Nyorai kupfuurira kweiyi ndima - Muna August 1990, hurumende yeIraq yaSaddam Hussein yakapinda muKuwait
; Gorbachev akatsigira kurambwa kwaiitwa nyaya yacho naPurezidhendi Bush. Izvi zvakaunza kutsoropodzwa kubva kune vazhinji muSoviet state apparatus, avo vakaona Hussein semubatsiri akakosha muPersian Gulf uye vakatya kuchengetedzeka kwevagari veSoviet zviuru zvipfumbamwe muIraq, kunyangwe Gorbachev akataura kuti maIraq vaive varwi vakajeka mumamiriro ezvinhu. Muna November vaSoviet vakatsigira Chisarudzo cheUN chinobvumira kushandiswa kwesimba mukudzinga Hondo yeIraq muKuwait. Gorbachev gare gare akaidana kuti "chinjo huru" mune zvamatongerwe enyika yenyika, "nguva yokutanga masimba makuru kuita pamwe chete munhamo yomunzvimbomo". Zvisinei, apo U.S. yakazivisa zvirongwa zvokupinda munyika, Gorbachev akaishora, achikurudzira panzvimbo pezvo mhinduro ine rugare. Muna October 1990, Gorbachev akapiwa Mubayiro Worugare weNobel; akafadzwa asi akabvuma "manzwiro akasanganiswa" pamusoro pokurumbidzwa kwacho. Ongororo dzakaratidza kuti 90% yevagari veSoviet havana kubvumirana nemubairo, uyo wakaonekwa zvakanyanya semubairo wekuMadokero uye unopesana neSoviet.