ABSTRACT
Most commonly cited are its costs in human life and economic resources, and its inordinate length. Less often remarked about is the genre of conflict it represents—a conflict untypical of the prevailing pattern in nonindustrial areas, where the tendency has been internal or civil wars. The war, which ended one month short of its eighth anniversary, had become part of the political and strategic landscape of the Middle East throughout the decade, establishing or accelerating new alignments and forcing new priorities. Iran's expulsion of Iraqi forces from its territory had been effected by mid-1982, yet the momentum of war and the drive to extend the sway of the Iranian revolution throughout the region prevailed over a more sober assessment of Iran's military capabilities. The destruction of an Iran-Air airbus by a US naval vessel's missile in early July provided a convenient occasion for the announcement of the decision to accept the cease-fire.
