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IraqIraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in Western Asia that
borders Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, Kuwait to the southeast, Saudi Arabia to the south, Jordan to the southwest, and Syria to the
west.
Iraqis
• Mesopotamian Arabs• 75-80% of the population• Majority since the Sassanid Empire• 97% are Muslim, majority Shi’a
Kurds
• Second largest ethnic group• 15-20%• Persian decent• Often called for independence• Brutally persecuted
Turkmen
• Live mainly in the north• 5%• Descendants of the Turks• Suffered Arabization and
Kurdification
Assyrians
• 2%• Origins in ancient Mesopotamia• Aramaic• Christian• Eastern Orthodox
• Persecution, massacre and attempted genocide
Sumerian Empire
• Southern Iraq• Sumer• One of the earliest in human history
• Irrigated farming and granaries for food surplus• Cuneiform• Greatest achievement
• Laws, stories, personal letters and religious beliefs
Assyrian Empire
• Northern Iraq, Syria and parts of Turkey• 2500 BC to 605 BC• First military power in history• Camels in warfare, invented siege weapons
and metal wheels on chariots
Babylonian Empire• Central and southern Iraq• 1894 BC to 911 BC• Babylon• Hanging Gardens• Tower of Babel
• Hammurabi• Law code
• Presumption of innocence and providing evidence
Persian Empire• Founded by Cyrus the Great• Extended from modern-day Pakistan
to Turkey• Largest empire of all time
• Greco-Persian Wars• First postal system• Centralized government • Official language Aramaic
Greek Empire• 331 BC, Alexander the Great defeated the Persian king Darius at the Battle of
Gaugamela• Extended the border to India• Died without an heir, empire split• Perdiccas gained control of present-day Iraq, assassinated by Seleucus
• Created the Seleucid Empire
Roman Empire• Euphrates River • Easternmost border
• Parthia• Roman province under Emperor Trajan in
116 AD• Revolts from both Parthians and Assyrians• Abandoned the region in 363• Many Assyrians adopted Christianity
Sassanid Empire
• Last to rule before the rise of Islam• Main power in western Asia• Clashed with the Roman-Byzantine Empire for more than 400 years
• Trade and exchange with Byzantines and Chinese created a rich culture• Considered to be a high point in Iranian civilization• Much of medieval Islamic culture, such as architecture and poetry was adopted
from the Sassanids
Abbasid Caliphate• Between 634 and 651 • Arab Muslims fought the Persians for control
of Irag
• Built the city of Baghdad• Largest immigration of Arabs into the region• Settled in central and southern Iraq• North mainly Assyrian and Christian
• Abbasid Caliphate lasted until 1258 when the Mongols sacked the city
Khwarizmi was a great Muslim Mathematician during the Abbasid Caliphate. He was one of the first founders of Algebra.
Baghdad• Located on the Tigris River• Founded in the 8th century• Capital of Iraq today• Center of learning, science and culture in
the Muslim world• First city to reach over 1 million people• Now ranked one of the least hospitable
places to live
Ottoman Empire
• 1533 to 1918• Divided into three vilayets
(provinces)• Mosul, Baghdad, and Basra
• After collapse Iraq was occupied by the British
Kingdom of Iraq
• 1921, monarchy under Faisal I• 37 years and three kings• Tensions existed with the British who refused to truly give up control• Five attempted coups• Brief control by a pro-Nazi government during WWII
Anglo-Iraqi War
• 1941, members of the Golden Square, high ranking military officers• Toppled the British-backed Iraqi government
• Began a British military campaign to reoccupy Iraq and reinstate the monarchy• Rebels were defeated• Strong resentment of the British • Hashemite Monarchy
Republic of Iraq• Under British control until 1947• Violent protests against the government connection with the British
and later the formation of Israel• 1958, inspired by Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nassar, under the
leadership of Abd al-Karim Qasim the monarchy was overthrown and Iraq declared a republic
Iraqi-Kurdish Wars
• War and rebellions by the Kurds began shortly after the fall of the Ottoman Empire and continue today• Kurds have had numerous leaders• Short-lived Kingdom of Kurdistan• Backed by Iran in the Iran-Iraq War• Genocidal campaigns by the Ba’ath Party
• Kurdish autonomy after 2003 but tensions remain
