Causes of the Iran-Iraq War

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Causes of the Iran-Iraq war. SPERM
Noah Lawson
Mind Map by Noah Lawson, updated more than 1 year ago
Noah Lawson
Created by Noah Lawson over 8 years ago
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Resource summary

Causes of the Iran-Iraq War
  1. TRIGGER
    1. September 22 1980 - Iraqi forces invade Iran
      1. Pre-emptive strike
    2. SOCIAL
      1. Hussein ordered the exile of 100,00 Iraqi citizens that had been born in Iran
        1. Iraq = Arab Iran = Persian Both have Kurds
          1. Variety of ethnoreligious groups due to artificially constructed borders in the fall of the Ottoman Empire????
        2. POLITICAL
          1. Both leaders are new in power and thus want to establish themselves as superior in the Arab world.
            1. Iranian Revolution (1979) - established Ayatollah Khomeini as leader.
              1. Souresafil - direct result of the revolution. Clash of personalities played a part
              2. 1979 - Saddam Hussein emerged as the effective head of state (in a rise similar to Stalin)
              3. Cold War Tenions
                1. Iraq - treaty of freindhip with the USSR Iran - support of the US
                2. REGIONAL HEDGEMONY
                  1. 1980 - 20 Iraqi Ba'ath officials assassinated
                    1. 1980 execute Ayatollah Sabr as Hussein power under threat
                    2. MILITARY
                      1. Iranian army weakening . 12,000 officers killed or dismissed. 50% of armed forces deserted. 50% of pilots purged. 50% of planes inoperable.
                        1. By contrast, Iraq had more tanks and could man all of its weapons.
                        2. Iraq had a lot of international support USA, UK, France. Iran had just North Korea.
                          1. Miscalculation as to how weak Iran were as they were able to summon masses of people with the promise that they would be guaranteed entry to paradise as a martyr.
                          2. ECONOMIC
                            1. Long term territorial dispute over the Shatt al Arab waterway.
                              1. Significance; It is Iraq's only access to the Persian gulf thus allowing exporting and importing.
                                1. 17th September 1980 - Iraq abrogates the 1975 Algiers accord which split the waterway
                                  1. Pipes - main factor. Iraq launched the war to wrest full control of the Shatt al-Arab waterway and gain the prestige of victory
                                    1. Khadduri agrees - Iran disrespected the Algiers Agreement which represented peace between the two nations
                                2. Territorial dispute over south western Iranian territory, Khuzestan. Valuable as major oil producer. Area is predominantly made up of Arabs (Iraq)
                                  1. Iran supported Kurdish rebels in Iraq
                                    1. Importance of Kurdistan; produced 2/3 of the oil all of grain production. Its loss would ruin the Iraqi economy.
                                      1. In retaliation and to destabalise Iran, Iraq supported Iranian Kurdish rebels
                                    2. Territorial issues are inevitable as majority of Iraqi oil fields are close to the border
                                      1. Iraqi economic context; world oil boom 1979-80, rising oil prices, as a result the economy booms. Improved living conditions.
                                        1. Iranian economic context; growing unemployment, shortages of consumer goods, wealthy lose western business.
                                      2. RELIGION
                                        1. Iraqi religious divisions. 60% Shiite 20% Sunni.
                                          1. Minority Iraqi government hold power through fear. Ayatollah Khomeini felt it was his duty to overthrow the Sunni government.
                                            1. However the Shiite population of Iraq were content being ruled by the Sunni government
                                              1. Pipes - cultural and religous tensions were minimal shown through contemporary literature
                                                1. Souresafil - Iraq feared a Shiite rebellion
                                                  1. Khadduri - origin lies in the Sunni Shia divide
                                              2. Sunni (Iraq rule) vs Shia (Iran).
                                              3. Khadduri = Iraqi born, former Iraqi UN delegate. Soresafil = exiled Iranian journalist. Pipes - impartial American historian
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