The Gulf War Did Not Take Place

The Gulf War Did Not Take Place, a book by Jean Baudrillard, is a collection of three short essays published in the French newspaper Libération and British the Guardian between January and March 1991.<br>

• Part one, "The Gulf War will not take place" was published in Liberation on January 4, 1991.
• Part 2, "The Gulf War is not really taking place" was published in Liberation on February 6, 1991 and
• Part 3, "The Gulf War did not take place" was published in Liberation on March 29, 1991.<br>

Contrary to the provocative title, the author believes that the events and violence of the Gulf War actually took place, whereas the issue is one of interpretation: were the events that took place comparable to how they were presented, and could these events be called a war? The title is a reference to the play The Trojan war will not take place by Jean Giraudoux (in which characters attempt to prevent what the audience knows is inevitable).

The essays in Libération and the Guardian were published before, during and after the Gulf War and they were titled accordingly: During the American military and rhetorical buildup as "The Gulf War Will not take Place"; during military action as "The Gulf War is not Taking Place", and after action was over, "The Gulf War Did Not Take Place". A book elongated versions of the truncated original articles in French was published in May 1991. The English translation was published...
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