"Obviously, I didn't think, and nobody else did, that the Iraqis were going to take all of Kuwait." --- U.S. Ambassador April Glaspie, in response to a question from a journalist who repeated her original quote to Hussein, September 2, 1990.
This is not to suggest that Iraq had any "right" to invade Kuwait in 1990, but something like this makes me cynical enough to constantly question the motives of anyone who pushes the U.S. into war with another nation.
Cynicism should have some basis.
The impetus behind Iraq’s claims to Kuwait does not stem from historical will, but rather from Iraq’s desire to secure a deep-water port. The major point of conflict between the two states concerns the “Kuwaiti islands of Bubiyan and Warbah that dominate the estuary leading to the southern Iraqi port of Umm Qasr. Beginning in the early 1970s, Iraq's desire to develop a deep-water port on the Gulf led to demands that the two islands be transferred or leased to Iraq.” Kuwait’s refusal spurred Iraq to move troops into a Kuwaiti border post in 1973. This action prompted broad Arab condemnation, leading to Iraq’s subsequent withdrawal.[18]
From the signing of the Agreed Minutes in 1963 until 1990, Iraq ceased openly declaring that Kuwait was part of Iraq, but they did repeatedly state that the international border between Iraq and Kuwait was not defined. In 1990, Iraq began to reassert its claim to Kuwaiti territory. Yet, despite the Iraqi declarations questioning Kuwait’s sovereignty, Iraq has long treated Kuwait as an independent state in the international arena. Previous to 1990, the two states enjoyed mutual diplomatic recognition, both states were members of the same international bodies, and Iraq regularly communicated with Kuwait using language that denotes a recognition of statehood.[19]
Of course, this is the Kuwaiti side of the story. You can dig up the Iraqi side if you wish. But I believe it would be as valid as the present Iraqi claims on WMD.