The war between Iraq and Iran was a war between two rival states with different religious/fundamental views, ethnic backgrounds, historical ethnic and border tensions, and power-hungry national leadership who were striving for the position as the dominant Persian Gulf state (Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988)). This war is significant for several reasons: it the longest conventional war in the 20th century (lasting from 1980 to 1988), it was witness several unique and horrific tactics and it set the stage for Iraq’s eventual invasion of Kuwait (Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988)). The Iraq-Iran war is a prime example of two competing Nationalist/Fundamentalist states, and its repercussions have left long-lasting effects that are still felt today.
Iraq/Iran tensions date back to the post-colonial era and include disputes over “Iraq claimed territories inhabited by Arabs (the Southwestern oil-producing province of Iran called Khouzestan), as well as Iraq's right over Shatt el-Arab (Arvandroud)” (Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988)), a waterway that served as a shipping route for both nation’s oil exports. “This waterway is the confluence between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and forms the southern border between Iraq and Iran” (Dugdale-Pointon). Tensions flared between the two states when Iraq broke diplomatic relations with Iran in 1971, after the British withdrew from the region, forcing approximately 70,000 Iraqi Shias to leave the country (Iran–Iraq War). This action, along with Iraq’s claims to Khouzestan, caused Iran to provide refuge and supplies to Iraq’s Kurdish rebels (Iran–Iraq War).
The second major contributing factor to the Iraq-Iran war was the rise of two leaders with extreme ideologies and goals. The rise of these leaders coincided w...
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...d supplies. Both countries, however, suffered a great loss, particularly financially. As Iraq emerged from the war feeling confident about its military might, it set its sights on its southern oil-producing neighbor, Kuwait (Iran–Iraq War). Iraq launched an offensive on Kuwait as both a means to even out its war debt and to gain a hold on Kuwait’s oil industry, however, this new war turned out for the worse for Iraq. In Iran, a newly elected President began a regime giving Iranian national interests primacy over Islamic doctrine (Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988)). In the end, the Iraq-Iran war displayed that neither Arab nationalism nor Islamic fundamentalism are necessarily the right choice for the political makeup of a state, but both served as the guide for which both of these countries followed and for Iran continue to follow.
Works Cited
History of World Societies
Dodds, Joana and Ben Wilson. "THE IRAN-IRAQ WAR: UNATTAINABLE OBJECTIVES1." Middle East Review of International Affairs (Online) 13, no. 2 (06, 2009): 72-94. http://search.proquest.com/docview/220899524?accountid=8289.
In August 1988, the war between Iran and Iraq ended, but they still had to negotiate a permanent peace treaty. When their foreign ministers met in Geneva, July 1990, it looked like they finally would come to an agreement. It also looked like Saddam Hussein were ready to dissolve the conflict and return Iranian territory they had occupied.
There have been many wars and battles fought with different weapons, but chemical weapons used in these wars are the worst kind. These weapons cause mutations and horrible deceases to a state in which some deceases even exist many years after the incident. These chemical weapons were unfortunately used by Iraq during the 8-year war between Iran and Iraq: 1980–1988. Iraq started using these chemical weapons excessively after 1984, until the end of the war even though countries are not allowed to use chemical weapons in any cases. However, Iraq got confirmation from The United States.
In September 1980, a very destructive war with Iran was started by Saddam Hussein. This was a result of an invasion in Iran. This invasion spurred an eight year war. Saddam used c...
...y. The conflict lasted for eight years and ended in a stalemate, and involved the use of chemical weapons and ethnic violence against Iraqi Shia Arabs, who were accused of colluding with Shia Iran.
The First Persian Gulf War between 1990 and 1991 was the most militarily efficient campaign in US history where comparatively few lives were lost. This war accomplished many goals, including that it secured the economic advantages for the “Western World”.
