. I am grateful to content creators like you and others for sharing your knowledge via this platform.
This is my favorite kind of comment to receive! Several people have similar stories, commutes, long work schedules etc. I'm so glad to be helping people in your kind of situation. Thanks so much! 🙏
Here's my little contribution to this bit of history. It was obviously not mentioned because the list itself is very extensive, but as an Argentine myself I'd like to mention a the participation of Argentina in the Gulf War which sticks like a sore thumb as one of two Latin American countries to take part of the Coalition (the other one being Honduras).
It was a bold, controversial and very unpopular political move by our then president Carlos Menem and our country's first (and to this day, most recent) military involvement since the Falklands/Malvinas War. It was all part of his plan to reignite and improve diplomatic relationships with the US and Europe (and pretty much everyone in NATO), the beginning of what is popularly referred to as the "carnal relationships" with the United States.
Around 500 troops, a destroyer, 2 frigates, 1 cargo ship, 2 helicopters (one destroyed) and 2 cargo planes were deployed to aid on the effort, under the name of Operation Bishop. The move had enough positive reaction by the big wigs at Washington that it led to the designation of Argentina as a Major Non-NATO Ally country.
More importantly, however, and more tragically as well, Argentina's involvement on the Gulf War is often considered to be one of the main reasons behind the 1992 terrorist attack on the Embassy of Israel in Buenos Aires and the 1994 attack to the Argentine-Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA in Spanish) which left 22 and 85 dead respectively. To date, the only terrorist attacks carried out in our soil by a foreign actor. Carlos Memem was son of Syrian immigrants and a Sunni Muslim-turned-Catholic, so there was a cultural aspect to it as well. To this day, no one has faced justice for these attacks.
It really amazes me how such a minuscule and overall irrelevant aspect of such a conflict can actually have so many repercussions that most people aren't even aware of.
Yes, Argentinas causes many problems for being so small. Like small hat people.
Awesome! Ty for that.
Thanks for the Argentine historical perspective. Now I know the backstory behind the AMIA incident after all these years.
Thank you for the perspective, big fan of Argentina
As a Persian Gulf War Veteran, I'd like to thank you for your deep dive into this subject. As you mentioned, there are plenty of "war map" and "timeline" coverage of the war, but there was pretty much no in-depth source covering all of the mechanics that brought us to the war, through the war, and the aftermath (at least not in one collection, such as your video). For me, you've been able to answer a lot of questions, confirm some suspicions, and add a lot of clarity. I'm especially grateful that you included mention of Gulf War Syndrome and it's likely connection with burn pits, depleted uranium, pesticides, and those (supposedly voluntary) PB pills. Thank you for this video. And for those watching and reading along, it's easy to criticize service members in hindsight. But you have to remember- a lot of us were 18-22 year old kids who joined the military in peacetime, mostly as an escape from declining wages once the excess of the 80s was winding down. I was told I was heading to the middle east directly after my MOS school, shortly after boot camp- and STILL couldn't find places like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, or Kuwait on a map. Everything was propaganda- we were going to protect the people of Saudi Arabia, and then to "free the innocent people of Kuwait." Before all this, we were all in high school- we were cool 80s kids. We didn't pay much attention to the news. Had we, we might have questioned why we were suddenly going to war with a country that we had recently supported. We didn't have the Internet to inform us of these things like kids have now. It does little good to judge young people of that era with the lens of today.
The pills. I remember people asking what they were, who made it, is it tested, etc. and told 'Dont matter, you're taking it'.
I definitely remember being wound up like a $20 Rolex to storm Normandy and save the world from Hitler 2. Then processing prisoners with their uniforms rotting off their bodies, like castaways, after surrendering entire companies for a MRE.
Oh and *don't* forget Vadering up 5 times a day. Good... times.
I am sorry that this "money" war happened and you were sucked into it. Those pills, burning trash, ptsd everything people went through is well put in this video and your comment brings additional point of view on all of it... As a younger person who is alive in "internet" aka "connected" world i wonder how/if a conflict like this happened today... and if it indeed happen, how long would it last.
