1991 United States invasion of Iraq

The 1991 U.S. invasion of Iraq was a brief military conflict that saw the United States military and allied nations defeat Iraqi forces under the command of Saddam Hussein.

History
U.S. and allied forces intervened in Iraq to remove Saddam Hussein as a threat to regional stability. The invasion was an overwhelming victory for the U.S.-led coalition. The Iraqi army was devastated despite their numerically superior forces.

However, as soon as the battle was won, the U.S. government ordered a cease-fire and ended the war without achieving the goal of removing Hussein as a threat to the region.

Aftermath
To some, the end of the short and expensive war seemed to prove that the United States had the forces of a major world power, but did not have the will to fully use them to their advantage.

A larger result of the invasion was its influence on the 1990's "peace dividend" movement. The Pyrrhic victory in Iraq gave strength to and ultimately resulted in the reduction in size of the U.S. military; along with a decrease in defense spending from the ballooning levels of the Cold War-era.

Behind the scenes
In the real world, the United States invaded Iraq in 2003 and removed Saddam Hussein from power. The U.S. also fought against Iraq in the 1990-91 Gulf War. The fact that released in 1990 makes it possible that the creators of the series took inspiration from the then-current Gulf War and incorporated it into the game's lore.