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Analysis of Carter Administration's Green Light to Saddam Based on Newly Released US State Department Documents

Document Type : Research/Original/Regular Article

Authors

1 Faculty member of University of Tehran

2 University of Tehran (Faculty of Islamic Knowledge and Thought)

3 Researcher

Abstract

This article investigates the role of the Carter administration in starting Iraqi aggression against Iran. One of the historical ambiguities in Saddam's invasion of Iran is the issue of America's green light for such an action. The present study tries to resolve this ambiguity by adopting a descriptive-analytical-historical method and using documents published by the US State Department in 2020. Theoretically, the Carter administration's behavior toward the Islamic Republic can be seen as part of the larger US foreign policy framework, which entails maintaining an empire of client states and managing enemies (i.e., countries systematically acting independent of the United States) through hostile means aimed at overthrowing them. By withdrawing from the client relationship and adopting a policy of systematic independence from the United States, the Islamic Republic was targeted by the Carter administration's various hostile actions, including instigating Saddam to war. According to the documents studied, not only did the United States give Saddam a green light to attack Iran but also actively sought to incite him to do so. According to these documents, the issue of military operations against Iran was raised by Brzezinski at least nine months before the Iraqi invasion of Iran. Documents also show US miscalculation in inciting Saddam to invade Iran as they show that Carter and his administration saw the newly formed Islamic Republic to be too weak to resist a full-fledged war. The Carter administration believed the war would end with the collapse of the Islamic Republic within a few months.

Keywords

References
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Holy Defense Studies
Volume 7, Issue 3 - Serial Number 27
December 2021
Pages 91-114
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