To be fair in 1991 you fought against country that invaded another country, and not just you there were lot of countries in the coalition and even UN backed it up, excluding war crimes like highway of death (btw ironic how most war crimes US did in wars was done by the airforce) it was a mostly a quick and clean operation, unlike 2003 invasion of Iraq that was illegal and based on false pretenses.
Thank you for this comment! It was very insightful and I will be more empathetic when talking about veterans of this age, hope you can use this same empathy with us young folk too, we’re just trying to figure everything out like you did and times seem to be more ahead of us than with us
Thank you for your service Sir, and to all those who served.
My uncle who was a part of the force deployed for the liberation of Kuwait, he was shocked at the brutality and carnage he found as the road leading into Kuwait was lined with Kuwaiti citizens hanging from poles, and as the Iraqi army was fleeing the city with vehicles filled with Gold, Electronics, stacks of cash, were carpet bombed from above with no way to escape the US Aircraft sent to mow down the fleeing Larsenists. He said seeing the level of burning bodies and the smell forever changed him. His PTSD was off the charts, and he was a Gunnery Sargent and one of the toughest guys I ever knew. When he cane back he really struggled and never really recovered. God protect our veterans and current military and give them peace.
No idea if you'll ever read this - but this video and your channel are unbelievably brilliant. You deserve every shout out and credit you get
Thank you so much! 🙏
@SeanMunger I know these comments are 7months old... but I check your channel all the time to see if you posted anything new. Thank you for your work, I am grateful you do this.
As a European born in the 2000s, I have never heard much about the Gulf War from either the media or people who lived during the time due to the subsequent 2003 Iraq War far overshadowing it in terms of public discourse. I am an aspiring foreign relations student and the in depth look into both the domestic as well as international situation of all the nations entangled in this conflict helps paint a more enlightening picture of the whole affair, and provides extremely valuable for the past, present and future of everyone involved. Your channel is a true hidden gem and you provide a true treasure cove of masterfully explained historical topics.
Bit of a sidenote, but I'd love to see deconstruction like this done about the US/NATO intervention in the Yugoslav wars, as that is another 90s era conflict which has largely faded from the public consciousness outside of Eastern Europe. It had extreme effects on the overall politics and stability of European continent with many of it's effects being felt even now, as well as being an important talking point in the later years of the Clinton administration.
I never realized the connection between Clinton's disaster of a military rescue in Somalia in early presidency, making him hesitant to get the US involved in the Yugoslavian attrocities.
To be fair, neither did Europe, European govts sat around yapping & doing absolutely nothing about human rights attrocities next door to them,
for all the Clinton waffling, when the US decides to do something it actually does it in a timely manner.
The EU has been one huge clusterfuck of lots of talk & criticizing the US while doing absolutely nothing except bickering arguing & making promises they take months to do a thing about.
Europe was a disaster of inaction in both Yugoslavia & the Ukraine, lots of talk & promises, followed by more arguing & zero actuon
I was in 9th grade when that happened and it went glossed over pretty quickly in the US... I'm gonna have to review
How do you keep pumping out so many bangers so often??
It seems as if it's what he lives and breathes, and putting it into a video is just telling a story. He makes it look so easy! Awesome videos
True story
I believe I’ve heard him refer to himself as Doctor Munger before, but don’t quote me on that however without a doubt 100% he’s a history teacher (I assume a professor but I haven’t heard him mention that word yet, however I’ve only heard him say Doctor Munger once IF I heard him say that at all so he obviously prefers to let his knowledge tell his story for him and that’s alright I’m totally for it he doesn’t need to tell us everything obviously but I’m sure knowing he legitimately studied history does help some people to trust that what he’s saying is true).
I have a Ph.D. in history so I can legitimately be called "Dr. Munger," and while I *am* a history teacher, I'm not a "professor" in the way most people mean it (on faculty at a higher education institution). So I do not call myself "Professor."
@@SeanMungerbut you've taught courses before so you're a professor to me.
