It froze prices on Aug. 8, a week after Iraq attacked Kuwait.

Then, in two years, he attacked Kuwait, and even people who had doubted it understood that the government of Saddam was against the people.

With what were we expected to attack Kuwait?

Saddam Hussein attacked Iran in 1980 and Kuwait in 1990.

Perhaps the lesson they learned from the Persian Gulf war was that Saddam made the mistake of attacking Kuwait before he had the bomb.

On 2 August 1990, the Iraqi Army (the world's fifth largest) attacked Kuwait.

Then he handed the West his first battle plan by threatening to attack Kuwait for lowering oil prices.

"When Saddam attacked Kuwait, he really calculated that we will back down," said a Cabinet minister.

Several men around him started to debate whether Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi dictator, really meant to attack Kuwait or not.

The exercises were intended to deter Baghdad from attacking Kuwait again, an unlikely prospect.