Republic of Iraq
Revised by: Kristie Benton 2013
Map of Middle Eastern Countries
Where
is Iraq?
Geography
• Continent: SW Asia (Middle East)
• Landforms: Desert, mountains
• Waterways: Persian Gulf, Tigris &
Euphrates Rivers
• Famous Landmarks: Mesopotamia,
also called “Fertile Crescent”
• Climate: Desert
Desert Insects
Waterways
Mesopotamia means
“land between the rivers“
Lies between the Tigris
and Euphrates Rivers, also
called “Fertile Crescent”
Human-Environment Interactions
• What happens when you plant crops in the same soil
repeatedly for years?
• Desertification - the process by which fertile land becomes
a desert as a result of drought, deforestation, or overuse
of agriculture.
Ancient History
•
From earliest times Iraq was known as Mesopotamia—the land between the
rivers. An advanced civilization existed by 4000 B.C. It was the location of
the ancient city of Babylon. Since then, many wars were fought causing
governmental powers to change hands several times in its history.
•
In World War I, Britain occupied most of Mesopotamia. The British
renamed the area Iraq and recognized it as a kingdom in 1922. In 1932,
Iraq achieved full independence as a monarchy.
•
Iraq became a charter member of the Arab League in 1945, and Iraqi
troops took part in the Arab invasion of Israel in 1948.
•
The leaders of Iraq were assassinated in 1958 in a revolution that ended
the monarchy and brought to power the military. The new leader reversed
the monarchy's pro-Western policies and began to form alliances with
Communist countries. A leading producer of oil in the world, Iraq used its oil
revenues to develop one of the strongest military forces in the region.
Ancient History - Notes
• Iraq was known as Mesopotamia - the land
between the rivers, advanced civilization
existed by 4,000 B.C., had ancient city of
Babylon.
Modern History
• In 1979, a new president named Saddam Hussein took
charge. He became a dictator, whose regime developed
an international reputation for human rights abuses and
terrorism.
• War with Iran - A long-standing territorial dispute over
control of the waterway between Iraq and Iran broke
into full-scale war on Sept. 20, 1980, when Iraq invaded
western Iran. The eight-year war cost the lives of an
estimated 1.5 million people and finally ended in a ceasefire in 1988. Poison gas was used by both Iran and Iraq.
Modern History
• In the summer of 1990, dictator Hussein asserted territorial
claims on Kuwait and Iraqi troops invaded.
• On Jan. 18, 1991, UN forces launched the Persian Gulf War
(Operation Desert Storm), liberating Kuwait in less than a week.
• During the Persian Gulf War, an alliance of countries, including the
U.S., conquered Iraq.
• During this time, an Afghan group known as the Taliban took
control of Afghanistan and other Middle Eastern countries.
September. 11, 2001
• On September 11, 2001, Middle Eastern terrorist
groups crashed 2 planes into the World Trade
Center buildings in down town New York killing over
3,000 people. Two other planes had targets, one
hit the Pentagon, and the other went down over
Pennsylvania.
• This was the worst
foreign attack on U.S.
soil since Japan’s
surprise attack on
Pearl Harbor in 1941.
Modern History
• After the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks, President Bush began calling for
a “regime change” in Iraq, describing the nation as part of an “axis of
evil.”
• Iraq's alleged links to terrorism, and Saddam Hussein's power and
human rights abuses were the major reasons for war.
• Hostilities continued, and on March 17, 2003, President Bush delivered
an ultimatum to Saddam Hussein to leave the country within 48 hours or
face war.
Iraq War
• On March 20th, the war against Iraq began.
• In the fall of 2003, President Bush described Iraq as “the
central front” in the war against terrorism.
• Continued instability in 2003 kept 140,000 American troops
as well as 11,000 British troops in Iraq.
• By April 9, U.S. forces took control of the capital, signaling the collapse
of Saddam Hussein's regime. Although the war had been officially
declared over on May 1, 2003, Iraq remained enveloped in violence and
chaos. Iraqis began protesting almost immediately against the delay in
self-rule and the absence of a timetable to end the U.S. occupation.
Even though many people are very poor,
don’t think that there’s no money in Iraq…
Some of Saddam’s
palaces
•
•
•
Saddam Hussein's Tikrit Presidential Site. Photographs Taken April, 2003 as
US forces entered during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Palace Main Gate: Standing over 100 feet tall, this is the only building readily
visible. Most of the buildings are hidden from public view behind 12 foot walls
surrounding the compound.
There are over 100 individual buildings inside the Presidential Site. The main
building is the largest, measuring over 1,000 feet in length.
• Twin Saddam Statues at Main
Gate. Combat engineers from the
4th Infantry Division demolished
these statues in the summer of
2003.
• The metal was melted down and
used to build the 4th ID memorial,
now located at Fort Hood, TX.
Iraq War
• The dictatorship of
Saddam Hussein collapsed
on April 9, 2003, after
U.S. and British forces
invaded the country.
• After eight months of
searching, the U.S.
military captured Saddam
Hussein on Dec 13, 2003.
Iraq War
• With the help of U.S. military
forces aiding in security, sovereignty
(government free from external
control) was returned to Iraq on
June 28, 2004.
• Hussein was convicted of war crimes
by an Iraqi court and executed on
December 30, 2006
Saddam Hussein: President
& prime minister of Iraq
(1979- 2003).
Modern History - Notes
• Gained independence in 1932, revolution led to military
takeover. Iraq fought against Iran, then invaded Kuwait
starting the Persian Gulf War (U.S. won).
• On Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists attacked the US, Iraq War
began in 2003. Hussein captured then executed in 2006.
• US troops occupied Iraq helping them set up a new gov’t.
Violence and terrorism still common.
