This research paper discusses and analyzes the causes, course and consequences of the war between Iran and Iraq. That war began in September, 1980 and ended with a de facto cease fire in August, 1988. In military terms, the war resulted in a stalemate. Neither Iran nor Iraq achieved their stated war aims. Nevertheless, this war was noteworthy in a number of respects. Its origins were deeply imbedded in very old religious and territorial conflicts between the various regimes which at different times controlled the areas which comprise modern Iran and Iraq. Since the war ended inconclusively, a return engagement may well occur in the future.
The war was the longest and was among the most savage conventional wars of this century. There were also a number of important consequences of the war, apart from the casualties and other damage wreaked by it. These included: the consolidation in power of the Saddam Hussein dictatorship and secular Arab state in Iraq and the Islamic fundamentalist revolution in Iran; new developments in military tactics and the use of advanced weapons such as avionics and missiles and new uses for old ones (poison gas); and important economic and geopolitical impacts within the region and outside it. The war led in part to the Gulf War of 1990 1991.
According to Tareq Ismael, "the contemporary conflict is the latest manifestation of a centuries old drama" (Ismael 39). The religious roots of the conflict dated back to the schism in the seventh century between the Sunni and Shia sects of Islam. The dividing line between the two sects overlapped the borders of Persia (Iran) and Mesopotamia (Iraq). The first major battle between the Persians and the Arabs took place in 639. Apart from the ethnically distinct Kurds in its north, Persia was basically homogenous, but by 1980, Shias accounted for fifty four percent of the population of Iraq. Some of the holiest Shia shrines are located in Iraq.
Competition and r...