What's the Point of the Gulf War?

I only heard of this book after 9-11. It's not actually the case that 9-11 proves him right. He doesn't really mention the possibility of a terror attack in America. His core thesis is that little territorial skirmishes, things like Iraq versus Kuwait, which ultimately on the world stage don't have to become a huge deal. What's going to happen with these things is states are going to step into them and these conflicts are going to escalate.