- (source number 8) The information I obtained from this source comes from an Iranian conscript soldier who fought in the frontlines in 1980. The information was collected by asking specific questions about the causes of the Iran-Iraq war.
The purpose of Mr. Eshafi sharing his input on the war was to teach me how the war started in 1980.
This source is valuable, because it comes from a conscript soldier, which may mean that his opinion was not altered by emotion. This makes his opinion on the subject less biased.
This source is limited, because the interview was conducted 30 years after he fought in the war. This could mean that much of his memory on the war was lost as the years went on, making the information incomplete.
(Source number 5) This print source was written in 1983 by Dr. Shirin Tahir-Kheli, a Pakistani-American political scientist and ambassador in. The purpose of her book was to explain the long history of conflicts between Iran and Iraq, and how the Iran-Iraq war originated.
Dr. Kheli is a political scientist which means her analysis and understanding on the war is valuable. Also, she wrote her book in 1983, just a few years after the outbreak of the war. This means the information she used was accurate, because it was recent at the time. Also, not much information was lost in three years of history.
This source is limited, because she did not have the benefit of hindsight when writing the book. New information may have been recovered at the end of the war, making the information in her book limited.
- In 1980, Saddam Hussein attacked Iran because he felt threatened by the new regime in Iran. He was an outright dictator, and he would not allow others to take his power. After the Iranian government had funded rebel groups and encouraged assassination plots in an attempt to spread the revolution to Iraq, Hussein was scared that the majority Shi’a population in Iraq would overthrow the government. It is also assumed that the recent revolution in Iran made the fear of a revolution in Iraq even greater for Hussein. If he allowed the Iranian regime to spread propaganda in Iraq, his power would slowly be undermined, and the domestic affairs in Iraq would change course. In his mind, if revolutionary parties in Iraq gained power, his regime would inevitably fall. It is clear that he would not stop at anything to kill the revolutionary movement when he persecuted people who merely exercised their own politics and religion. Iranian leaders then used this as leverage when they claimed that Shi’a Muslims were fighting a war of “Jihad”. In reality, the war between Iraq and Iran was not one of Muslims vs. Atheists. More accurately, it was a war between two countries who both wanted to gain power and prestige in the Middle East. (An example of this is when Iran broke the Algiers agreement, in an attempt to acquire wealth.) The war was also caused by the Iranian revolution itself. After the revolution, the army had collapsed, and Hussein used this opportunity to attack the seemingly “weak” Iran.
- In conclusion, the actions and greedy intentions of the Islamic regime in Iran caused the Iran-Iraq war in 1980. Instead of building the economy diplomatically, the regime insisted on acquiring wealth through force and violence. Due to actions such as the breach of the Algiers agreement, the Iranian regime angered many Iraqis. Also, with ill-conceived acts such as holding American diplomats hostage, Iran also lost the support of the international community. The Islamic revolution in Iran is central to the Iran-Iraq war, because the causes that were found all relate to the actions of the Islamic regime. The attempt to export the revolution caused mayhem and violence in Iraq and Saddam Hussein was simply defending the sovereignty of his country in order to prevent his own loss of power.
- Bibliography
1. Khadduri, Majid. The Origins and Implications of the Iraq-Iran Conflict. New York: Oxford UP, 1988. Print source.
2. Pike, John. "Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988)." GlobalSecurity.org - Reliable Security Information. Web. 22 Jan. 2012.
<http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/iran-iraq.htm>.
3. Peterson, John. Tensions in the Gulf, 1978-1991. Broomall: Mason Crest, 2007.Ebscohost. Web. 22 Jan. 2012.
<http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=7&hid=25&sid=bdde1215-6560-4f95-87c2-
ad1ac446b64b%40sessionmgr113&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=ndh&AN=36158931>.
4. Mottale, Morris. The Origins of the Gulf Wars. Maryland: University of America, 2001. Print source.
5. Tahir-Kheli, Shirin. The Iran-Iraq War: New Weapons, Old Conflicts. New York: Praeger, 1983. Print source.
6. Gieling, Saskia Maria. Religion and War in Revolutionary Iran. London: Religion and War in Revolutionary Iran, 1999. Print source.
7. Chubin, Shahram. London: I. B. Tauris, 1988. Print source.
8. Eshafi, Sasan. Personal interview. January 21, 2012
Appendix
A quote from an Iraqi exile: “The only reason Iraq went to war was because the regime felt threatened by Iran’s rule.”
A quote from Saddam Hussein: “Iraq is prepared to enter into any kind of battle to defend its honor and sovereignty.”
Eshafi (personal interview)