Iran, Iraq, And The Legacies Of War by Lawrence G. Potter (Editor), Gary G. Sick (Editor)

From the Publisher

Iraq and Iran are the two most important states in the Gulf region, given their population size, military strength, and the potential threat they pose to other states in the region and the United States. This book enhances our understanding of the troubled relationship between Iran and Iraq, placing it in historical context, examining the rapid deterioration leading to the eight-year war that started in 1980 and the effects of that trauma, and exploring the ongoing issues that currently bedevil bilateral relations. The authors cover such central issues as how each side has sought to use opposition groups in the other state to weaken it, ethnic divisions, the role of outside states (especially the United States), and a fascinating account of how the war affected a generation of Iraqis and Iranians. The role of the U.S. in the region and how U.S. policy has affected the two states are also considered. This book provides a basis for understanding the background of a tumultuous relationship that is entering a new era.

Foreign Affairs

The organizing theme of this book is the impact of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War on the two states — but since nothing in the Middle East is adequately explained in bilateral terms or without reference to the past, the chapters range further in time and space. Shaul Bakhash provides a fine overview of Iranian-Iraqi relations from 1930 to 1980. Richard Schofield studies the Shatt al Arab border dispute. M. R. Izady records the politics of Iraqi Kurds while fitting that story into the larger Kurdish arena beyond Iraq (with especially useful maps). Farideh Farhi appraises the impact of the brutal eight-year conflict on the "war generation" of Iran, and Faleh Jabar does the same for Iraq. Gerd Nonneman traces the shifting diplomacy of the Persian Gulf states during those years. Joost Hiltermann addresses the sad history and bleak consequences of international silence in the face of Iraqi use of chemical weapons, and Rosemary Hollis gives an overview of a half century of U.S. involvement with Iran and Iraq. All the authors have written extensively on their chosen subjects elsewhere, and the challenge of distilling their knowledge into succinct chapters here has been successfully met.

Product Details

• Table of Contents

Table of Contents