The Iran-Iraq War

This volume offers a wide-ranging examination of the IranâIraq War (1980â88) featuring fresh regional and international perspectives derived from recently available new archival material. Three decades ago Iran and Iraq became embroiled in a devastating eight-year war which served to re-define the international relations of the Gulf region. The IranâIraq War stands as an anomaly in the Cold War era; it was the only significant conflict in which the interests of the United States and Soviet Union unwittingly aligned with both superpowers ultimately supporting the Iraqi regime. The IranâIraq War re-assesses not only the superpower role in the conflict but also the warâs regional and wider international dimensions by bringing to the fore fresh evidence and new perspectives from a variety of sources. It focuses on a number of themes including the economic dimensions of the war and the roles played by a variety of powers including the Gulf States Turkey France the Soviet Union and the United States. The contributions to the volume serve to underline that the IranâIraq war was a defining conflict shaping the perspectives of the key protagonists for a generation to come. This book will be of much interest to students of international and Cold War history Middle Eastern politics foreign policy and International Relations in general. . Language: English