I'm a veteran of Desert Shield/Storm. I'm one of the 250,000 Gulf War Syndrome vets, and have struggled my entire adult life with it. It would be nice if you did a deep delve into it. If you read the book Gassed in the Gulf you would have a really good foundation to build on. If you consider us 250,000 Gulf War vets, then the Gulf War produced more casualties than any other conflict since WWII, significantly exceeding Korea & Afghanistan and slightly edging out Vietnam. Obviously, not in deaths, just total casualties. Taking care of all these poisoned vets has been a huge financial burden for taxpayers - so I hope the cheap oil was worth it.
I'm a persion war vet too,was on highway of death, war crimes, all I sore was men in Iraq military uniforms, actually buried some,as far as a financial burden, just read, there giving all these illegals 2.200$,a month,pretty sad,they will take care of them before vets,I know I was gassed ,counted over 50 wells burning were we stayed,I think the burning oil was major problem, I said it from day one,for me,I feel great 63ys old,in best shape of my life,so far,so good. Lol
I had a supervisor who was a gulf War veteran. He said they were told to take white pills which they had no idea what they were. Just that they would protect them from Saddam's gas attack. Come to find out later he and so many others were given anthrax in pill form.
My father was a tank driver in the first Gulf War. I was 5 years old. Some of my oldest memories are of my mother and the her lady friends hovering over the TV in Germany as the ground invasion began. Little did I know that 17 years later I too would be fighting in Iraq with my wife and mother doing much of the same thing for me. It didn't make my service any easier knowing how afraid my family was for me. But they never faltered in they're support of us troops. God bless The Rock of the Marne. Hooah
Reading Gassed in the Gulf now...not pretty. ( Patrick Eddington).😮
@@stephengeorge3507 with all due respect sir, the claim that the us gov't pays illegal immigrants 2200 per month is totally false if you actually look it up. Complete misinformation to spread hate against immigrants.
Sean is absolutely spot on when he says that this is an often over-looked war in terms of its cumulative effects on recent, modern & future geo political events / history. Nice to see it being given the attention & deep dive that it certainly deserves!
While the wars in the middle east weren't _strictly_ blood for oil (to the consternation of our 45th president), they were absolutely in furtherance of -capitalism- the liberal Democratic order.
One of the lesser reported side effects of this war (and a case study in why American health care results are so poor) has been the expansion in Kuwaiti waistlines coinciding with the expansion of US fast food companies.
Originally sent there to provide food for the troops on base, it turns out the Kuwaitis wanted to drink that milkshake after all...
On top of the fact that w. Bush brought a slew of ppl from his father's admin into his own (who thought there was unfinished business w Iraq & saw in 9/11 the perfect opportunity to complete it) Bush also personally had feelings that taking Baghdad would have given his dad a much better chance at reelection. So, again, unfinished business I guess but in this instance it seems like it has a more personal air to it.
The issue with the "no blood for oil" protests is that it ignores the fact that the Kuwaitis were bleeding regardless of US involvement. What they were really saying is "No American blood for oil".
US domestic protests are very self centered. The US public is quite isolationist. This is evident in the use of the term 'globalist' as a pejorative.
@@KaDaJxClonEaren't most people against war?
@@economiccrisis9267 globally most people are focused on a 'world peace,' which Americans want to. But most Americans are more concerned with keeping us out of the rest of the world's problems.
I’m 11 minutes in and when you said you’re going centuries back in context, I got so excited! Your videos are fantastic and really help to fill in a major gap in my history knowledge, as I loved history throughout school but they jumped past post-WWII pretty quickly and I was never able to pursue a history degree for my bachelor’s. Your deep dives are absolutely fantastic - your channel is my recent favorite
That's how I am as well I love history myself and he did a very very good job of going very deep into all of this
LOVE THIS .
I am a Gulf War Veteran . An earlier comment touched on the generation that made up the Military back then . So true .
The naivete , the trust in our "Leadership" along with so many other things.
Dang , my family knew more about what was going on there (where i was) back on American Soil via CNN than I'd ever know from infrequent "huddles" (formation) . To hear that Media was suppressed is amazing to me .
