The Iranian Revolution of 1979 did not emerge in isolation. It was the culmination of a turbulent decade marked by wars, oil shocks, ideological struggles and shifting alliances across the Middle East. More than four decades later, these upheavals continue to shape West Asia’s strategic landscape. Why do the consequences of those turbulent years still echo across the region?
The decade of the 1970s is generally not well understood for the profound impact it has had on the trajectory of global geopolitics and geoeconomics. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, a little-known Iranian cleric, exiled to the dusty streets of Najaf in Iraq, Shi’a Islam’s holiest city, was brewing a revolution to depose the Shah of Iran. Subsequent to his expulsion from Iraq by Saddam Hussein, Khomeini would continue his machinations from the outskirts of Paris. Saddam shared with the clerics at Najaf the view that Khomeini’s politico-religious ideas were nonsensical and troublesome, given the followers he attracted with his inflammatory rhetoric. Prior to expelling him from Iraq, Saddam had offered to the Shah, in August 1978, to “get rid” of Khomeini. The Shah turned down the suggestion.