Turkey and the Iran-Iraq War

Prior to the Iran-Iraq war, the bilateral relations between Turkey and Iraq were quite extensive. The passage of an Iraqi pipeline across the territories of Turkey had made it possible for Ankara to have access to about one-thirds of the Iraqi oil transferred. However, the Kurdish issue had cast a shadow over Iraqi-Turkish ties. After Iraqi invasion of Iran in 1980, the government of Turkey adopted a somewhat neutral stand and increased its exports to the two combatants. The author examines the factors influencing Turkish attitude toward its western and southern neighbors during the first Persian Gulf war.