Government
Past Governments:
• Monarchy
• Military rulers
• Dictator: Saddam Hussein led country in human rights
abuses and terrorism
Government Today:
US troops helping to set up new democratic gov’t
• President: Jalal Talabani (2005)
• Prime Minister: Nuri al-Maliki (2006)
Present Day Iraq
• Most Iraqis expect to face at least several more years of violence and
instability.
• The general plan is to create a central government in Baghdad that shares
power with the Kurdish, Sunni and Shiite regions.
• Iraqis fear there are many more years of fighting before it is decided
how power will be divided.
An Iraqi sheep herder goes about his daily life as
tanks move down the road.
Almost a year after the war, which brought
liberation to Iraqis, there is widespread violence
and an escalation of violence against women.
Four Iraqi Schoolchildren Killed in Bombing
U.S. Military Successes in Iraq
• When the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division arrived in Iraq's once
infamous "Triangle of Death," violence there and in
neighboring Baghdad was so intense that hundreds were
dying every day and the country was virtually in a state of
civil war. Now as the division heads home at the end of May,
the region stretching south from Baghdad and across
central Iraq has become a showcase for what the U.S.
military hoped to achieve in Iraq.
• "When we first arrived here 15 months ago there was
nothing but violence, al-Qaida, Shiite extremists," the
division commander Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch said. There is
pressure on Iraqi leaders to make movement on political
goals, such as reconciliation between the country's Sunnis,
Shiites and Kurds.
American Troops try to
keep the peace.
• The U.S. military says violence across Iraq has reached its lowest
level in more than four years after successes this year in
breaking al-Qaida's and other Sunni insurgents' hold in Iraq. "I
just don't see sectarian violence anymore," Lynch said. "In our
area, people kept talking about Sunni versus Shiite. I don't see
that now. Everywhere I go, people identify themselves as Iraqi.
That is their identification —
“I am not
Shiite, I'm not Sunni, I'm Iraqi.”
• Furthermore, military successes in Iraq have nearly crippled alQaeda's ability to produce battlefield propaganda, hampering for
now its ability to recruit fighters and raise money, the U.S.
military and analysts say.
• Looking ahead, ,Gen. Keane, a retired four-star general in the
U.S. Army still considers a robust American ground force "the
secret to success" in Iraq. "It is a myth for people to assert that
by pulling away from the Iraqis that somehow allows them to do
things that they would not do because of our presence. That is
wrong. It is our presence that is helping Iraqis move forward.”
U.S Soldiers also aid in
humanitarian efforts
for the people of Iraq.
War requires a high cost
•
Since the war in Iraq began (March 19,
2003), 4,245 U.S. soldiers have died and
more than 100,000 have been wounded.
Iraqi deaths are over 1,000,000.
•
1st Lt. Tim Cunningham graduated from
West Point and joined the Army in May
2006. The infantry officer completed
U.S. Army Ranger school and earned a
Parachutist Badge. He was serving his
first tour of duty in Iraq along with his
older brother. Tim was killed while trying
to save a fellow soldier under his
command. He is survived by his parents,
wife, and 1 yr. old daughter.
He was 26.
"If I could sum up Tim's life, it
would be that he lived and died
all out for others," his mother
wrote. His pastor said, "He loved
his family, his country, his fellow
soldiers and his God, He died
as he lived, giving himself for
others. I am very grateful I had
the privilege of knowing him."
Dressed in formal military
uniform, 1st Lt. l Tim
Cunningham poses with
President George W. Bush
following graduation from
West Point in 2006.
The former Alvin resident
was killed in Iraq on
April 23, 2008.
Economy
•
•
•
•
Monetary Unit: U.S. dollar
Population: 31 million
Capital City: Baghdad (5 mil)
Industries: Agriculture, Oil
OPEC
•
•
•
Iraq Exports $65 billion in crude oil (84%). It is a founding member of OPEC:
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
OPEC is an organization, created at the Baghdad Conference in 1960, by five
Founding Members including Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela.
They were later joined by nine other countries.
•
OPEC's mission is to stabilize oil markets and secure a regular supply of
petroleum and a fair price for consumers.
•
More than ¾ of the world's oil reserves
are located in OPEC Member Countries,
with the bulk in the Middle East,
amounting to 72% of the OPEC total.
OPEC's oil reserves currently stand at
well above 1,000 billion barrels. There
are 42 gallons in a barrel.
Culture
• Literacy rate: recently improved
from 40% to 78%
• Languages: Arabic (official), Kurdish
• Arab - ethnic group in North Africa
& Middle East
Culture
Religion:
• Islam or Muslim 97%
– two types include Shiite 60% and Sunni 37%
• Mosque – Muslim place of worship
Muslim Beliefs
•
•
Muslims worship a god called Allah. They follow
the teachings of the prophet Muhammad.
They follow the Pillars of Islam which include:
– praying five times a day facing Mecca
(their holy city)
– Fasting (refraining from food and drink)
during the month of Ramadan
– Making a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once
in their life.
Culture
Holidays:
• Baghdad Liberation Day (April 9) – celebrates when the US
troops finally conquered Baghdad and captured Saddam
Hussein during the Iraq War in 2003
• Ramadan (July-Aug) – time to purify & refocus on religious
ideas
• Iraqi Independence Day (Oct 3) – celebrates independence
from Great Britain in 1932 when Iraq became its own
country
• Islamic New Year (Nov 26)
Culture
• Food: Mezza (salad), Kebab, lamb, falafels, pita bread, dates
• Sports: Soccer, basketball, kickboxing
• London 2012 Olympics – The Year of the Woman:
– 1st time all Olympic teams included female athletes
– 1st year female athletes were permitted to compete from
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, & Brunei
– 1st Iraqi female flag bearer at the opening ceremonies