The Gulf Wars and Downfall Saddam Hussein's downfall began in the early 1990s, following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990. The international community, led by the United States, responded with a military coalition that quickly defeated Iraqi forces and forced Saddam to withdraw from Kuwait. The Gulf War severely weakened Saddam's regime and placed Iraq under strict international sanctions. Saddam's grip on power began to slip in the years following the Gulf War, as internal dissent and external pressure mounted. In 2003, the United States led another invasion of Iraq, citing Saddam's alleged possession of weapons of mass destruction and support for terrorism. The invasion resulted in Saddam's capture and subsequent trial, where he was sentenced to death and executed in 2006.
