The iran-iraq war pdf

Military and strategic perspectives of the iraniraq war. Relations with iran had grown increasingly strained after the shah was overthrown in 1979. Beirut, 2011many factors went into the decision of united states leaders to engage in war with iraq in 2003. This superb book describes the superpowers involvement in the iraniraq war. Pierre razoux shows why this war remains central to understanding middle eastern geopolitics, from the deeprooted distrust between sunni and shia muslims, to irans obsession with nuclear power, to the. The iraqi invasion of iran was launched on 22 september and lasted until 7 december 1980. The war destroyed a large part of iraq s capital stock, reduced oil production and exports, and. The iraniraq war also demonstrates how difficult it is to pressure the iranian regime. The iraniraq war was personified by the determination and ambition of the key leaders, saddam hussein and ayatollah khomeini, and characterized by mass casualties, the repression of the civilian populations and chemical warfare. The iraniraq war, which ended in the summer of 1988, a month short of its eighth. This conflict did not begin only because of their historical and geographic differences.

A case study in noncompliance javed ali javed ali is a senior policy analyst with the special projects division of research planning, incorporated rpi in falls church, virginia, where he currently provides counterterrorism analytical, training and exercise support for a range of u. In this conflict, the two most powerful states in the persian gulf, iran and iraq, who were the worlds largest producers of petroleum, were locked in mortal combat and appeared. Iran iraq war upon selection of the topic of the iran iraq war, we initially prepared to support the position that saddam hussein had carefully utilized all the principles of statecraft and chose war only as his last resort. At the end, virtually none of the issues which are usually blamed for the war had been resolved. The iraq war is a visual record of the americanled operation iraqi freedom of 2003, which resulted in the dramatic overthrow of dictator saddam hussein. The iraqiran war 1980 1988 on 22 september 1980, iraqi troops invaded iran, starting a war that would last for eight years. Air forces federally funded research and development center for studies and analyses.

Yet if the problem was saddams brutal rule, why had he been supported during the iraniraq war, even when caught using chemical weapons, by many of the same actors, notably. The invasion stalled in the face of iranian resistance, but not before iraq captured more than 15,000 km 2 of irans territory. The iraniraq war 19801988 was a major turning point in irans military doctrine, since iranian conventional units performed poorly against a much smaller iraqi force. Drawing from an extensive cache of captured iraqi government records, this book is the first comprehensive military and strategic account of the war through the lens of the iraqi regime and its senior military commanders. The iraniraq war is primarily the result of a conflict between the goals and ambitions of saddam. The iraniraq war was one of the bloodiest conflicts of the 20th century and accidentally crea.

The study shows how the superpowers, particularly the united states, fuelled the fire of war and in some cases encouraged saddam hussein in his belligerency and aggression. Iraniraq war, 198088, prolonged military conflict between iran and iraq during the 1980s. The causes and effects of the the iraniraq war 910. The protracted war between these neighboring middle eastern countries resulted in at least half a million casualties and several billion dollars worth of damages, but no real gains by other side. Bergquist pdf with commentary at air university press filed under. This had given iraq control over the entire waterway, except for the area near the iranian towns of abadan and. The iraniraq war by pierre razoux, hardcover barnes. Iraq invaded with overwhelming superiority, succeeded in taking a considerable amount of iranian territory, riedel said, saddam used chemical weapons on a massive scale, he then purchased tens of billions of military equipment to fight against the. Strict neutrality 198082 the outbreak of the iraniraq war in september, 1980 provided the soviets with a quandary since they aimed to be friends with both sides. The iraniraq war was to be a personal war between president hussein and ayatollah khomeini. The role of airpower in the iraniraq war maxwell afb, al. Iraq frequently used the defense in depth method where it would allow iranian troops to assault a position and sustain heavy casualties before falling back to a secondary defensive line. The iraniraq war can also be seen to be a extension of the arabpersian conflict over leadership in the middle east.

When glaspie left the meeting, she believed that she had clearly warned saddam of the dangers of using force to resolve his dispute with kuwait. Maedh ayed allihaibi, colonel, royal saudi air force. Published by the institute for defense analysis alexandria, va in conjunction with the national defense universitys conflict records research center, washington d. Download the iran iraq war volume 2 ebook free in pdf and epub format.

Iran s islamic revolution of 1979 was a big and unpleasant surprise to pretty much every government that cared, especially to the west, which lost an important ally the shah. Consequently, considerable potential exists for another war. Iran was placed on an axis of evilalong with iraq and north koreaby president bush in january 2002. A photo from the eight years war between iran and iraq. Iraqi military and political transition through the 1970s prologue to iraniraq war transition of iranian leadership and military decision to invade saddams aspirations earliest phase of the war political and professional soldiers disorganized command and control of iranian operations discussion three. It showed how sensitive and vulnerable gulf oil is and how dangerous overreliance on it could be. The war destroyed a large part of iraqs capital stock, reduced oil production and exports, and. Fought with lucrative oil money, it left the belligerents with crippling debts. Iraniraq war the eight year iraniraq war was, by the standards of international conflicts, a very long one. Thisreport attempts to makethe iraniraq airwaralittle less chaotic. The iran iraq war, which ended in august 1988, one month short of its eighth anniversary, was one of the longest, bloodiest and costliest third world armed conflicts in the twentieth century. Iran iraq war caused an enormous ecomomic, military and social problems to both iran and iraq.

