INTA 2XXX Study Guide - Quiz Guide: Arab Spring, Washington Consensus, Import Substitution Industrialization
25 Mar 2013
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The iran-iraq war, which lasted from 1980 through 1988, was prompted by ideological fears and some strategically based interests. An analysis of the war"s causes can begin with land-based interests. Iraq, because of its shared borders with kuwait and iran, has a very limited access to waterways. Hussein believed that an attack on what he believed to be a newly weakened iran could lead to significant land gains which might expand iraq"s access to the gulf. Hussein was particularly interested in the shatt al-arab waterway. Iran"s recent revolution also inspired some fears that the ideals of the revolution could expand to neighboring nations including iraq. Hussein attacked partly in an effort to suppress the ideas of the revolution and keep himself in power. An easy victory would have also been a way of consolidating. Furthermore, the united states backed iraq"s efforts for fear that the overthrow of american allies in the middle east could lead to the spread of communism.
