LIBRARY
POL/HTY 400: Gulf Wars
Definition
The "Gulf Wars" as used here generally refers to two major conflicts involving Iraq and a US-led coalition: the Persian Gulf War (1990-1991) and the Iraq War (2003-2011). The first, also known as the Gulf War or Operation Desert Storm, began with Iraq's invasion of Kuwait and ended with the liberation of Kuwait. The second, the Iraq War, started with the US-led invasion and resulted in the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime.
Primary Sources
"A document or record containing first-hand information or original data on a topic..." (The Online Dictionary for Library and Information Science)
Primary sources were either created during the time period being studied or were created at a later date by a participant in the events being studied (as in the case of memoirs). They reflect the individual viewpoint of a participant or observer. Primary sources enable the researcher to get as close as possible to what actually happened during an historical event or time period. (University of California Berkeley Library)
Examples:
- Newspaper articles (written at the time)
- Diaries, letters, journals, interviews
- Speeches, autobiographies
- Original hand-written manuscripts
- Art, photos, films, music
- Original research, data, or findings
- Audio and video recordings
- Artifacts
- Original documents
- Websites
Be Aware!
"Primary sources may be more accurate than secondary sources because they have not been distorted by others. Primary sources are not always unbiased, however, because some people present pictures of themselves and their accomplishments that may not be objective" (Harris and Kunka 340-341).
Primary Source Material
- Last Updated: Jun 15, 2025 2:35 PM
- URL: https://slulibrary.saintleo.edu/gulfwars
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