Anyway , i could go on n on about how great all of this is but from all the comments ive heard , ots already been stated .
Your format is OUTSTANDING Sir .
Your "Chapters" and the way you place present content in future chapters as a forewarning is incredible for a guy like me (with ADD) to focus .
Recently subscribed to your channel , I'm fixin to watch Titanic when im done commenting here but I'm'a DEFINITELY advertise your channel on Social Media . Another earlier comment , with regards to amount of subscriptions couldnt be more true .
i listen to these podcast style at work, and have run through most of the long form content. I love what you’re doing man, and really appreciate the work you put into each and every one of these to make them as detailed and comprehensive as possible
Same here when hardcore history and history on fire were my most listened to on both Apple Music and Spotify I realized I need new shit to listen to
I love when a new >1hr historical analysis video comes out. Not many channels I know that make these, but when they do come along it's a bit of a treat
Recently found you through your Iran-Contra video and now you post this! Really enjoying your videos, especially the more modern day ones. Keep up the amazing work!
Haha, I'm the opposite, in that I found the channel thru the grant video and really like that civil war/reconstruction era stuff along with the birth of the labor movement during that time and then on to the modern day. Although I am enjoying this video, as well.
I find your videos very helpful and informative. Iran-contra and the Gulf War were subjects I knew were important but struggled to wrap my head around until I watched your videos on the subjects. The top down perspective with historical context really helped me to understand not just the conflict, but also the wider landscape of the Middle East during and before the Gulf War. As the say, keep up the good work. I think videos like this have a hugely positive impact on a lot of people who may otherwise never understand how and more importantly why these conflicts happen.
Thanks!
Absolutely incredible video! It’s rare to see such in-depth and non-biased analysis on this site
As a fellow history graduate from Brazil, I congratulate the undoubtedly weeks long research you had to go through for a quality video like this
Just stumbled upon your channel, yet the first impression has been fantastic! Looking forward to future works from you
Thanks so much! 🙏
Yes I agree this video was a masterpiece I love how in-depth you went with it
if i weren’t broke man… i cant like the videos on this channel enough. another incredible video dr. munger.
Like many others, I only found this channel recently and I have been stunned by the quality and the pace of your releases. Each time you speak on a topic, it should immediately become a definitive reference point. I'm excited to see more take notice of this underrated channel - and they will soon.
I still can’t believe my professor asked me to summarize such a complex & multilateral conflict within a 20 mins presentation during my last year of BA😳 Thanks for another fantastic video for us conflict nerds
Wow… instant subscription. Sean if you keep putting out content like this you will be a very very important resource to millions and millions of people. I love your style of educating your audience.
I am 56 and have for decades, paid a lot of attention to current events and history.. and hats off.. this is the best summary of events of the time I have ever seen.. and well presented.. much respect
Just discovered your channel last night and have been obsessed since. Absolutely love these long form history videos.
Sean, these lectures are very well presented. Your YT channel will be successful. Keep it up, don't let anyone change your style. It's working.
Thanks so much! 🙏 It's hard to keep on sometimes but I'm doing the best I can!
Been loving these deep dives you’ve been doing, it may be more time between uploads but it’s so worth it especially after finishing the Pierce video, can’t wait to watch!
I honestly can't put into words how thankful I am that i found your channel ❤️ The way you narrate and teach is not only clear to understand but also engaging. I already used the things you taught me with the JFK assassination in conversations with friends and family. So thank you so much 😊
I love your approach to history, especially how you actually have a relevant education from the field unlike so so many other youtubers talking about anything and everything they have no connections to.
That you have less than 30k subscribers is an absolute travesty. I'm personally offended that more people aren't aware of you, given the quality of both sequence and research on display here.
You span the gamut from a focused instructor to well-spoken, lucid orator and storyteller. There is a masterful, deft balance of information and emotional throughline.
A concise, sharp historical record of a relatively complex conflict. I could say the exact same about your examination of Iran-Contra. I've always loved history, but I would have never missed your class if I had you as a professor.
