How did Iraq so badly lose the first gulf war?

Some good answers here are based on the “metrics,” referring to number of allies, superiority of equipment and training, and similar measures of war fighting capacity. That's all true. A few answers referred to a media favorite -exhaustion of the troops after a bloody and unproductive engagement with Iran. But that's not true. read more

Iraq lost the war because Saddam was terribly wrong in estimating both the military power, and the will, of his opponents. Of course, none of that power could be appreciated and understood until it was actually demonstrated. But by then, the die had been cast, and the results are, well, “history.” Hope that helps. read more

Iraq had the fourth largest standing army in the world at the time. They faced an army of half it's size far from home with long supply lines. Iraq had more tanks, and personal. They had almost everything to win but they were destined to lose. 1. They failed to keep and maintain control of the air from the beginning. 2. read more

Then on February 21, over Armed Forces Radio we got news that hit us like a sucker punch to the gut: Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet premier, had made a diplomatic overture to Saddam Hussein, in consultation with President Bush, that might result in Iraq’s withdrawal. read more