The iraniraq war relations with iran had grown increasingly strained after the shah was overthrown in 1979. When it was over, the conditions which existed at the beginning of the war remained virtually unchanged. It began with tentative decisionmaking during the iraniraq war in 1980, but shifted to a more proactive stance as the cold war started to thaw in 1987, when the council adopted a settlement plan, which iraq and iran accepted in 1988, bringing active hostilities to an end. The protracted war between these neighboring middle eastern countries resulted in at least half a million casualties and several billion. The iraniraq war is one of the largest, yet least documented conflicts in the history of the middle east.

Nov 14, 2014 iran if you wish to be brothers, drop your weapons. The iraq war has decisively contributed to the development of a new regional order of escalating intraand interstate violence, the rise of iran as a regional power as well as a general polarization. According to this agreement, the frontier between the two countries had been fixed at the lowwater mark on the eastern side of the river. Nov 18, 2019 the iran iraq war of 198088 was one of the longest in modern times, and it ended in a draw.

Open warfare began on september 22, 1980, when iraqi armed forces invaded western iran along the countries joint border, though iraq claimed that the war had begun earlier that month, on september 4, when iran shelled a number of border posts. What the iraniraq war tells us about the future of the iran. This conflict began when iraq invaded iran in 1980 followed by border disputes and irqs desire to become dominant persian gulf state and the iranian revolution at that time. This paper presents the argument that the war was essentially a struggle between two men, ayatollah. What the iraniraq war tells us about the future of the. Implications of the iraniraq war einternational relations. Parts of the conflict go back to the split in islam following the death of the prophet muhammad as iran was eager to spread shia islam to the rest of the middle east, but the conflict is not typically characterized as a religious war, mainly because there is little evidence to. The iraniraq war lasted nearly eight years, from september of 1980 until august of 1989, and resulted in more than one and a half million war and warrelated casualties. Collection of iraqi documents translated and made available by the conflict records research center about the 1980 to 1988 conflict also known as the first persian gulf war. The conversation didnt make the same impression on saddam hussein. This monograph represents a continuation of a series of research efforts designed to extend the knowledge of the contemporary middle east, military history, and iraqi military effectiveness during the course of three major wars. Pdf the consequences of the iraniraq war for iraqi politics.

Pdf the iran iraq war download full pdf book download. Scope this manual starts with an overview of the iraniraq war. However, after careful analysis of the history of the relationship between. Oct 07, 20 the iran iraq war was the first major regional conflict in the gulf turning into a real war.

Baghdad argues that its invasion of iran in september 1980 was justified because tehran had been trying since early 1979 to overthrow the iraqi regime. Eight days later, 100,000 iraqi troops poured across the desert border into kuwait. When put into practice, the administrations policy fell short of expectations. The iraniraq war was not a stalemate in the same way that many think of the western front during world war i, but still featured the use of trench warfare. Irans islamic revolution of 1979 was a big and unpleasant surprise to pretty much every government that cared, especially to the west, which lost an important ally the shah. This ebook is an important reinterpretation of the iraniraq battle and is a resource for reexamining the u. It showshow the combatantsview the valueofairpower, whataspects ofairpower. The iraniraq war offers an unflinching look at a conflict seared into the regions collective memory but little understood in the west. Perhaps the most important point to be drawn from it is the danger of allowing religious fanaticism on one side to clash with a leaders megalomania on the other. Paf provides the air force with independent analyses of policy alternatives affecting the development. However, like the war itself, its contribution to shaping the contemporary middle east is fading from memory. The iraniraq war of 1980 to 1988 was a grinding, bloody, and in the end, completely pointless conflict.

Hoping to take advantage of the chaos of the iranian revolution iraq invaded iran in sept. Pope john paul ii in 1988, the united states launched operation praying mantis against iran, claiming that it was retaliation for the iranian mining of areas of the persian gulf as part of the iraniraq war. Simply to inventory the threats posed by the conflicts for these states saudi arabia, kuwait, the united arab emirates uae, qatar, bahrain, and oman reveals the intensity and variety of. In search of theoretical explanations the invasion of iraq was the most controversial and momentous foreign policy. Armys longawaited iraq war study finds iran was the only. Iraq war transition of iranian leadership and military decision to invade saddams aspirations earliest phase of the war political and professional soldiers disorganized command and control of iranian operations. In the eightyearlong iraniraq war, saddam hussein and ayatollah ruhollah khomeini, who held deeply opposed world views, struggled for dominance in the region. Finally, the iranians themselves continue to take the war seriously. In this sense, the war contributed to efforts to diversify sources of oil production worldwide. Evacuation of iraqi fighters to iran during first gulf. The iran iraq lasted from september 1980 to august 1998, which made it the longest conventional war of the 20th century. Yet the war and its implications for iran s strategic culture and nuclear thinking remain understudied and misunderstood. In a striking sequence of photographs anthony tuckerjones shows how this was achieved by the american and british armed forces in a.

