The Iran Iraq War

Historically, Iran and Iraq’s problems go way back for centuries. There is the obvious difference which is that Iraq is mostly Arab and Iran is Persian. Their cultural differences will be one of the main factors leading up to the war. Both Iran and Iraq have a mass population of Muslims among other religious minorities. There is a difference in the type of Muslims they are. Persia, which is now Iran, contains Shiite Muslims as a majority among other religious minorities. Iraq on the other hand contains Sunni Muslims as a majority. Another important issue would be with their borders because they share a border in both land and water. This border will play a huge role in was because of its significance to Iraq. A peace agreement was signed in the year 1639 between the Persian and Ottoman Empires. Since then, those treaties have been signed and ignored various times. But one dispute stood out, in the previous century, as the Shatt Al Arab River was put into perspective. This river is a border that separates the two countries and is important to both sides. This issue led up to both countries having a tense relation following up to the war and basically is part of the reason what Iraq is has fought for. Before the war started the Shah of Iran was paranoid about Iraq and considered it a threat. In response to this, the Shah made sure that he kept Iraq distracted with something else. The Shah decided to aid the Kurdish rebellion and motivating them to fight against the Iraqi

The war on Afghanistan and Iraq was a learning experience for the United States foreign policy. On September 11th, 2001 nineteen Al Qaeda members hijacked four planes, two of which crashed into the world trade center, another into the pentagon and the last into Shanksville, Pennsylvania (Scholastic). The man who was behind this attack was Osama bin Laden and with refusal to hand him over, the United States quickly prompted an attack on Afghanistan. The second war which began in 2003 was due to the belief that Saddam Hussein had acquired weapons of mass destruction which was a direct threat to the safety of the United States, in addition there were also claims that Saddam Hussein had ties with Al Qaeda and was being supported by Osama

The Iran-Iraq War, taking place from 1980-1988, started when Iraq, led by Saddam Hussein, tried to invade Iran, sparking an armed war between the two countries. This war had many effects on the oil industry, led to many weapon innovations in Iraq, showed the world who Saddam Hussein was, and how the treaty with the United Nations affected the world.

What triggered the Iraq War that we are currently still having? During this time in history we were still in the cold war as well Cold War (1945–1991), a lot of events has happened during this time period. I am going to start with the Iran-Iraq war which started in 1980 and ended in 1988. The war began when Iraq invaded Iran, launching a simultaneous invasion by air and land into Iranian territory on 22 September 1980 following a long history of border disputes, and fears of Shia insurgency among Iraq's long-suppressed Shia majority influenced by the Iranian Revolution. (Wikipedia, Iran–Iraq War, 2011). This war had at least a million and half casualties and it severely damaged both their economies, the Iran-Iraq war conflict is often

     The Iraqis tried to prevent and split the growing international coalition through several means. They made it clear that their adversaries would pay heavily if war broke out, and they hinted they would use chemical weapons and missile attacks on cities. Iraq also held citizens of coalition countries who had been in Kuwait at the time of the invasion and said they would be held in militarily camp areas in effect using them as human shields to prevent coalition attacks. Iraq finally released the last of the foreigners in December 1990 under pressure from several Arab nations. The coalition's greatest military concern during the closing months of 1990 was that Iraqi forces would attack before coalition forces were fully in place, but no such attack took place.

On September 11, 2001, two planes crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City, New York. This was the very first contact that the United States of America had with the terrorism that went on in Iraq. March 20, 2003 marked the day that President George W. Bush announced the start of the war against Iraq (1). This was the beginning of a very costly war on both America and Iraq. The cost of the Iraq War was not just the amount of money spent, but the impact of war on the soldiers and the toll that it took on the families of those who were involved, as well as the amount of time and dedication of resources put into the war by the Government.

The Gulf War in 1990 and the invasion of Iraq in 2003 both had a profound impact not just on the countries directly involved - primarily Iraq and the United States (US) - but also on the geo-politics of the world. Arguably, the War ended in a stalemate because the Iraqi regime that had started the War by invading Kuwait remained in power. Perhaps inevitably then, in March 2003 the US and its allies invaded Iraq with the stated aim of overthrowing the regime of Saddam Hussein and destroying that regime's Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). Some similarities between both Wars are immediately obvious: for example, the same country, the

The war in Iraq lasted for eight years and resulted in many casualties; the cost of the war was tremendous. The reason for the war changed as time went by, starting with getting rid of weapons of mass destruction and then, when the weapons of mass destruction were not found, the name changed to Iraqi Freedom. A debate between two writers that emerged of the war in Iraq shows different perspectives. Writer John Mueller, who holds the Woody Hayes Chair of National Security Studies at Ohio State University, makes the case against war on Iraq. Also, writer Brink Lindsey, who is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, is in favor of this war. This paper will examine the perspectives as reported by both John Mueller and Brink Lindsey as they argue about the case of the United States invading Iraq. I will conclude from the evidence that the war on Iraq was unnecessary and counterproductive because it increased not decreased the terrorism, refugee crises, cost lives and money without achieving any of its objectives.

