I believe that the most internationally significant historical event to occur during my lifetime was the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and the subsequent Gulf War. Although many other significant events have occurred during my lifetime, I believe that the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and the Gulf War that followed is the most significant for several reasons.
For example, the event is especially significant from an environmental perspective. The oil well fires that were exploded and ignited by a retreating Iraqi army sent not only a thick, black, oil-laden smoke into the atmosphere but also millions of barrels of unburned oil onto the ground surface where it formed lakes of oil that altered the landscape and poisoned the ecosystems that existed in the area. The Iraqis also dumped millions of barrels of oil into the Persian Gulf, creating a massive oil slick along the Saudi Arabian coastline that devastated seabird populations and marine life.
The human devastation related to this environmental catastrophe is even more disturbing and is marked by a 1000% increase in the incidence of cancer in the region as well as a dramatic increase in the number of children born with birth defects. Although the most devastating short-term and long term environmental and health effects of this event are expected to be confined to the region of the Persian Gulf, there is evidence that allied veterans participating in the Gulf War have also exhibited many health problems that can be associated with the environmental war damage in the region. There is still no scientific consensus on the effects of this event on a global scale however some experts suggest that the environmental effects of the exploded and burning oil wells in Kuwait will last for centuries if not millennia .
I believe that the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait was also significant from an economic perspective. The event demonstrated just how important the Persian Gulf region is as the primary source of the world’s oil supply. This supply was both interrupted and wasted as a result of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and the subsequent Gulf War. The short term effects included soaring oil prices and, according to some experts, the American recession that started in 1991 as a result of the $60 billion cost of the war to the United States and its allies.