Read more
Although the stability of the Persian Gulf region has been of rising importance since World War II, it was during the 1980s, when the Iran-Iraq War threatened to upset the balance of power in the region, that its importance became even more magnified. This collection of essays surveys the current state of that region, placing into clearer perspective the political, security, and diplomatic dimensions of the recently ended war. By reevaluating the political landscape of the Gulf, the book produces a gauge for better assessing those factors and forces that affected the conflict's outcome and that will continue to influence future political and security developments in the region.
The volume begins with an introduction by the editor that examines the geography of the Gulf and the primary geopolitical factors that influenced perceptions of the region during the war. The essays are then divided into two sections covering Strategic and Political Dimensions and Diplomatic and Legal Dimensions. Topics covered in the first section include the roots of the crisis, Soviet, Israeli and Arab Gulf states' interests in the conflict, U.S. policy in the region, and the role of U.S. military forces. Section two discusses the reflagging of Kuwaiti tankers, the United Nations' involvement, and the cease-fire negotiations. The book concludes with a selected bibliography and an index. This study will be an important resource for courses in political science, diplomacy, and Mid-East history, as well as a significant addition to both public and university libraries.
List of contents
Preface
Introduction: The Geography and Geopolitics of the Persian Gulf by Christopher C. Joyner
Strategic and Political DimensionsThe Roots of Crisis: Iraq and Iran by Edmund Ghareeb
Strategic and Political Objectives in the Gulf War: Iran's View by Eric Hooglund
The Iran-Iraq War: The View from Iraq by Phebe Marr
Israel and the Iran-Iraq War by Bernard Reich
The Gulf Cooperation Council and the Gulf War by Joseph A. Kechichian
U.S. Policy and the Gulf War: A Question of Means by Thomas L. McNaughter
The Role of the U.S. Military Force in the Gulf War by Maxwell Orme Johnson
Moscow and the Gulf War by Mark N. Katz
Diplomatic and Legal DimensionsChoice and Duty in Foreign Affairs: The Reflagging of the Kuwaiti Tankers by David D. Caron
The Law of Maritime Warfare and Neutrality in the Gulf War by Boleslaw Adam Boczek
The Role of the United Nations in the Iran-Iraq War by Anthony Clark Arend
Iran, Iraq, and the Cease-Fire Negotiations: Contemporary Legal Issues by Charles G. MacDonald
Peace and Security in the Persian Gulf: A Proposal by R. K. Ramazani
Selected Bibliography by Bryan R. Daves
Index
About the author
CHRISTOPHER C. JOYNER is Associate Professor of Political Science at George Washington University. He has edited five volumes, most recently The Antartic Legal Regime (1988) and is completing a study on Antartica and the law of the sea.
