Other US conflicts

The Gulf War

The Gulf War was waged by the United States in coalition with 34 other nations in response to Iraq’s invasion and annexation of Kuwait. The war is also known as the First Iraq War. Unlike the Vietnam War, the Gulf War was relatively short, lasting 6 months and 27 days (2nd of August, 1990 – 28th of February, 1991).

The war was marked by the introduction of live news broadcasts from the front lines of the battle. However, the media access was controlled by the United States military. This was done to avoid the same reaction from the public as in the Vietnam War. The news were dominated by footage of the advanced military hardware used in battle, not by reports of the collateral damage done by weapons.

The Gulf War was the last war in which the military could effectively control the media and the international coverage. This level of military censorship is particularly difficult today due to the development of the internet, as information can now be spread from countless different sources.

The Afghanistan War

The War in Afghanistan started in October 2001 following the 9/11 terrorist attack on US soil. The war was waged as an attempt to fight off the Taliban regime that was offering support to terrorist ne...