Operation Desert Storm
3
4.1
- proper noun
- /ˌɒpəˈreɪʃən ˈdɛzərt stɔrm/
:
Operación Tormenta del Desierto
- In the wake of the 1991 Operation Desert Storm and the liberation of Kuwait, Washington ditched its old "balance of power game" for dual containment, an attempt to isolate and weaken economically the aggressive.
- Operation Desert Storm in 1991
Operation Desert Shield became Operation Desert Storm after all diplomacy that we tried to do failed.
- Operation Desert Shield became Operation Desert Storm after all diplomacy that we tried to do failed.
Examples
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As demonstrated by U.S. involvement in Operation Desert Storm against Iraq in 1991, however, the end of the Cold War has made such arguments highly untenable, especially in the case of Somalia.
Academic text (1993) -
But Americans, their expectations raised by Operation Desert Storm, did not appreciate these subtle successes.
Academic text (1994) -
If there is such a thing as a 'clean war', Operation Desert Storm appears to have discovered it.
Academic text (1993) -
Opposition was much greater than it had been in Operation Desert Storm 12 years earlier.
Academic text (2003) -
In many schools, teachers engaged their students in units of study about the Middle East and, more specifically, about Operation Desert Storm.
Academic text (1994) -
For all intents and purposes, Operation Desert Storm has ended.
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Operation Desert Storm cost Riyadh about $60 billion.
Academic text (1994) -
Concerns arose in the years following Operation Desert Storm regarding service members' environmental exposures while serving in Iraq and Kuwait.
Academic text (2010) -
Operation Desert Storm was a demonstration of American intent and willingness to unleash its military might whenever such an occasion arises.
Academic text (1993) -
In 1991, the world watched as Operation Desert Storm led to the swift liberation of Kuwait from Iraqi forces.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun 'operation' signals a planned (often military) action and the pairing 'desert' + 'storm' metaphorically suggests a strong, sudden attack in a desert setting, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can infer this refers to a military campaign in a desert region. However, as a specific codename with historical details (the 1991 Gulf War coalition campaign to expel Iraqi forces from Kuwait) the exact referent and context are not derivable from the parts alone, so it is only partially predictable.
Etymology
Operation Desert Storm was a military code name meant to make people picture a sudden, powerful storm sweeping across the desert, a vivid image for a fast attack in the region. That's why the name now refers to the 1991 U.S.-led campaign to force Iraqi troops out of Kuwait.