George H. W. Bush had high hopes for a New World Order as the Cold War ended, but Iraq’s Saddam Hussein had other ideas. He invaded Kuwait and 1990, and Bush rallied the world against him to protect the sovereignty of other states and send a message to other would-be conquerors. Bush applied sanctions to Iraq to force a withdrawal and deployed US forces to Saudi Arabia as part of Operation DESERT SHIELD. Saddam refused to leave Kuwait, and in January 1991 Bush launched Operation DESERT STORM. After a six-week bombing campaign, the coalition forces drove the Iraqis from Kuwait in a lopsided three-day ground campaign. But the administration failed to convert clear military victory into a clear political result as it had failed to plan for how to end the war. Saddam Hussein claimed victory.