Saddam's Qadissiyat

Abstract
In September of 1980, Iraq invaded Iran to begin a long, bloody conflict. This paper explains the reasons for that conflict using theories from the study of International Relations. The International Relations theories of realism, constructivism, and domestic conflict theory best explain why Iraq took the actions it did. In accordance with realism, Iraq wanted to increase its powerstance in the Middle East by capturing the Shatt al-Arab waterway on the border between the two states. Also, Iraq wanted to assert itself as the dominant power in the region. Constructivism explains the conflict as a result of the states’ identities. While Iraq had a Sunni ruling party, Iran had just experienced a Shia revolution. This conflict of religious identities was compounded with thedifference between Arab and Persian national identities to create a highly unfavorable tension between the two states. Finally, the domestic conflict theory explains that Iraq invaded Iran to divert attention from its own problems concerning Kurdish and Shia insurgents.

Introduction
On the 22nd of September 1980, Iraqi forces invaded Iran to begin an eight year, incredibly costly war. Over onemillion people, both military and civilian died in those eight years. As the conflict went on, the fighting devolved into trench warfare similar to that of World War I. Iran used incredibly costly human wave attacks while Iraq resorted to the use of chemical weapons. The war also targeted cities on both sides of the conflict resulting in massive civilian casualties. Once such a costly war has ended,one can only step back and examine the causes of the war in the hopes that another will not occur. In the light of such an effort, this paper will seek to answer the question “Why did Iraq invade Iran in 1980?”
The best way to answer this question is through the lens of the international relations theory of realism, including classical, neo, and structural realism. In realism, the pursuit of astate’s self interest, the augmentation of national power, the uncertainty of other states’ actions, and the anarchic nature of the international system explain the occurrence of an international relations event. Using those independent variables, this paper will explain the Iran-Iraq war. First, this paper will provided a historical background so that the reader can better understand thedependent variable being explained. Then, the paper will better explain the aspects of realism relevant to this situation. Next, based upon the theory of realism and alternate theories, this paper will offer the hypothesis designed to explain the Iran-Iraq War. An analysis will then follow which will provide evidence for each independent variable. Following this will be some alternative theories andtheir explanations. Finally, a conclusion will some up the finding of this paper and present areas for future research.

Historical Background
An understanding of the historical background of the Iran-Iraq conflict is essential for the reader. The conflict has a long history which goes back several centuries and focuses mostly on the Shatt al-Arab waterway. As such, this section of the paper willexplain the history of conflict between Iran and Iraq in the time between the aforementioned frontier disputes and the Iranian Revolution of 1979.
The beginning of the conflict between Iran and Iraq “is traceable to the Ottoman-Persian frontier dispute in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries.” The Treaty of Erzurum of 1847, which placed the Shatt al-Arab completely in Ottomancontrol, ended this dispute for a time. However, with the coming of the First World War, the changing of the Ottoman Empire to Iraq, and Persia’s change to Iran, the protocol of 1913 further established these borders. This was not suitable to Iran, who continued to ask for revisions to the treaty. Eventually, through British mediation, the Treaty of 1937 was reached. The conflict over the Shatt...