Pdf geopolitical origins of the iraniraq war researchgate. If the implementation of the deal and a longerterm resolution of the conflict over irans nuclear program are to succeed, the history of the iraniraq war and the vital lessons that iran has drawn from it must be appreciated. Karsh explains how and why the war began, highlighting and emphasizing the role political survival was to play in the motivation of both leaders. The role of airpower in the iraniraq war air university. An iranian soldier loads the machine gun on a sovietmade tank captured from the iraqi forces west of dezful, iran on dec. Armys longawaited iraq war study finds iran was the only winner in a conflict that holds many lessons for future wars. Pdf the iran iraq war volume 2 download ebook for free. The consequence of the war cost billions of dollars and millions of lives. It was sparked by the iranian revolution, led by ayatollah ruhollah khomeini, which overthrew shah pahlavi in 197879. Itdoesnot, however,present adaybyday, blowbyblow description ofwhathappenedin the airwar. The war did not result in territorial changes, and killed over 1 million people on both sides of the border.

Thus, the war in a sense no winner, and both countries suffered from the war. Professor murray is well known to the academic community and has, with dr woods, of the institute for defense analyses, long been researching the war. The iraniraq war had begun almost two weeks prior when the iraqi air force launched airstrikes on 10 iranian airfields. The middle east after the iraq war rand project air force rand project air force paf, a division of the rand corporation, is the u. The result of the war, although stalemate would be a critical factor that would shape the future of the middle east. Iran has emerged as one of the great beneficiaries of the u. Participation of a child soldier on the iranian front top left. Bush, who announced the commencement of the war in march 2003, explained that the goals were to free the iraqi people and claimed that the iraq government had weapons of mass destruction. Yet the war and its implications for irans strategic culture and nuclear thinking remain understudied and misunderstood.

The iraniraq war dealt a devastating blow to the iraqi economy. Part of the arabiranian conflict and persian gulf conflicts. Pdf the origins of the iraniraq war are geopolitical in two essential ways. According to mesbahi, soviet policy fell into three periods. The iraniraq war was one of the longest and the costliest wars of the twentieth century. If the implementation of the deal and a longerterm resolution of the conflict over iran s nuclear program are to succeed, the history of the iran iraq war and the vital lessons that iran has drawn from it must be appreciated. Third, the war has been thoroughly documented, making it possible to do a detailed analysis of iranian operations. New weapons, old conflicts, edited by shirin tahirkheli and shaheen ayubi new york. It included tragic slaughter of child soldiers, use of chemical weapons, str. It lasted longer than both world war i and world war ii. Hussein and iraqs baathist leadership elite and the ayatollah.

The attack neutralized sassan oil platform and the sirri oil platform of iran. Ratherit attemptsto deducethe reasonswhytheair warprogressedasit did. Iranian soldier wearing protective gas mask against iraqi chemical attacks top right. During the eight years between iraqs formal declaration of war on september 22, 1980, and irans acceptance of a ceasefire with effect on july 20, 1988, at the very least half a million and. The gulf arab monarchies have been, simultaneously, the frontrow observers, financiers, victims, prizes, and wouldbe mediators of the iraniraq war. Iraq war transition of iranian leadership and military decision to invade. Professor karsh addresses the causes of the iran iraq war, unpacking the objectives of the two belligerents and examining how far objectives were matched. Iraqi president saddam hussein, who despised the shah, welcomed this change, but his joy turned to alarm when the ayatollah began calling for a shia revolution in iraq to. Ruhollah khomeini, the spiritual leader of the iranian revolution, proclaimed his policy of exporting the. The iran iraq war was one of the longest and the costliest wars of the twentieth century. Territorial issues, including the shatt alarab boundary and five. The iraniraq war, by pierre razoux, is a very well written account of the iraniraq war, which began in 1980 with the iraqi invasion of iran, and ended in 1989. The iran iraq war is one of the largest, yet least documented conflicts in the history of the middle east.

The first gulf war, better known as the iraqiran war the imposed war, as the iranian authorities came to call it was one of the longest and most atrocious interstate conflicts since the end of world war ii. The causes and effects of the the iraniraq war 910 words. Several years after the arab oil embargo, seeing another major oil exp. This invasion led to eight years of war between iran and iraq after president of iran abolhassan banisadr declared iran was not following the 1975 algiers agreement and neither. Revolutionary council ordered the iraqi armed forces to invade.

The iran iraq war ended in 1989 after nearly eight years of bloodshed. Read the iran iraq war volume 2 online, read in mobile or kindle. The preparations for and conduct of the war were marred by endemic and profound intelligence failures and unprecedented politicization of the military planning and actual. Iraniraq conflict causes and consequences 198088 introduction. Iraniraq war 1 iraniraq war the iraniraq war, also known as the imposed war, jangetahmili and holy defense.