Iraq is located in the Middle East in southwest Asia. The country borders Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Turkey, Syria, Jordan and Iran. The fertile land between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers was the birthplace of Mesopotamian culture, shaped by peoples such as the Sumerians, Babylonians and Assyrians. Capital: Baghdad Biggest city: Baghdad State: republic Language: Arabic,… Read More »
Iraq’s population is growing rapidly and four out of ten Iraqis are under 15 years of age. The residents are unevenly distributed over the country, which largely consists of desert. A majority of the population lives in fertile plains along the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. More than three-quarters of Iraqis are Arabs. The largest ethnic… Read More »
Iraq can be divided into three well-defined geological regions: deserts in the west and south, the river plains between the Euphrates and Tigris and the mountains in the northeast. Deserts The deserts cover a large area west and south of the Euphrates, and extend west into neighboring Jordan and Syria and south into Saudi Arabia.… Read More »
During the US -led invasion of Iraq in 2003 dissolved the interim authority established by the coalition forces of the armed forces in Iraq, the Defense Ministry and other security institutions. From 2003, coalition forces began to implement plans for a new Iraqi security force with a purely defensive mission and capacity. The plans are… Read More »
Invasion and regime change President Bush gave the Iraqi government an ultimatum on March 17: that Saddam Hussein and his sons had to leave the country within 48 hours – if not a military action would be taken. Then did not happen; UN inspectors left Iraq – and the war started. An hour and a… Read More »
Constitution and political system After the war, in spring 2003, the same year in May created a US-led administration of Iraq (Coalition Provisional Authority, CPA). This was supplemented in the summer of 2003 by an Iraqi advisory transitional government. In the spring of 2004, a provisional constitution was agreed , and in June 2004 the… Read More »
The Third Gulf War (2003) After the Second Gulf War, conservative forces in the United States worked to help the American government remove Saddam Hussein from power. The reason was primarily linked to geopolitics and energy security: The United States considered it necessary to secure better control of the security policy situation in the Gulf,… Read More »
Jihadist advancement In early 2014, IS troops captured Fallujah and Ramadi west of Iraq, taking control of parts of northern Iraq with the country’s second largest city of Mosul, then Tikrit. They also attacked the country’s largest oil refinery in Baiji. At the same time, Kurdish forces took control of Kirkuk to prevent the jihadists… Read More »
Sanctions and flight bans (1991–2003) Following Iraq’s annexation of Kuwait, the UN imposed new economic sanctions on Iraq. These were maintained after the country withdrew from Kuwait, because Iraq did not comply with all UN resolutions to which the country had committed itself under the ceasefire agreement. The sanctions were passed by the Security Council… Read More »
American Withdrawal (2010–2011) As the Iraqi government developed its own security apparatus, the United States gradually withdrew its forces. The coalition forces gathered for the campaign against the Baath regime also gradually thinned out as more countries withdrew their forces. Operation Iraqi Freedom was formally completed in February 2010, when only US forces remained. The… Read More »
The First Gulf War (1980–1988) The Iraqi leadership was worried about developments in Iran after the revolution in 1979. Not least, the Sunni regime feared the influence the Iranian Shiite regime could have on Iraq’s own Shiite majority, which was in latent conflict with the Baghdad authorities. An Iraqi regime in economic progress, and with… Read More »
Resistance and violence In the chaos that followed the invasion of 2003, the United States alone failed to provide adequate public infrastructure protection and peace of mind. At the same time, large quantities of weapons came astray. These ended up with former, now deposed and unemployed, members of the former security apparatus, and with criminals.… Read More »
Revolution and Republic A historic turning point in Iraq’s modern history occurred in 1958, when the kingdom was abolished in a coup d’etat and the country gained military leadership. The coup took place as a result of King Feisal 2 entering into an agreement with King Hussein of Jordan that the two countries would be… Read More »
Since the beginning of the 2000s, Iraq has been marked by the legacy of the long-standing rule of the Baath Party and Saddam Hussein and the civil war that followed the 2003 US-led invasion of the country. The 2003 invasion, the fall of Saddam and the US’s long-standing occupation of the country led to major… Read More »
The Iraqi state formation (from 1921) From 1918 most of Iraq, from Basra to Mosul, was governed by British rule, and the British East Commander ruled the country through a civilian commissioner. When the victory powers at the San Remo Conference in 1920 divided the Middle East between them, Iraq was made a British mandate… Read More »
Since the early 1980s, Iraq has been strongly influenced by years of war, as well as by international economic sanctions, which have had a profoundly negative effect on the country’s economic development. The first Gulf War, Iraq’s war with Iran in 1980–88, caused both large resources to be tied up in war efforts over a… Read More »
The land area that today constitutes Iraq was a core area during the spread of Islam from the 6th century. From 1534 the area was part of the Ottoman Empire, until a state formation that resembled today’s Iraq became a British mandate after World War I with Feisal as the inaugurated king. Iraq first became… Read More »
As seat of the Arab- Islamic empire during the Abbasids, Baghdad was the center of the Arab Cultural Golden Age for several centuries in the Middle Ages. Well-known authors such as Abu Nuwas and al-Jahiz worked here and in Basra in the south of the country. Many of the foremost literatures and scientists came from… Read More »
Iraq is a republic in West Asia ( Middle East ). The country borders Syria in the northwest, Turkey in the north, Iran in the east, Kuwait in the south and Saudi Arabia and Jordan in the west. Iraq has a coastal strip towards the Gulf of Persia (Gulf) in the south. Iraq is rich… Read More »
Visual arts and crafts The art was characterized by Islamic art from around the founding of Baghdad in 760. A special design language was developed in Samarra in the mid-800s with wall decorations plastered in various degrees of stylization, from naturalistic plant ornaments to abstract decor. These forms became style-forming throughout the central Islamic region.… Read More »
Iraq is one of the most populous states in the Middle East, with around 40 million inhabitants, and is more ethnically and culturally composed than other countries in the region. Kurds make up up to a quarter of the population and have internal autonomy in northern Iraq. Both these and the Arab majority are predominantly Muslim. The Kurds are mainly… Read More »
Archaeological finds, reviews of music and pictures of instruments and music scenes show that there must have been a rich music scene in Assyria and Babylonia, with roots in ancient Mesopotamia. During the Islamic heyday during the Abbasids (750–1258), Iraq was the cultural and musical center of a kingdom that extended from Central Asia to… Read More »
Iraq is essentially a desert country, with fertile areas by the two major rivers Euphrates and Tigris, which flow through the country from the sources in Turkey. The water is a vital necessity for Iraq and a battle theme in the region. On the river plains there are belts of cultivated land. Over half of the land area consists of desert. During the first Gulf War… Read More »
In line with other countries in the Middle East, older Iraqi theater must also be seen in the context of a common tradition based on puppetry and shadow theater, and with strong elements of storytellers. Islamic religious narratives were conveyed by means of pardehdari or scroll screens. In the 19th century, Western theater influence came… Read More »