The Social Origins of the Iran-Iraq War

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The Social Origins of the Iran-Iraq War, by W. Thom Workman. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 1994. x + 174 pages. Index to p. 178. $35.

Reviewed by Louay Bahry

The Iran-Iraq war, with eight years of active hostilities (1980-88), was the longest conventional war fought in the 20th century. Although, for the two belligerents, the war ended in a virtual military draw, it caused hundreds of thousands of human casualties and significant damage to the economies of both Iran and Iraq. Neither country has yet recuperated. Moreover, the consequences of the war did not end with the cease-fire. Iraqi president Saddam Husayn, frustrated by the war's unsatisfactory outcome and …