Thank you so much! I'm happy to have 30K subscribers, it's much better than I had 6 weeks ago. My goal is to teach people history that they might not have sought out before. Comments like yours make me hopeful that I'm doing that. 😉
@@SeanMunger This is the first video of yours I've watched and I'm glad I found this channel. I'm sure you'll have 100k subscribers in no time. Very few channels do these kind of in depths break downs of the politics and history surrounding conflicts like this. There's millions of people who appreciate this kind of content but it's a matter of how many people stumble across it or UA-cam recommends it to.
Seems you're doing pretty well in the algorithm though and I'm sure your channel will continue to grow. I'm a history nerd and I can recognize when someone is genuinely passionate about these subjects and want to share their knowledge which I appreciate as a younger, less educated but curious person whos struggled to find this type of content and resource to expand my own knowlefge.
Keep up the good work. I'd recommend more of these war related videos but I'll be sure to check out your other videos on other topics as well
Every video you put out like this has been pure gold! I absolutely cannot wait to tear into this one tonight! Thank you for making amazing content Sean!
I know a lot of work goes into long videos like this, and it is greatly appreciated. More videos like this one please, if you can. I love learning about all the little things going on at the time of a great event in history, not just the event itself.
8:13 Hello from Nicaragua 🇳🇮, Sean! I am very glad you’re covering “Dessert Storm”. I was pretty young at the time and didn’t realized then how pivotal that war was to every conflict that came after that. Thank you for giving us, your followers, such in depth view in each of your videos. Great documentary!!
I want to thank you for this. This subject has been of interest to me and every other video / story was more so based to the battles or just a brief overview of the buildup to this. And i really love your context build up from as far back as the 1920s.
Phenomenal video and the video wasnt as long itself as i thought. Your clear speech makes it easy to watch the video for me at 1.5x speed and i loved it all.
My dad was in the 82nd Airborne Division and he served in the Gulf War so I remember A LOT even though I was only six years old at the time. It's so strange because there was over 600k US troops deployed which dwarfs even our invasion of Iraq in 2003. I was living on Ft. Bragg at the time, and you could hear the artillery at all hours because they were training like crazy right before they deployed.
My father was in the 82nd as well!
same at ft benning. like random thunder. jus part of the damn weather
Genuinely one of the best, most informative, interesting channels I have come across on UA-cam to date. Love your work man
Grateful for such in-depth, high quality content covering modern historical events
I'm glad channels like this are finally showing up on my feed. This is a high water mark for historical video essays.
looking forward to really getting into the meat of this-you're a brilliant presenter and I love your videos. it's extremely pleasing to see your channel grow so quickly!
I found this entire report very enlightening. thank you for your excellent effort Sean.
I had an ex girlfriend who ended up joining the Army and went to Iraq. She saw the highway of death firsthand and said it was unbelievable. Burnt body after burnt body after burnt body sitting in their truck seats, frozen in time.
Really liking your take on things, notably this one, so many focus on the military response and skim over the geopolitical reasons it got to that point.
It’s also interesting reading comments from the younger audience that wasn’t around to experience it personally. That point in life when you realize you’re not reading history, but have become part of it.
listening to your videos has helped my “PTSD” so much. your channel is criminally underrated and i genuinely hope that you get the subscribers which you deserve.
thankyou for making my life easier with the videos you put out.
Thank you so much! 🙏
This is my first video on this channel, and I have to say this has been one of the most informative videos I've seen in a long time. Thank you so much!
Dear Sean, I don't always find history easy to listen to, even though I'd really like to know. The problem is that it is often long and complicated, and in most cases, quite boring. However, you made your video/lecture such a joy to watch. Two and a half hours went by without me noticing. Your style is most engaging, and your analysis and treatment of the historical events are so skilfully put together that they are 'accessible'. Well done, and thank you.
Thank you! 🙏
Disagree with your assessment of the highway of death being a war crime. But even so this is probably the best video I've watched on the golf war. Excellent video.
