Geopolitical determinism: The origins of the Iran-Iraq war

In the case of the Iran-Iraq war, the general cause is often attributed to the ethnic and religious divide that has separated Arabs and Persians, Shi'i and Sunni Muslims since at least the seventh century. This article offers an alternative explanation. It argues that geopolitics is the most im...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Middle East journal
Main Author: Karsh, Efrayim 1953- (Author)
Format: Print Article
Language:English
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Published: Institution 1990
In: The Middle East journal
Further subjects:B International policy
B Iran
B Geopolitics
B Einflussgröße
B Cause
B War
B Regional conflict
B Iraq
B History
B International conflict
Description
Summary:In the case of the Iran-Iraq war, the general cause is often attributed to the ethnic and religious divide that has separated Arabs and Persians, Shi'i and Sunni Muslims since at least the seventh century. This article offers an alternative explanation. It argues that geopolitics is the most important single factor that has influenced Iranian-Iraqi relations for generations and, in consequence, accounts for the outbreak of the war. More concretely, the war began because the weaker state, Iraq, attempted to resist the hegemonic aspirations of its stronger neighbor, Iran, to reshape the regional status quo according to its own image. (DÜI-Hns)
ISSN:0026-3141
Contains:In: The Middle East journal