Ba’ath Party• 1963, Iraqi PM Abd al-Karim Qasim was overthrown and assassinated• Coup was allegedly backed by the British government and American
CIA due to communist leanings• Ba’ath means “renaissance” • Call for Arab nationalism, socialism and the unification of the Arab world into
a single state
Saddam Hussein
• Fifth president of Iraq, dictator until 2003• Took over in 1979• Nationalized the oil industry and took
control of state-run banks• Fought a costly war with Iran• Known for genocidal campaigns against
the Kurds• Brutal treatment against majority Shia
population• Overthrown and hanged in 2006
Iran-Iraq War
• 1980-88• Inconclusive war over border
disputes and dominance• Tactics like WWI, trench warfare,
barbed wire, assaults over No Man’s Land, and use of chemical weapons by the Iraqis• US supported Hussein• War ended in a basic stalemate
Halabja Chemical Attack
• Part of the al-Anfal Campaign or Kurdish Genocide• March 16, 1988• Multiple chemical agents• Mustard gas, nerve gas, and hydrogen cyanide
• Largest chemical weapons attack directed against a civilian population in history, crime against humanity• Led to the hanging of Ali Hassan al-Majid (“Chemincal Ali”)• Part of the trial of Saddam Hussein
First Persian Gulf War
• 1990 – Iraqi forced invaded and annexed Kuwait• Disputes over historical borders and oil drillings
• Saddam Hussein refused to withdraw• Coalition forces from 34 countries attacked Iraq
• Operation Desert Storm • US forces along with Saudi Arabia, Great Britain and Egypt
Iraq Invades KuwaitIraq Invades Kuwait
UN Security Council Resolution 678
(authorized military force to be used
against Iraq.)
August 2, 1990
Saddam Lobs SCUD Missiles
Saddam Lobs SCUD Missiles
Israel & Saudi Arabia:The fear of bio-chemical
attacks.
President George H. W. Bush
with General Schwartzkopf
President George H. W. Bush
with General Schwartzkopf
Allies March to BaghdadAllies March to Baghdad
Iraqis cheer Allied forces.
Iraqis soldiers surrender.
U.S. Invasion of Iraq
• After September 11 attacks calls for removed of the Ba’ath government in Iraq• President George W. Bush accused Hussein of violating 16 U.N.
resolutions and producing “weapons of mass destruction”• March 2003, American forces and its allies invaded Iraq
Reasons for Going to War Against Saddam(according to the U. S. and Britain)
Reasons for Going to War Against Saddam(according to the U. S. and Britain)
Saddam kicked out U.N. weapons inspectors.
WMDs Weapons of Mass Destruction.
Saddam did not obey the No-Fly Zone limitations.
He was a savage dictator.
Stop Saddam before he can launchnuclear missiles against Israel, Europe,or even the United States.
Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf
Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf
Saddam’s Minister of Information
(better known as “Baghdad Bob”)
“Mission Accomplished”“Mission Accomplished”
President George W. Bush lands on board the USS Abraham Lincoln (May, 2003)
An Interim Iraqi Government
is Created (June, 2004)
An Interim Iraqi Government
is Created (June, 2004)
Prime Minister Ayad Allawi
Abu Masab Al-Zarqawi
• Jordanian member of al-Qaeda who pledged allegiance to Osama Bin Laden• Founded the group al-Tawhid wal-Jihad,
better known as al-Qaeda• Wanted for numerous acts of violence,
including the beheading of two American civilians• Also focused his attacks on Shia Muslims• Killed in June 2006
Mujahideen Shura Council
• Umbrella organization of Sunni Islamist groups• Iraqi insurgency of the US invasion
• Consists of at least six fighting groups• 2006 – officially disbanded and
replaced by the Islamic State of Iraq
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria
• Originated in al-Qaeda• Joined with other insurgent groups and became
known as the Islamic State of Iraq• After entering the Syrian Civil War the group
became known as ISIS or Islamic State• Self-proclaimed caliphate and claims religious
authority over all Muslims worldwide
Islamic State
• Goal is to establish political control over Muslim-inhabited region of the world• Human rights abuses• Ethnic cleansing
• Al-Qaeda has even cut ties with IS
Aby Bakr al-Baghdadi• Leader of the Islamic State
• Known as Caliph Ibrahim• Claims descent from the prophet
Muhammad• Second only to Ayman al-Zawahiri, leader
of al-Qaeda• In 2013, al-Qaeda disavowed any
relationship with him due to his operations in Syria