I'm a millennial (I'll be 36 in a few weeks) and the Persian Gulf War was absolutely something that was on my radar as a 4-year-old. Why? Because of back-to-back 24-hour news coverage that your average person living in the 90s couldn't get escape from (my father was OBSESSED with watching international news) and because as a New Yorker, this along with the WTC attack in 1993, was in the back of my mind when 9/11 happened when I was 14. So many of these things are connected, they are definitely not isolated events.
I'm millennial too (39) and I remember this at 6 and nonstop news cycle but to be fair, WWF did a Sgt Slaughter vs Warrior program that also just emphasized it.
I’m a millennial as well 38. Despite me being alive at the time I really don’t remember the Gulf War. I don’t know if it was because I really didn’t watch the news at that time or what
I’m a millennial as well 38. Despite me being alive at the time I really don’t remember the Gulf War. I don’t know if it was because I really didn’t watch the news at that time or what
I wonder if people watching news all the time on TV was a natural evolution from people in the 1940s wishing their radio news program was on 24/7. That thought had to have been in the back of Ted Turner’s mind from when he was a kid.
Same here I'm 39 and I remember seeing it on a TV at my school. That would have been 1st grade or kindergarten. I remember our teacher watching it on a classroom TV while we were gluing paper together or something and her being emotionally invested enough that I went home and asked my parents to explain it. My dad is a WWII history buff and would have been late 20's at the time so he was more than happy to educate me.
Mr Sean Munger, thank you so much for this very informative and interesting history information. I also served there at the Persian Gulf War. I always wanted to know more about it and what led to it. I subscribed to your awesome channel to learn more about other historical events here in the US and abroad. Again, thanks again.
Nothing short of fantastic, objective and stated the facts. Loved it Sean keep it up
Excellent video I’d really love to see a follow up one on the 2003 invasion of Iraq I really love these long format videos and being somebody who is also big on context I love how you make sure you provide as much as possible before going into the videos such an underrated channel I hope it will blow up soon it deserves more views
I'm a military tech and history nerd, and I've seen all of the stuff you're not talking much about a thousand times, it's nice to get the other parts. Thank you Dr!
Started with your Iran-Contra video and already I’ve fallen in love with your channel. Your videos are by far some of the most detailed and in-depth history documentaries I’ve ever seen.
Thanks for the vids! Love the long format.
I am absolutely in love with your channel, especially the quality of the maps/infographics/clips you have used. Criminally underrated.
Thanks!
its so cool to see you essentially pioneer this hypermodern way of talking about human history, both in a factual and physical way, but also about what it means or what it might mean. the way you can seamlessly use visual aids and geography is awesome as you *do it better* with more of a captivating energy than ive seen with anyone else.
you've ignited a second wind in the history nerd that resides within.
for this we thank you sir
or as my tribe would say
miigwech., miigwech.
Seen a few other documentaries on the Gulf War in previous years, finally UA-cam has graced me with your channel, all I can say is that it's awesome. I'm only 11 minutes in on this video but dang the information that's hitting me already is top notch explaining the intro to the war and how things were set up.
One point I would like to make, bombing retreating soldiers is not a war crime, bombing civilians and surrendering soldiers would have been. The troops on the "highway of death" were not surrendering, they were repositioning so they could put up a fight elsewhere. The claim that it is a war crime is just plain false. Retreating soldiers are not considered out of combat as defined by any legal agreement. If you think about it that would make any strike on troops not currently fighting a war crime.
Otherwise I really enjoyed the video, very well put together and I liked that it focused on the aspects that were not direct military action.
You're parroting a very thin lie. That was one of the most despicable war crimes ever perpetrated, using banned weapons such as cluster bombs, and many in the convoy were civilians. During the Feb 25 ground war they fitted plows onto M1A1 Abrams tanks and indescriminately buried thousands of surrendering Iraqi soldiers and civilians alive.
Acts of utter cowardice.
The US seems happy to indiscriminately massacre from behind the safety of superior technology, but when the playing field is leveled, they flake out.
The US has repeatedly set the bar extremely low in military conduct, they no longer have any shred of moral high ground remaining.
