What if Saddam decided not to invade Iran in 1980, and instead invaded Kuwait and Saudi Arabia?
How well could Iraqi forces perform against Saudi and Kuwaiti troops in open desert? Might they achieve the same level of sucess as in the 1990 invasion, or would the Saudis put up a tougher fight? How far could they go before being stopped?
I'm especially interested in the US and USSR reactions, especially since SA is a US ally. I imagine the US would react with a counter-attack a la Desert Storm, but this war would be fought with longer US supply lines, against an Iraqi army that was not worn down from eight years of attrition against the Iranians. The Middle East isn't my area of expertise, so I'd like to hear what more knowledgeable people have to say.