Benson, Sonia G. "The Iran-Iraq War: 1980 to 1988." Middle East Conflict, 2nd ed., vol. 1: pp. 233-250. Student Resources In Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX4021100021/SUIC?u=j108911&sid=SUIC&xid=08a2ab6a. Accessed 27 Apr. 2018.

"We have no eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty to follow", is a prominent quote from Henry John Temple, a British statesman who served twice as Prime Minister, well explains that the relationship between countries is bounded by interest. On the Middle East Issue, the United States shifted its position multiple times to guarantee its interests. US involvement in Iran-Iraq war is a typical example that demonstrates US ambitions of hegemony over control of the Mideast. Thus, Iran-Iraq War is not a war that indicates international harmony, but a contest of

As noted, the movie takes place during the The Iran-Iraq War. The war included religious schisms, border disputes, oil dimensions, and extreme political differences. The conflict divided between supporters of Saddam Hussein and Ayatollah Khomeini, both which had extremely devoted followers. On accounts of religion, the Iraqis believed that Iran's Islamic agenda was a threat to pan-Arabism. On the other side, Khomeini was promising to vindicate Shia victims of Ba'athist repression (CITE). Many critics firmly believe that the war began because of Saddam Hussein’s dire miscalculations. He had underestimated how devoted Khomeini’s followers were, and instead of a quick victory, plunged the states into an eight year war. Politically, Iraq wanted to prove its dominance and force to the Arab world, replacing Iran as the most powerful Persian Gulf state. The Iraqis had an extreme advantage, “the Iraqi military used chemical weapons against Iranian troops” (Tetreault, 158). The Iranians did not

Long time ago, the deep religious splits between Shi’ites and Sunnis as well as the racial separations between Arabs, Kurds, and other minorities such as Christians and Turkmens people shaped a growing level of violence between citizens in Iraq. The greatest threat to Iraqis has

government officials that were identified as conspirators against the Ba’ath party. (5) His ruthless and brutal dictatorship would bring his country to war with neighboring Iran from 1980 to 1988. Initially a territorial dispute, Hussein would cite Iran’s Islamic fundamentalism as his motives for continued combat and Iraq’s use of chemical weapons. (6) The war resulted in more than 100,000 combat deaths and drove Iraq deep into debt. The military annex of Kuwait in 1991 was intended to absolve Iraq of this financial responsibility to it’s neighbor. (7) The United Nations Security Council, in particular the United States, responded with force to drive Saddam Hussein’s army

SOCIALLY, following the war with Iran in 1988, Iraq was ranked 50 in the 1990 UNDP Human Development Index, which measures national success in education, GDP, and health. Iraq was nearing the top of the middle range of countries in regard to the implementation of basic social services and infrastructure. However, under Saddam’s rule, the prosecution of Shiites and Kuwaitis was a normal occurrence. Called by some a genocide, the period of murder, terror, and persecution faced by these groups was the foundation for a long-lasting unrest within the hearts and minds of Iraqi citizens. The rest of the Iraqi citizens, however, lived normal, comfortable lives. In the late 20th century, many traveled from afar to utilize and learn from Iraq’s intricate network of hospitals and social centers regarded as the best in the region. (CIA 2) However, constant war drained Iraq’s wealth and decimated its people. In the Iraq-Iran War, Saddam Hussein unwillingly forced Iraq into a disastrous attempt to overthrow the Islamist government in Iran. When the dust settled, over 200,000 Iraqis were dead, and more than twice this number were wounded. Iraq’s increasing debt, nearing about 75 Billion, soon had the Arab

While the Iran-Iraq War during the 1980's may have permanently altered the course of progress in Iran and Iraq, the war also altered the resulting permanent involvement of the rest of the world in the middle-east. The rich and complicated history in Iraq has established numerous cultural and ethnic traditions that all play a part in where the country is today. The Iran-Iraq War brought into focus some of those traditions and how they conflicted, while also bringing Iraq and its economic situation into the spotlight. Being on top of some of the most mineral rich soil in the world makes Iraq a major contributor to the world's economy through petroleum and crude oil exports. This, among other reasons, ties nations