@@keyss78neither the US nor Iraq were parties to the cluster munitions ban. It was not a warcrime plain and clear
@@keyss78you’re using very loaded language. It won’t work on serious observers of history.
Call it what you like. The fact that the matter is. If the roles are reversed and the Iraqis did this too Americans while everybody knew a formal declaration of a ceasefire was about to happen, the Americans would rightfully consider it widely inappropriate and inhumane. So justify it however you want. This is what happens when countries who don’t shut up about the rule of law, freedom, justice and humanity turn into hypocrites.
@@keyss78the civilians in the column composed of republican guard units who spent the last weeks pillaging Kuwait
Best video you’ve done by a country mile! All of the criticisms I had in the past are gone. Your tone is amazing, it’s no arrogant, and you seem enthusiastic about the content.
This is fantastic to see, we need more content like this online. I have no doubt if you continue you will blow up consistently
I’m a fan of the ‘pins on maps’ history. However, I will watch this because I have never seen or heard of a deep-dive into the Persian gulf war. I have watched a couple of your other videos. Thank you for making these videos.
Mr Munger - thank you for your amazing content. You have the great talent of explaining very complex subjects in simple and clear terms. Looking forward to your next episode!
Can't wait to get off of work and watch this whole thing! Thanks for uploading, I love history.
Just came to say I always come back to your videos, they've become part of my political comfort viewing. You have a laid back style while also being insanely informative.
You got a new subscriber after five minutes of this video. Love how you’ve turned history into your life’s work. Great video.
I have watched almost all of your videos, and I love them all! I especially like how they are all interconnected, wether minor subjects are referenced in each video (also a smart marketing tool) and I think your anecdotes/explanations are always thoughtful, organized, and clarified when tangential or a proposal of an idea in the context of research. From one context lover to another, you’re doing great work!
Thanks!
Your Iran contra video was phenomenal, I'm really excited to check this one out! Thanks for posting such informative content
Good high quality content, thank u 🙏
I appreciate this analysis of the war beyond the usual military emphasis, and in particular I found the section on the environmental effects to be very striking. This is history told by a historian, and it shows, both in the scrupulous depth of it's research and in the professional manner in which it is presented. The latter of which had me engrossed throughout it's feature length runtime. I'm glad I found this video on my recommended. I think I oughta share this video with my Middle Eastern History professor, he'll get a kick out of it.
The amount of work you put into these videos just for other people's entertainment/education is staggering.
Thanks so much for noticing! Yes, I work very hard at them. I do earn a little money from them here and there.
@@SeanMunger Your work is appreciated 👍
Thank you for your insights on this conflict! As a zoomer, the history of the 80s-90s I was taught mostly hinged on US-Soviet relations and was very black and white (and hurried through in favor of the world wars).
I don't have any memory before 9/11, so it's kind of jarring seeing how much more nuanced the US presence in the Middle East was before that event.
I hope you keep making these longer form videos!
I have no plans to quit! 😏 thanks!
Others have probably mentioned this but The Operations Room has a really good series that gets into the details about the combat operations of the gulf war. I really like this video for focusing on the politics of it all, thanks Sean!!
A great channel for learning. I’ve heard of so many of these events before, but they’re usually just mentioned here or there. It’s nice to learn why and how things happened
Hands down the best history channel on youtube. amazing work as usual.
I remember watching this on TV with my old man when I was in jr high. I asked him then if he thought I would have to fight in Iraq. Very prophetic question, 13 years later I did.
This was amazing! Getting all this succinctly into 2.5 hours is a major accomplishment. Subscribed.
Thanks!
@@SeanMunger My pleasure!. My degree was in history and I've had entire courses that didn't come near this thoroughness. Can't wait to start Iran Contra.
I really appreciate this video. I was just a kid, born in 86, when all this went down. To be honest, I've lived my entire life and not really thought much about it, despite my older brother having been on a destroyer in the Gulf at this time. I wouldn't even have thought to look something up about it, then this video showed up randomly on my feed. I'm glad it did.
