Yasmin VegaPOL 135Professor Zeev MaozMarch 3, 2014Iran, Iraq, War and the Effects of State FormationIntroductionTheoryThe theory of revolutionary state formation serves as an explanation for the international conflict and the outbreak of war in the Middle East. How a new state or old state comes into existence or changes regime type is important in terms of national and international implications for the nation. Evolutionary state formation, as opposed to revolutionary, explains how the gradual transfer of power from a colonial power to the newly established government means that the likelihood of war and conflict with neighboring states will be significantly reduced compared to the revolutionary state formation. involves the process of intense and violent struggle between an indigenous population and a colonial power, or between factions or sub-state entities leading to the creation of one or more states (Maoz). The duration of struggle and violence is generally short-lived and results from pressures felt both domestically and internationally. At the beginning of the formation of a new state, acceptance into the club of nations is not guaranteed. The importance of this fact is that the newly established regime must have a solid foundation to be validated and empowered, without it being left unstable and susceptible to overthrow by former neighboring states. During the period of instability following the formation of a new regime, there is an additional internal threat which means that those previously in power will seek the first opportunity to return to the status quo (Maoz). An additional aspect of the revolutionary state for...... middle of paper ......struggle and violence. From the Iranian Revolution to the end of the Iran-Iraq War, the struggle and violence lasted from 1979 to 1988. If only it applied to the Iranian Revolution, the period of violence would have been short, only one year, but without knowing what would have happened if Iraq had not invaded Iran, it is difficult to say how long this period would have lasted. Since I used both the Iranian Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War, the period of violence in this case turns out to be nine years. The implications of the political application of this theory are that the pressure placed on newly formed regimes to provide internal security through external conflict means that policies can change or be adopted with the aim of inducing a state to come into conflict with the new state. The aim would be to give the newly formed state the opportunity to strengthen and consolidate its authority..