Why did george bush respond forcefully to iraq's invasion of kuwait?

Six weeks after Iraq invaded Kuwait, President George H.W. Bush went before a joint session of Congress on this day in 1990 to lay out the administration’s response to the attack.

With a large U.S. military buildup already under way in the Middle East, the president outlined a series of goals. They included the unconditional withdrawal of Iraqi forces, the restoration of the Kuwaiti government, the promotion of security and stability in the region and the safety of U.S. citizens trapped in Kuwait and Iraq.

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“Iraq will not be permitted to annex Kuwait,” Bush told the lawmakers in the presence of foreign diplomats, including the Iraqi ambassador. “And that’s not a threat, not a boast. It’s just the way it’s going to be.”