Assess the impact of the Iranian revolution on Middle East politics Essay

Assess the impact of the Iranian revolution on Middle East politics - Essay Example Shi’ite Islam was declared as the state religion and widespread reforms, covering nearly every department of the state, were introduced. This also resulted in the restructuring of the foreign policy of this company. The new leaders of the state had a whole new perspective for the world, especially their neighboring Middle Eastern states. This new foreign policy was to change the face of Middle Eastern Politics forever. To analyze this new order of politics, we must have a proper insight of the foreign relations between Iran and the other Middle Eastern countries. The first country that may come in mind is Iraq (Menashri‎, 2001, p.‎46). After the dismissal of the Shah of Iran, Shah Raza Pahlavi, who was always considered as a liberal Shah who had ‘strayed’ the people of Iran from the true path of Islam, there was a sudden change of the international views of Iran. This also inducted a huge change in the local policies between countries, such as Iraq and Iran. With the Iraq-Iran war between 1980 and 1988, there was a focus towards the Kurdish factor between the two states. This gave rise to a Kurdish conflict between the two states which was promoted by both of the states. Iraq promoted the movement known as the KDPI (Kurdish Democratic party of Iran) to function inside the Iranian territory at different spots which included Nowdesheh and Qasr-e-Shirin. KDPI was supplied with weapons and various military arms throughout the war and wanted to develop liberated zones inside the state of Iran (Bernard, 1995, p.‎428). Similarly, Iran also indulged in a Kurdish movement as a counter retaliation against Iraq. By 1983, they started funding Kurdish parties such as KDP (Kurdish Democratic Party) and PUK (Patriotic Union of Kurdistan) to function inside the Iraqi Premises and cause various un-settlements within the state. This threatened Baghdad