UAE Involvement in the Iran-Iraq War

NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.

NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Overview of the War
Reasons for UAE Involvement
Outcome of UAE Involvement
Conclusion
References

Introduction

The Iran-Iraq War, which took place from 1980 to 1988, is the longest military confrontation between two countries in the 21st century. This war was sparked by border disputes between Iran and Iraq and the main aggressor was Iraq. Part of the reason why the war was able to last for so long was the monetary and material support that both countries received from countries in the international community. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is one of the states that offered support to the warring nations. This paper will argue that the UAE contributed to the lengthy duration of the war due to the monetary support offered to the Iraqis and the Iranians.

Overview of the War

The Iraq-Iran war began on 17 September 1980 when the Iraqi president Saddam Hussein annulled the Algiers Accord with Iran and claimed the Shatt al-Arab waterway as Iraqi territory (Rajayi, 1997). The border clashes that followed this announcement escalated into full-scale war (Takeyh, 2010). While Iraq had hoped for a quick victory in her favor, the war dragged on for the better part of the decade. Involvement by the UAE contributed to the prolonging of the war efforts.

Reasons for UAE Involvement

The UAE emerged as a state in 1971 after seven Emirates joined following their independence from Britain. The geographical proximity of the UAE and historical relationships between the two neighbors meant that the UAE was in a position to influence the war. However, the UAE did not hold a unified stand during the way with Dubai showing some support for Iran while the rest of the Emirates sided with Iraq.

Rationale for Iraqi Support

The relationship between Iran and the UAE had been marred by aggression as Iran sort to reclaim disputed Islands from the UAE. Ibrahim and Hellyer (2001) document that while trade relations between the two countries continued, the UAE remained wary of Iran’s plans for the disputed islands. The UAE also had a vested interest in the quick end of the war out of commercial considerations. The Iraq-Iran War affected the UAE’s ability to trade free. Specifically, the tanker war carried out by both sides impeded its maritime trade (Ibrahim & Hellyer, 2001).

Rationale for Iranian Support

Iran had enjoyed a historical relationship with Dubai and the two were good trading partners. In addition to this, Dubai had a large number of native Iranians within her boundaries at the time of the war. For these reasons, Dubai maintained close ties with Iran and continued to facilitate the entry of weapons into the country even as Abu Dhabi and the other Emirates bankrolled Iraq (Takeyh, 2010).

Outcome of UAE Involvement

UAE involvement assisted Iraqi to put up a fight against the larger Iranian force. At the onset of the war, Iraq was in a weaker position since Iran boasted of a larger population and better equipped army. Rajayi (1997) asserts that without the assistance of the UAE and other foreign nations, Iraq could have been defeated by Iran in the initial stages of the war.

However, UAE aid helped Iraq to acquire modern military machinery and therefore engage Iran for longer. The modern weaponry obtained because of UAE’s involvement helped Baghdad to neutralize Iran’s advantage in manpower.

Adib-Moghaddam (2007) notes that Saddam enjoyed the greatest international support during the war with Iran due to the goodwill spread by Arab states including the UAE. The reputation of Iraq was enhanced even as the country engaged in chemical weapons attacks against Iranian soldiers and civilians. This positive reputation contributed to the diplomatic and material support that most Western nations offered Iraq.

Iraq could not have managed to finance her war efforts without UAE’s involvement In the course of the war, Iran targeted oil infrastructure to destabilize Iraq. Iraq’s dependence on the vulnerable pipelines to export its oil placed it at a marked disadvantage in the war (Takeyh, 2010). UAE lent money to Iraq to help it meet the costs of the war. Furthermore, the Emirates financed the rebuilding of military installations that had been damaged by the war (Rajayi, 1997).

Dubai’s assistance helped Iran counter the growing military superiority of Iraq. The difficulty in obtaining arms and spare parts was one of the major problems faced by Iran. Since the international community regarded Iran as the aggressor, arms embargoes were placed and few nations were willing to supply Iran with the necessary military equipment. Dubai helped to alleviate this problem by acting as a conduit for illegal arms and materials (Rajayi, 1997).

Conclusion

This paper has argued that financial support by the various Emirates making up the UAE contributed to the prolonged duration of the war. The paper began by providing a brief overview of the war and discussed the reasons why the UAE involved itself in the war. The paper has demonstrated that UAE support was driven by self-interest and trading relationships with the warring parties. Because of this UAE involvement in the war, both sides were able to engage each other in a military confrontation for 8 years.

References

Adib-Moghaddam, A. (2007). Inventions of the Iran–Iraq War. Critical Middle Eastern Studies, 16 (1), 63-83.

Ibrahim, A., & Hellyer, P. (2001). The Evolution of UAE Foreign Policy. Toronto: Trident Press Ltd.

Rajayi, F. (1997). Iranian Pers. on Iran-Iraq War. Florida. University Press of Florida.

Takeyh, R. (2010). The Iran-Iraq War: A Reassessment. Middle East Journal, 64 (2), 365-383

Click Here To Order Now!