Iraq

Fast Facts about Iraq  75% Arabs-15% Kurds and 10% other  97% Muslim  Literacy Rate 78.5%  Infant Mortality Rate per 1,000  9% arable land  Agriculture 4%, 65% Industry, Service 32%  Parliamentary Democracy  chief of state: President Jalal TALABANI (since 6 April 2005)  head of government: Prime Minister Nuri al- MALIKI (since 20 May 2006)

Iraq 1. Population = 29 million 67% of population live in cities (urban areas) 2. Capital = Baghdad population = 6 million One of the Middle East’s largest, most important cities 1. Population = 29 million 67% of population live in cities (urban areas) 2. Capital = Baghdad population = 6 million One of the Middle East’s largest, most important cities

A mountain village in northern Iraq.

Iraq: Climate  Mediterranean in the Northern Mountains  Steppe/Savanna in Mesopotamia area  Mostly Desert in the Southeast

Iraqi History:  Remains of temple at Ur in present-day Iraq.  It is among the oldest edifices in the world; the temple walls were constructed as early as the 5th millennium B.C.  The Tigris-Euphrates civilization, founded in lower Iraq by the Sumerians, arose at least as early as 3,500 B.C.  Subsequent empires rose and fell over Iraq’s storied history

Mesopotamia  The land area between the Tigris and Euphrates River  Actually means: the land between the rivers  The ancient cities of Sumer (5000 years ago), Babylon, and Assyria all were located in what is now Iraq  Home to first form of writing: cuneiform

Cuneiform  Cuneiform is a writing style, that is made from wedge-shaped strokes, inscribed on clay, stone, metal, wax or other materials.  Cuneiform writing has been used in several languages, and was in use for about 3,000 years, from about 3100 BC until about year 0.

3. Religion  Islam: 97% of population Government = Parliamentary Democracy  Branches: Shi’ite - 63% Sunni – 34%

4. Economy Iraq = Oil

 Iraq’s proven oil reserves of 112 billion barrels are the world’s second largest, behind Saudi Arabia.

5. Iraqi Ethnic Groups: 1. Arabs & 2. Kurds

A. Kurds: The People 1. The Kurds are considered the world's largest ethnicity without a country of their own. 2. Kurdish population is million people. 3. Their territory is divided among the modern countries of: Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria. 4. Just over four million of these Kurds live in Iraq.

A. Kurds (Con’t) 5. Kurds are mostly pastoral Muslims with a distinct language and culture.

C. Kurds: The anti-Kurdish "Anfal" Campaign The anti-Kurdish "Anfal" Campaign 1. The Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein in 1988 initiated a genocide. genocide 2. 90% of Kurdish villages, and over 20 small towns and cities, had been wiped off the map

Kurds: (con’t) Anfal Campaign 4. Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein used chemical weapons against the Kurds  he said they were disloyal to him in his war against Iran. 5. In all approximately 180,000 Kurds were killed.

6. Iraq: 1970’s – Present: A Series of Wars  1979-Saddam Hussein comes to power through civil war-war inside Iraq.  Iran Iraq War  Persian Gulf War  Operation Iraqi Freedom

Persian Gulf War August 2, 1990: Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. January 16 th, 1991: U.S. Coalition goes to war against Iraq. February 27 th, 1991: U.S. declares a cease fire. Kuwait is liberated.

The start of Operation Iraqi Freedom. October 16, 2002: President Bush signed a resolution passed by Congress authorizing the United States to use force against Iraq.  November 27, 2002: Formal Weapons inspections began.  December 7, 2002: Iraq issued their official declaration of weapons to the United Nations.

Iraq LIES  December 19, 2002: U.N. Weapons Inspectors stated, "Iraq's account is not a full account of all their weapons."  December 2002: President Bush authorized the deployment of 100,000 troops to the Persian Gulf for early January.  January 27, 2003: U.N. inspector reported that Iraq had not proved that they had eliminated illegal weapons.  March 17, 2003: United States president George W. Bush gave Hussein 48 hours to leave Iraq.  Saddam Hussein refused to leave Iraq.

The War Starts  March 20, 2003: The United States fired missiles at a bunker. On December 13, 2003, Saddam was captured in Adwar, Iraq.  March 2006 Bombing of Shiite and Sunni Mosques put Iraq on the verge of civil war.  Following the Capture of Saddam: American troops and Iraqis continued to battle "insurgents" from other Arab countries as they tried to create a

Keeping the Peace in Iraq (Success)  Free Democratic Elections  New Constitution  New Democratic Government  New Schools built.

Prime Minister Maliki  Elected May 2006

Keeping the Peace in Iraq (Problems)  Terrorists attacks from Syria and Iran.  Civil Strife between Sunnis and Shi’ites  Giving each group in Iraq a say in the government.

2007: The Surge  In January, President Bush outlined a plan to take out terrorists in key cities.  Gen. Petraeus would be the Commander of forces in Iraq.

The Surge Cont.  The Surge worked.  Violence went down in and around Baghdad.  Civilian deaths and military deaths went down too.

News  U.S. soldiers were withdrawing slowly from Iraq.  Iraqi forces were slowly taking control.  August 17 th, 2010, the last U.S. combat brigade left Iraq.