The official dates given to the Persian Gulf War are January 16 through the end of February 1991. During that brief time, American-led coalition forces—under the guise of defending the often ignored international principle of territorial sovereignty—successfully ousted the Iraqi army from Kuwait at an estimated cost of more than 100,000 Iraqi deaths and 148 American losses (predominantly the result of "friendly fire"). While coverage was intense in the popular media at the time, little attention has since been paid to issues surrounding continuing policies in the region. In the years since the war, U.S. and British-imposed economic sanctions against Iraq and periodic bombing campaigns have effectively extended the travails of the Iraqi people, while Saddam Hussein remains in power.

In conjunction with the tenth anniversary of the onset of the Gulf War, we have compiled a series of works that variously revisit history and bring us up to date with issues that for many speak to a continuing human tragedy.