ABSTRACT
Prior to the war, the massive and rapid increase in oil revenues had allowed the Iraqi Government to steer an increasingly non-aligned course. The successful exploitation of the resources of outside powers has helped Iraq over the years to fend off numerous Iranian offensives and thus to thwart Iran’s achievement of its war aims. Iraq’s inability to extract itself from the war, and the apparent unwillingness of the superpowers to help it do so, have been the cause of much concern. Saddam Hussein has shown considerable skill in exploiting Iraq’s predicament to gain the superpowers’ support for its war effort, relatively unencumbered by conditions that might limit his freedom of action. The propagation of the idea that the war is a form of conspiracy against Iraq has been used widely by the government, with reference both to regional alignments and to the role of the superpowers.
