The united states joined its allies in the persian gulf war in order to

Operation desert shield was to protect Saudi Arabia and liberate Kuwait. Operation Desert Storm was the combat phase of the conflict liberating Kuwait from Iraqi forces. Saddam Hussein was allowed to remain in power in Iraq, though Iraq was subsequently required to submit to searches of mass destruction. President Bush had built the UN coalition around removing Iraq from Kuwait, not around the ouster of Saddam Hussein, and the decision to allow Hussein to remain in power proved controversial.