Inside the Iraqi State Records: Saddam Hussein, 'Irangate', and the United States
This article uses captured Iraqi state records to examine Saddam Hussein's reaction to US arms to sales to Iran during the Iran-Iraq War (the Iran/Contra scandal). These records show that 'Irangate' marked a decisive departure in Saddam's relations with the United States. Irangate reinforced Saddam's preexisting suspicions of US policy, convincing him that Washington was a strategic enemy that could not be trusted. Saddam concealed his anger to preserve a working relationship with the Reagan administration, but this episode nevertheless cemented his negative views of the United States and forged a legacy of hostility and mistrust that would inform his strategic calculus for years to come.
Keywords: Iran/Contra; Iraq; Ronald Reagan; Saddam Hussein
Document Type: Research Article
Affiliations: Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
Publication date: 01 February 2011
- Access Key
- Free content
- Partial Free content
- New content
- Open access content
- Partial Open access content
- Subscribed content
- Partial Subscribed content
- Free trial content