Full Description
Twice in a decade, Iraq marched to war: in 1980, invading Iran to start an eight-year-long slaughter; and in 1990, seizing Kuwait in a crisis pitting it against America and an international coalition. These actions shifted a little-known country to the very center of world affairs. What forces and factors set Iraq on this course? Iraq's Road to War shows how president Saddam Hussain's decision-making and Iraq's domestic politics, economics, and foreign relations combined in a volatile mix. When Iran's Islamic revolution made that country seem simultaneously threatening and weak, Iraq's strong, well-armed regime seized the chance to attack its neighbour. But when fighting ended in 1988, Iraq faced economic crisis and feared social unrest. The regime embarked on a new effort to be the regional superpower. Finding little Arab or US opposition to its escalating aggressive rhetoric, Iraq struck again to annex Kuwait's oil wealth. With contributions from leading experts and much new material, Iraq's Road to War provides a comprehensive picture of Iraq, its neighbours, and two wars that shook the world.
Contents
Introduction - Amatzia Baram & Barry Rubin - PART 1: IRAQ'S POLITICS, ECONOMICS AND SOCIETY - Why Iraq Invaded Kuwait and Lost the Gulf War - The Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait: Decisionmaking in Baghdad; Amatzia Baram - Iraq's Army: Military Weakness, Political Utility; Mark Heller - Iraq's Resentful Shia and Kurdish Communities; Ofra Bengio - The Crisis's Economic Roots and Repercussions - Iraq's Economy and International Sanctions; Patrick Clawson - Iraq and The World Oil Market: Oil and Power After The Gulf War; Robert J. Lieber - PART 2: IRAQ FOREIGN RELATIONS - The Arab World and Iraq - Kuwait: Between Surrender and Defiance; Joseph Kostiner - Saudi Arabia: The Bank Vault Next Door; Jacob Goldberg - Jordan's Relations with Iraq: Ally or Victim; Joseph Nevo - PLO: Brother's Keepers, Losers Weepers; Barry Rubin - A Modus Vivendi Challenged: The Arabs in Israel and the Gulf War; Ian Pappe - Syria: Iraq's Radical Nemesis; Michael Eppel - Egypt in the Gulf Crisis; Yoram Meital - The Regional Powers and Iraq - Turkey: Iraq's European Neighbour; David Kushner - Iran: War Ended, Hostility Continued; Shaul Bakhash - Israel Faces Iraq: The Politics of Confrontation; Avner Yaniv - The World and Iraq - The United States and Iraq: From Appeasement to War; Barry Rubin - Western Europe and Iraq: The Cases of France and West Germany; Helmut Hubel - The Gulf Crisis in Historical Perspective; P.J. Vatikiotis - Notes on Contributors - Index
