REAGAN'S POLICY IN THE IRAN-IRAQ WAR
This research paper summarizes and evaluates the policies pursued by the Reagan Administration during the war between Iran and Iraq (1980-1988). The basic policy of the United States during that period was to maintain a balance of power in the Middle East which after 1982 resulted in a decided tilt of the United States to support of Iraq. That policy served American interests well during the war, except for one glaring inconsistency, the administration's abortive attempts to arrange arms for hostages deals with Iran which backfired and led to the Irangate controversy. The continuation of an accommodating policy toward Iraq after the end of the war is more controversial and led to the Gulf War, but President George Bush not President Ronald Reagan, must bear responsibility for not adapting policy quickly enough to meet new realities. American Policy toward Iran and Iraq Prior to 1980
During the 1970s, American policy was oriented toward building up Iran under the Shah as a force for stability in the region. Diplomatic relations between the United States and Iraq were ruptured as a consequence of the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. After 1972, Iraq became a close military ally of the Soviet Union and "took a leading role in organizing Arab opposition to the diplomatic initiatives of the United States, such as the Camp David accord of 1979 between Israel and Egypt" (Metz 205).
Under the Nixon and Ford administrations, Iran became a major recipient of American military aid. By agreement with the Shah, the United States provided covert assistance at intervals between 1966 and 1975 to the Kurdish rebellion in Iraq, the purpose of which was not to ensure Kurdish independence, but "to sap the resources of" [Iraq] (Hitchens 71).
Relations between the United States and Iran sharply deteriorated after Ayatollah Khomeini took power in February, 1979, and especially during t...