Operation Desert Storm from the Czechoslovak perspective

• Authors: Jiří Friedl , Stanislav Polnar
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

The occupation of Kuwait by Iraq and the subsequent conflict in the Persian Gulf in 1990 / 1991 represented the first serious crisis in international relations after the end of the Cold War. The then Czech and Slovak Federative Republic (CSFR) joined the international coalition headed by the United States of America. This was a major breakthrough in Czechoslovak foreign policy. At the time, CSFR was still part of the Warsaw Pact, which was led by the Soviet Union. The decision to send a Czechoslovak chemical corps aligned with the notion of the new political class to gradually change the country’s allegiance. The contribution to the liberation of Kuwait was therefore intended to support Czechoslovak ambitions for early inclusion in Euro-Atlantic structures. This topic resonated strongly in the political and media discourse of the time. All this took place during a transition period, as Czechoslovakia was going through a difficult phase of social transformation, and the democratisation of its armed forces was an integral part of this process. The general description of these events is based on the study of Czechoslovak archival documents, contemporary press and the recollections of direct participants in the events.

Keywords

EN

Desert Storm; Czechoslovakia; Czechoslovak Army; media; democratisation

Discipline

• HISTORY: HISTORY

• Publisher: Institute of History, Czech Academy of Sciences
• Journal: Slovanský přehled: historická revue pro dějiny střední, východní a jihovýchodní Evropy (Slavonic Review: Review for Central, Eastern and Southeastern European history)
• Year: 2024
• Volume: 110
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 39-64
• Document type: ARTICLE

Contributors

author

Jiří Friedl

• Slovanský přehled, redakce, Historický ústav AV ČR, v.v.i., Prosecká 76, 190 00 Praha 9, Czech Republic

author

Stanislav Polnar

• Slovanský přehled, redakce, Historický ústav AV ČR, v.v.i., Prosecká 76, 190 00 Praha 9, Czech Republic