"A modest victory snatched from the jaws of triumph." That's how one official characterizes our crusade to eject the forces of Saddam Hussein from Kuwait in the winter of 1991. This Frontline PBS documentary is a look back, five years later, at a war which began with great hopes but limped to what most leaders now admit was a "ragged ending." Using vivid battle scenes and interviews from major players in the war (Schwarzkopf, Colin Powell, Secretary of State Baker, Margaret Thatcher, Iraqi officials, soldiers, POW's and many others), the documentary provides a comprehensive picture of the conflict. A confusion of political aims and Colin Powell's concern that the military rout was turning into a slaughter (remember the charred Iraqi tanks and bodies on the "highway of death" leading out of Kuwait?) are reasons cited for ending the war early. In the end, the New World Order was tested, and the ghosts of Vietnam exorcised, but the war's frayed finish led to further disillusion with government which continues to haunt us today. Scrupulously fair minded and informative, this is the most comprehensive and may well be the best documentary on the Gulf War made to date. Highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (S. Rees)
The Gulf War
(1996) 2 videocassettes, 115 min. each. $39.95. WGBH Boston Video ($125 w/PPR from PBS Video). Color cover. Closed captioned. Vol. 11, Issue 4
The Gulf War
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