Iran Iraq War Analysis

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Background
The Iran-Iraq War is an important conflict for study due to its significant impacts not only regionally but also globally. It was a total and conventional war fought between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Iraq, between 1980 and 1988. A number of short-term and long-term factors led to war breaking out on 22nd September 1980 when the Iraqi Air Force launched attacks surprise attacks on Iranian military airbases including Tehran with hopes to destroy their air force very early in the war, the Iranians subsequently responded in a similar manner. The war was a conventional one as it consisted of warfare fought using conventional weaponry and standard battlefield tactics in open confrontation, while total warfare refers …show more content…

On basis of material published at the time of the war and for sometime afterwards an analysis can be made of the effects of the war. Realization of limitations and requirements in military terms led to post-war build of military resources, capabilities and infrastructure in both countries; other regional states like Saudi Arabia also viewed this with caution and ramped up military strength. Accurate statistics for the death toll of the war is not available, with estimates ranging from 120,000 – 800,000 and 100,000 – 500,000 for Iran and Iraq respectively;including about 100,000 civilians were killed from both sides in total. Economic losses are estimated to be of the order US$1200 billion in total (US$627 billion for Iran and US$561 billion for Iraq). Following the war the Kurdish community in Iraq suffered persecution and further marginalization for opting to side with Iran during the war; massive military campaigns were launched against the Kurds which resulted in deaths of 100,000 – 200,000 Kurds. Politically the Islamic regime at Iran was shown to be capable in running the country effectively and surviving an enemy onslaught against all odds. Following the revolution and US hostage crisis in Tehran, Iran had been suffering economically due to imposing of economic sanctions which would …show more content…

Disputes over borders and resources along with ideological differences are seen as the primary causes of this war. The total and conventional war ended in a stalemate as the larger but unorganized Iranian army was held at bay by a relatively modern Iraqi army. Iraq failed to annex territories on the east bank of the Shatt Al Arab, while Iran was unable to invade Iraqi territory and topple Saddam Hussein. The war also had significant economic consequences. Both the economies of Iran and Iraq were spurred by oil extraction – Iraq, in particular, was the second largest oil producer in 1979. As a result of the war, Iran suffered heavy damages to its infrastructure, with oil pipelines taking a massive hit. However, Iran managed to keep its economy stable despite economic sanctions that resulted from a regime change, courtesy of oil exports and its contribution to foreign exchange. Iraq suffered from rampant inflation and a decline in foreign reserves. Even though the war resulted in a stalemate, it was the deadliest conventional war ever fought between regular armies of developing countries, which would shape regional developments for many years to

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