Over the course of the last century, the Islamic Republic of Iran (formerly known as Persia) has seen colonialism, the end of a dynasty, the installation of a government by a foreign power, and just over three decades ago, the popular uprising and a cleric-led revolution. These events preceded what could be considered the world’s first Islamic state, as politics and fundamentalist religion are inextricably linked in contemporary Iran. Looking at Iran from the mid 1940’s until the present day, one can trace the path that led to the rise of fundamental Islam in Iran in three distinct periods. The first is that which began with the rise of secular nationalism and the decline of Islam. In the second, the secular, western-friendly government eventually gave way to the Islamic revival in the form of a government takeover by hard-line clerics and disillusioned, fundamentalist youth; both motivated and led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Rule of Iran by these fundamentalist clerics then led to the formation of the fundamentalist Islamic theocracy that governs present-day Iran. The current government has some democratic appearances, but all real power is in the hands of the supreme leader, an Ayatollah who is chosen by the Assembly of Experts, a group of clerics chosen by the Guardian Council. With the Iranian Revolution, political Islam was born, with the fundamentalists holding the reins of power in Iran to the present day.
What does the United States have to gain from a war with Iraq? Supporters of a war with Iraq say it will help prevent the risk of an attack by a weapons of mass destruction developed by Iraq. Critics of a military action that say nothing will be gained, and the U.S. just wants to obtain the oil that Iraq controls. They claim that casualties will be too costly for America to afford. Nonetheless, America should act while others will not for fear of disturbing global peace. Iraq poses a “clear and present danger” to the security of the United States and the security of countries around the world.
Iraq’s history is one of both prosperity and violence, and dates back to the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia. While dominated by a variety of civilizations, the region enjoyed a relatively stable society. Since the birth of Islam, the religion has been the dominant cultural belief of the region, and has made its way into the laws and ruling of the region. (InDepth Info, 2010)
Griffith, William E. “The Revial of Islamic Fundamentalism: the Case of Iran.” International Security. Volume 4, Issue 1, 1979, 132-138.
The System-level of analysis shows that the Iraq Crisis (2003–present) is not a domestic conflict as it involved international actors like UN, IAEA and countries like USA. In 1991, after the second Gulf War, UN enforced the destruction of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) on Iraq. The UN condemnation of Iraq was crucial to preserve its authenticity. The UNMOVIC and IAEA had been responsible to check Iraq's acquiescence with its responsibility to eradicate WMDs (UN Chronicle, 1991). Iraq’s non-cooperation with inspection agencies by obstructing the inspection from 1997 to 2002 resulted in massive international pressure and strengthening USA’s doubts on Iraq. The apprehe...
Woods and Stout found that Saddam worked to project a well-defined, if multi-headed, public persona: the object of a cult of personality at home, modern deliverer of the ‘Arab Nation’ to the region, and regional hegemonic to the international community. As a result, many Western observers often saw him as the ‘Madman of the Middle East (Wood and Stout 2010). The American-Japanese crisis in 1940 gives an illustration of this also. For instance, national leaders may not have choices because of structural or systemic constraints, or because of their own cognitive processes. But if they see themselves as having only a single course of action, then their assessment...
The aftermath of the crisis was the international isolation of Iran. The US being a superpower, drove similar responses in its allies. Iran had lost a majority of their allies, which would hurt them during the war. In addition to the loss of the support of the Western countries, the Arab countries were also against Iran and supporting Iraq. The Arab countries also shared Iraq’s trepidations about the Iranian rhetoric of “exporting Islamic Revolution” (Karsh).
The abrupt end of decade long dominating regime in three weeks had created a political vacuum, that is evident in shifting coalitions and divisions among religious groups, ethnic groups, regional groups and even classes (Barnett et al. 2003, 25). US did not realize, moreover, the depth of the hostility between Kurds and Arabs, Sunnis and Shiites, and the members of different tribes and local religious groups. Furthermore, to deal with destruction in Iraq new plan was decided by the US. The plan was to pull out all troops and hand over the responsi...
In 1980, the militant state of Iraq, led by President Saddam Hussein invaded the Republic of Iran. Predicted to be an overwhelming victory for Iraq, the war took a different turn. It was an even battle, one that lasted eight years. After these eight years, the Iraqi economy was in a dire situation. Iraq's oil business was losing to other Arab countries such as Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, who were producing more oil for less money. Iraq needed more oil money to support the massive military it had amassed. On August 2, 1990, Iraq decided to invade Kuwait so that they could obtain Kuwait's oil and possibly gain access to the Saudi oil fields. This led to political conflict that eventually started the Gulf War between the US-led UN Coalition forces and Iraq. Although the US was successful in forcing Iraq to retreat from Kuwait, they made a poor exit which allowed Iraq to keep much of their military and left Hussein in power, which in turn caused many problems in the years to come.