Essay on Iran Iraq War

Iran Iraq War Term Papers

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"Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi dictator is a ruthless despot who has brought enormous misery on his own people. It is a pity he remains in power..." (Finley ).

The tension between Iran and Iraq had deep roots. Long-standing major problems included rivalries between the minority Sunni Muslims who dominated Iraq and the majority Shiites and disputes over borders that confined Iraq to its narrow access to the Persian Gulf by way of the Shatt al Arab waterway. In 1969, when Britain announced its intent to withdraw from the Gulf, Iran and Iraq already seemed ready for war. That year there was a small confrontation over the boundary along the Gulf, and disputes flared in the 1970s as well, once when Iran occupied three Gulf islands in 1971 and several times later over the border. Most of those differences appeared to have been put to rest by the Algiers Treaty in 1975. This agreement settled the border dispute over the Shatt al Arab waterway in Iran's favor. At the same time, Iraq renounced a long-standing claim to the southwestern portion of Iran; an area called Arabistan by Iraq and Khuzestan by Iran, and recognized Iranian control of the disputed Gulf Islands.

Saddam Hussein took over the presidency in 1979. When the Iranian monarchy was overthrown, Iraq denounced the Algiers Treaty and demanded restoration of the eastern bank of the Shatt al Arab as the border. After a period of mutual sporadic border violations and skirmishes, Iraq attacked its neighbor in the summer of 1980. Iran appeared weak and disorganized and the Iraqi president thought he could easily win. The Ronald W Reagan administration took office in 1981 when the war between Iran and Iraq was only a few months old and it built on the Carter Doctrine. Regan indicated his readiness to keep open the Strait of Hormuz in the event that Iran tried to close the Persian Gulf to shipping Reagan's military plans for Gulf security were more ambitious than those of his predecessor. The Reagan administration regarded the lack of an actual American military presence as a tacit invitation to Soviet intervention. The refusal of the Persian Gulf States to accept American military forces frustrated the Reagan government, so the new administration strengthened the rapid deployment concept with significant expenditures for military construction in the Middle East and nearby areas. In the first Reagan administration, the United States spent nearly $1 billion on construction and support facilities, in Morocco, at Lajes Field in the Azores, and on the Indian Ocean Island base of Diego Garcia. Reagan also made the first official assignment of forces to the rapid deployment force on the 24th April 1981 and gave it a prominent place in the defense establishment. While the Carter administration had buried the rapid deployment force within the U.S. Army Readiness Command, Reagan gave it visibility and prominence. In October 1981, the connection to the Readiness Command ended, and the task force became a separate command reporting directly to the secretary of defense through the Joint Chiefs of Staff. One month later, Exercise BRIGHT STAR 82 showed the growth of plans and forces, testing a broad range of tactical and logistical capabilities. On January 1,1983, the force became one of six U.S. multi-service commands. It was renamed The United States Central Command, its specified theater of operations included Southwest Asia and northeast Africa. Its commander was given charge of nearly All-American military activity in that part of the world. Its total deployment potential stood at 300,000.Despite the increase in the size and capability of the deployable force, there were limits to the American ability to move its forces overseas. The United States still needed bases and facilities in the Persian Gulf, and although alone the West could contribute significantly to the defense of the Gulf, it could not transfer a large combat force on short notice.

Throughout the 1980s, Central Command planners emphasized helping friendly nations in the Middle East defend themselves through training, arms sales, and military liaison as well as joint maneuvers. The force reassured countries like Saudi Arabia, which rejected an overt American presence but needed to know that support was available in an emergency. War started between Iran and Iraq in 1980 and the Arab states around the Gulf generally backed Iraq. Saudi Arabia and Kuwait were particularly outspoken in their support. Both contributed substantially to the $40 to $50 billion that all the Gulf States provided Iraq. In addition, both allowed Iraq to use their ports for arms shipments and sold oil on behalf of Iraq. Saudi Arabia also allowed Iraq to build and use a pipeline through its territory. Although Kuwait was among the most generous contributors to the Iraqi cause, there were some things the country would not agree to. Early in the war, Iraq renewed a proposal it had made in 1975 for 99-year leases on the islands of Bubiyan and Warbah. Kuwait refused. In 1984, Saddam Hussein scaled down his request to a 20-year lease in exchange for an agreement to a definitive border. Once more Kuwait declined. Despite their open support of Iraq during the early stages of the war, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia understood that Iraq was a possible threat to their security. With this threat in mind, they led the effort to create the Gulf Cooperation Council, a regional defense alliance that was established in May 1981. Iraq, which in 1974 had proclaimed itself "the most important and advanced Arab country in the area" and consequently protector of the Gulf "against dangers and encroachments," sought membership, but was denied. While Iran and Iraq fought it out, the Gulf Cooperation Council progressed toward its goal of creating an effective regional security structure. Despite the blatant rejection of the Iraqi application, the members continued to view fundamentalist Iran as the more immediate threat and Saudi Arabia and Kuwait continued to provide material aid to Iraq. The council expressed interest in cooperation with the United States but still wanted to keep actual forces at arm's length. They did not agree with the United States regarding the nature of the threat to regional stability. The United States worried about the Soviet threat and the council worried more about its powerful neighbors and Israel. During the 1980’s, confusion in American policy caused a crisis in relations with the Gulf States. In 1984, the United States reestablished diplomatic relations with Iraq, after a seventeen-year break because they were concerned that Iran might win...

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