Iran And Iraq Are Traditional Rivals. While Iran Is A

IRAQ WARS Iran and Iraq are traditional rivals. While Iran is a non-Arab Shiite dominated Islamic Republic, Iraq is an ethnically Arabian country with its Shiite majority long dominated by the Sunni regime of Saddam Hussain. The Iran-Iraq culminated in the long Iran-Iraq War from 1980 to 1988. The suspicion of the Shiite leadership of Iran helping the long suppressed Shiite majority of Iraq to rebel against the Saddam Hussain regime apart from the long standing border disputes between the countries prompted Iraq President Saddam Hussain to attack Iran in 1980. Iraq invaded Iran on September 22, 1980. The mess and turmoil then existed in Iran after the Islamic Revolution helped Saddam Hussain’s decision to invade Iran. The political situation in the Persian Gulf after the Iranian Revolution prompted the United States of America and other western allies to side with Iraq against radically Islamist Iran to counter-balance the rise of the post-Revolution Iran. But, the Iranian forces forced Iraq to retreat in June 1982 and Iran took the mantle of aggression thereafter till the war ended on August 20, 1988.

Kuwait, the neighboring Arab country, was a close ally of Iraq and provided tactical and financial support to Iraq during the Iraq-Iran war. But the relationship soured after the war culminating in invasion of Kuwait by Iraq in 1990.

The Kuwait demand of repayment of 40 billion dollars it provided to Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War deeply strained the relationship between Iraq and Kuwait. Iraq after the Iran-Iraq War was not in position to repay the amount. It maneuvered in the meetings of the

Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to increase the world oil price to enable it to repay the borrowings from Kuwait. Kuwait on the other hand increased the quantum of its oil production causing severe damage to the Iraq efforts to increase the world oil price. Fall of world oil price by one dollar a barrel caused a loss of one billion dollars to the annual revenue of Iraq and it was estimated that Iraq lost 14 billion dollars a year due to Kuwait's oil price strategy. The Iraq Government called this attitude of non-cooperation by Kuwait Government as a kind of Economic Warfare. Iraq accused Kuwait of stealing its oil and claimed that Kuwait historically belonged to Iraq up to 1913 until the United Kingdom carved out Kuwait as a separate state from Iraq. It was in this background that Iraq invaded Kuwait on August 2, 1990.

Within

two

Guards vanquished

days

of

Kuwait

the and

invasion, Kuwait

the

ruling

Iraqi elite

Republican escaped

to

neighboring Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Iraq President, Saddam Hussain declared Kuwait as the 19th province of Iraq and Kuwait remained in Iraq’s possession for seven months till “Operation Desert Storm” of the United States of America snatched back Kuwait from Iraq in February 1991 and restored to its former rulers.

The United States of America, the United Kingdom, and Canada met Iraq’s military action on Kuwait with economic sanctions against Iraq on the call of the UN Security Council and with preparations for war. Forces of these countries joined the regional troops of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates in powerful show of strength against Iraq for a decisive victory for the coalition forces within a month in February 1991.

Iraq War of 2003 was forced on Iraq by the governments of the U.S. and the UK on the unfounded claim that Iraq is producing and is in possession of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and therefore posed an imminent threat to the security of the world. They also claimed

Iraq

President

Saddam

Hussein of

harboring

and

supporting the Al-Qaeda Islamic militant outfit that was responsible for the World Trade Centre attack of September 11, 2001. These countries employed all their diplomatic skills and political muscles to forge an alliance of friendly countries to invade Iraq. Most possibly, Iraq's oil reserves and personal distastes between the then President of the United States of America, George Bush and the then Iraq President, Saddam Hussain were strong reasons in the decision to invade Iraq. Anyway, Saddam Hussain and Iraq were cleared of all blames and accusations by the later investigations and probes.

The invasion of Iraq led to an occupation and the eventual capture of Saddam Hussein, who was later executed by the Iraqi Government. Violence against coalition forces soon led to uncontrolled Iraqi

insurgency

Sunni and Shiite sects

and

low-intensity

throughout

Iraq.

civil The

war

invasion

between and

the

insurgency ensued provided a foothold to Al-Qaeda in Iraq and rapidly grew in strength there. The uncalled war led to the death of more than a million civilians and uprooting of more than five million people or 16% of the Iraq population.

Coalition that was formed to invade Iraq slowly disintegrated as public opinion went against the invasion of Iraq and Iraqi forces began to take responsibility for its security. President Barack Obama on

assuming power as the President of the United States of America announced withdrawal of the United States forces in 18-months, leaving back about 30,000 to 50,000 troops to advice and train Iraqi security forces. Britain withdrew its operations in Iraq April 30, 2009. Yet, Iraq War is not a closed chapter and insurgency and retaliatory violence are continuing unabated.