<P> The Kuwaiti oil fires were caused by the Iraqi military setting fire to 700 oil wells as part of a scorched earth policy while retreating from Kuwait in 1991 after conquering the country but being driven out by coalition forces . The fires started in January and February 1991, and the last one was extinguished by November . </P> <P> The resulting fires burned out of control because of the dangers of sending in firefighting crews . Land mines had been placed in areas around the oil wells, and a military cleaning of the areas was necessary before the fires could be put out . Somewhere around 6 million barrels (950,000 m) of oil were lost each day . Eventually, privately contracted crews extinguished the fires, at a total cost of US $1.5 billion to Kuwait . By that time, however, the fires had burned for approximately 10 months, causing widespread pollution . </P> <P> The cost of the war to the United States was calculated by the US Congress in April 1992 to be $61.1 billion (equivalent to $96.5 billion in 2016). About $52 billion of that amount was paid by other countries: $36 billion by Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and other Arab states of the Persian Gulf; $16 billion by Germany and Japan (which sent no combat forces due to their constitutions). About 25% of Saudi Arabia's contribution was paid in the form of in - kind services to the troops, such as food and transportation . US troops represented about 74% of the combined force, and the global cost was therefore higher . </P> <P> Apart from the impact on Arab States of the Persian Gulf, the resulting economic disruptions after the crisis affected many states . The Overseas Development Institute (ODI) undertook a study in 1991 to assess the effects on developing states and the international community's response . A briefing paper finalized on the day that the conflict ended draws on their findings which had two main conclusions: Many developing states were severely affected and while there has been a considerable response to the crisis, the distribution of assistance was highly selective . </P>

Who was the u.s. president who oversaw the end of the cold war and launched the persian gulf war