Impact of Revolutionary Ideology on the Military in Time of War Case Study: The Iranian Military During the Iran-Iraq War 1980-88

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The interaction between politics and military professionalism is a delicate balancing act in war. When the politics involves a revolutionary ideology, military professionalism can be subordinated to the point of hurting the war effort. The Iranian revolutionary regime was in the midst of converting its military into an Islamic armed force when attacked by Iraq in 1980. The Iranians embraced a revolutionary as a prime component at all three levels of war, often at the expense of military professionalism. At the strategic level, the Iranians expanded their war aims to include establishing an Islamic republic in Iraq. At the operational level, the Iranians failed to integrate the efforts of its two armed forces, the Army, and the ideologically driven Revolutionary Guards. At the tactical level, they used the zealous spirit of religiously inspired troops, with mixed results. The failure to balance the professional with the ideological was very costly in both lives and money and eventually caused Iran to have to settle for peace on terms short of its political goal.