iraq a modern history. background the land known as iraq has seen violence throughout history ...
TRANSCRIPT
IraqA MODERN HISTORY
Background
The land known as Iraq has seen violence throughout history
Fertile soil between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers (Mesopotamia) makes this valuable land
During the Golden Age of Islam, Baghdad was the greatest city in the world until it was destroyed by Mongols
Conquered by Ottoman Empire, then the British after World War I
Iraq has the fifth most oil of any country in the world
British Rule & Monarchy
The British drew the boundaries of modern Iraq, and handed power to Sunnis, even though more Iraqis were Shiite
The borders also included a large ethnic minority, the Kurds
When the British left, they created a monarchy which they supported with their military
Iraqi Republic
In 1958, the military overthrew the monarchy and created the Iraqi Republic
Many different group came to power over the next 10 years
1968: The Ba’ath Party rises to power
The Ba’ath Party was a secular, pan-Arabist, socialist, anti-European party
Saddam Hussein
In 1979, General Saddam Hussein took control of Iraq
Hussein modernized Iraq’s oil industry, bringing in $$$ to the country
He denounced the Jews of Israel and Persians of Iran as enemies of Arabs
Hussein created brutal secret police and a “cult of personality”
Like the British, he promoted and protected the Sunni minority
Iraq-Iran War
Iran began arming Iraqi Kurds and Shiites, and both sides launched cross border raids against each other
The war lasted 8 years and ended in stalemate
Somewhere between 0.5 million and 1.5 million people died
Hussein used chemical weapons launched a genocidal campaign against the Kurds, killing 50,000-100,000 of them
The USA supported Hussein and Iraq during this war
Invasion of Kuwait
In 1990, Hussein invaded Kuwait He claimed Kuwait was a part of historical
Iraq
He claimed Kuwait was “slant drilling” Iraq’s oil
He wanted more Persian Gulf coastline for himself
The USA led an international coalition to force Iraq out of Kuwait
After the war, the USA and other countries placed economic sanctions on Iraq and created “No Fly Zones” to protect Kurds and Shiites from Hussein’s bombings
Iraq War II
In 2003, the USA invaded Iraq
Reasons: Claimed Iraq had weapons of mass
destruction and would give them to terrorists
Wanted to create a democracy and American ally in the Middle East (with lots of oil)
Hussein was quickly defeated, captured, and executed
Iraq became a democracy, and was soon controlled by Shiites
Aftermath
Shiites, Sunnis, and Kurds quickly began fighting and the country descended into civil war
With no strong government or feeling of national unity, it has been impossible for the Iraqi government to stop the fighting
Civil war has also spread into neighboring Syria
The Rise of ISIS/ISIL/Islamic State
ISIS is an Islamist group made up of Sunni Muslims
Many members of ISIS follow a very conservative branch of Islamic thought known as Wahhabism
ISIS rejects the national boundaries set up by the British
The group wants to create a caliphate, ruled by a caliph, under sharia law