Violence, Revolution, and the End of the Cold War in the Middle East

This paper examines the eclipse of secular nationalism, the resurgence of religious politics, and the impact of the late-Cold War on the Middle East between 1975 and 1985. During this decade, a wave of sectarian violence swept through the region, spawning three bloody conflicts: the Lebanese Civil War, the Iran-Iraq conflict, and the Soviet-Afghan War. Although these three wars were triggered by local circumstances, each was shaped in indelible ways by broader currents moving through the Middle East. Specifically, each showcased the declining relevance of Cold War ideological debates, the rise of new ethno-religious tensions, and the growing U.S. security presence in the region. While the earlier Arab-Israeli wars and the U.S. invasions of Iraq have received more attention, these three conflicts entailed far greater loss of life. Further, each gave rise to new dynamics and actors that would come to define the regional order in the post-Cold War era.