Iran Iraq War

by David Schaffer

The Iran-Iraq War was one of the longest and most destructive wars of the twentieth century. Global interest in the Middle East and dependence upon oil supplies from the Persian Gulf led to widespread... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1590181840
• ISBN13: 9781590181843
• Release Date: December 2002
• Publisher: Lucent Books
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 7.6" x 9.5"
• Age Range: 10 to 13 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 8

Customer Reviews

A very informative look at the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s

The fact that the Iran-Iraq War was the longest continuous war between two countries in the 20th century certainly was a surprise to me. If I had been asked the question I probably would have talked about the war between the Vietcong and the French that predated American involvement in the Vietnam War, but that would not have been tossed out there with a high degree of confidence. In this volume for the World History Series author David Schaffer looks at "The Iran-Iraq War" and tells young readers about the history of the conflict that was waged from 1980 until 1988 in the global hot spot of the Persian Gulf and its far-reaching repercussions. Schaffer underscores the idea that the Iran-Iraq War marked a fundamental shift in thee way foreign powers related to the nations of the Middle East."The Iran-Iraq War" is covered in seven chapters: (1) Conflict Evolves and Emerges looks at the centuries of confrontation that reemerged as a territorial conflict during the late 1970s; (2) Militants Take Power: War Breaks Out covers Iran's radical new course once the Shah was replaced by the Ayatollah Khomeini while Saddam Hussein rose to power in Iraq; (3) Settling into Stalemate saw Iraq's early battlefield gains reversed by Iran; (4) Boldness and Backlash: The World Takes Sides looks at who around the world supported each side, with some countries supporting both and others neither; (5) War Frontiers Expand looks at the Iranian Fao Offensive from February 1986 to April 1987; (6) Iran and the United States Face-to-Face covers ground that would be familiar to teachers but not young students, with the Iran-Contra Scandal of the Reagan Administration and the shooting down of Iranian Air Flight 655 by the USS "Vincennes;" and (7) War's Last Gasps and an Uneasy Peace deals with the involvement of the United Nations and the death of Khomeini, that saw the end of the Iran-Iraq War, which was the point where Saddam Hussein turned his attention to Kuwait, which was invaded and occupied by Iraq in August 1990.This book is supposedly intended for grades 5-8, although I have to say my reaction is that it skews higher in terms of the amount of information and the level of sophistication Schaffer is providing for his readers. Given that most of those readers will have some understanding of the American invasion of Iraq in the Second Gulf War, Schaffer does a nice job of showing how the impact of personalities such as Hussein and Kohmeini were mainly responsible for a lot of what happens, using lots of quotes to show the war rhetoric of each. Looking at the animosity between Hussein and both of the presidents Bush, teachers and readers will see strong parallels and have an appreciation for the impact of a leader on world events. However, I have to say that most readers are going to find a lot of information here (perhaps too much). The volume is illustrated with black & white photographs of most of the major players and some of the events involved and throughout