Problems in U.S.-Iraqi Relations

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the issues and problems in the US-Iraqi relations, from the era of the cold war to the present. The relationship between the two countries has changed in line with regional conflicts afflicting the Persian Gulf region. The author traces the origins of the conflict with emphasis on the role of Iran in facilitating the problem.

From the Paper:

"Problems in US-Iraqi relations go back to the era of the Cold War. The relationship between the two countries has been complicated, and is often influenced by the regional and Geo-political issues of the period in history. During the cold war, Iraq was a socialist country and an ally of the former Soviet Union, which was engaged in a costly armament competition with the United States. The roots of the current problems between both countries have taken greater significance from the overthrow of the Shah of Iran, a former ally of the United States. Saudi Arabia along with Iran were allies of the United States, but a fundamentalist insurrection in Iran led by Ayatollah Khomeni deposed the ruling monarchy in Iran, and Khomeni reached the pinnacles of power when he made a triumphant return from exile back to Tehran. Fundamental Islamic students from Iranian Universities took American hostages at the time, and relations with the United States under Jimmy Carter had taken a turn for the worse. As America lost Iran as an ally, it began to court Iraq, which soon was engaged with Iran in a very bloody civil war over a piece of water way to the Persian Gulf. The Iran-Iraq civil war of the eighties consumed over 1 million lives."

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