Thank you. Nicely balanced historical synopsis, no obvious biases, so refreshing.
very much appreciate these long and detailed videos. kinda like an audio book at work 😃
So glad I found this channel! I love this kind of in-depth, context rich, content. Give me more!
I appreciate the video, and its excellent analysis of the first Gulf war.
I do want to clarify, as someone who is more familiar with war crimes than I'd like to be, that the 'highway of death' was not a war crime. There were people who claimed that it was, but none with a good understanding of what constitutes a war crime. To borrow from a military lawyer: "Not everything that is unpleasant is a war crime." If you've got a source that comes to that conclusion, and is familiar with the relevant international law, I'd be very interested.
I think it hinges on cluster munitions being kinda banned under some treaties (to which the US was not party) along with an argument that once the highway was blocked, those surviving didn’t have a means of surrendering, just trapped to get bombed. However this critique is not really specific to Highway 80, it applies to all air warfare, and…I’m not sure highway 80 is really the best place to argue that, because…well, the purported victims largely had it coming under most folks’ moral compass
The background you provide is essential when trying to understand the Gulf and the wars ....
Even as just a history BA, it is so, so appreciated to have some actually good, thoughtful, and well-researched history content on the platform. Really glad to see a few superb channels like this not only making content but starting to catch on.
Outstanding video, thank you Sean ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
If anyone wants a military breakdown on the same level of depth and detail as this video is on everything surrounding the war, I can not recommend HypohistoricalHistory’s nearly 3 hour long part 1 video on the war in Iraq. Part 1 covers this war, part 2 is supposed to cover 2003 onward when it comes out. Amazing details and well presented.
Please make more of these deep dives, they’re so good!
Trying to learn this part of history for the upcoming Call of Duty Black Ops 6 game.
me too
so many intersecting lines!
well done
Small side note, my history professor differentiated between Bush Sr. & W by referring to them as 41 & 43.
As in “This was a policy that was brought into effect by Bush 43 during his first term.”
This is truly excellent content. Very thorough and full of interesting context to the events. Subscribed.
Great video! You explain things and put it on a timeline very very well 😊
Really enjoying these videos… especially the long and in-depth ones. They’re cutting into my sleep time, but well worth it.
Love your videos and approach to history! You have a similar style to my favorite history teacher, and it's always nice to get all (or at the very least, a good chunk) of the context needed. Thanks for a great video!
Man this is such a great video. Liked and subscribed!
I've watched this twice, and about to go again. I feel like I've just taken a history red pill on Gulf War 1. I cannot wait to be sat at a dinner party and someone mentions it. Full smug face, "I happen to know a thing or two about this". Thank you for a brilliant video.
How you break the whole story into chapters is really excellent. Love listening to this stuff while I’m working
I live in the north west of England, a place heavily impoverished by Thatcher’s government. What people outside the uk might not realise is there were street parties when she died. Ding ding the witch is dead was number 1 on the charts (people weren’t saying witch though). It was a wild experience and pretty telling example of what her legacy is especially in former coal mining towns like my home town.
Also, amazing video as usual. I can’t even imagine the amount of research that goes into covering the topics you do
Thanks for your kind words! I have a lot of British friends and many of them have similar stories and deep bitterness over the Thatcher years. American media was generally very kind to her at the time, but the deeper you dig the more ugly her legacy becomes. She was utterly without empathy, and that's the worst thing for a national leader to be missing.
@@SeanMunger yeah I was like 14-15 at the time so I didn’t fully understand her impact here. However growing up, learning local history and getting involved with trade unionism has definitely opened my eyes a lot. Plus I basically grew up under her policies with Blair, Cameron and to a lesser extent May. So I saw in real time every service, especially youth and mental health, shut down due to lack of funding
Another great video from this channel. Loved your Iran contra video and this was just as good if not better. Feels like this era of history doesn’t get the attention or in-depth analysis it deserves so glad you’ve chosen to cover it. Will probably need to watch the video a couple times before I truly get my head around all the moving parts similar to the Iran contra video but this first watch was throughly enjoyable. Thanks