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.

Topography of Iraq

Ethnic Groups of Iraq

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

Kingdom of Iraq

Faisal I Ghazi I Faisal II

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

“Operation Desert Storm”

“Operation Desert Storm”

U. S. Military LeadersU. S. Military Leaders

General Colin Powell

General NormanSchwarzkopf

The Ground WarThe Ground War

U. S. Female SoldiersU. S. Female Soldiers

Everywhere is a combat zone!

Range of Iraqi MissilesRange of Iraqi Missiles

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

Kuwait is LiberatedKuwait is Liberated

Allies March to BaghdadAllies March to Baghdad

Iraqis cheer Allied forces.

Iraqis soldiers surrender.

“Highway of Death”“Highway of Death”

400 Iraqi Oilfields on Fire400 Iraqi Oilfields on Fire

An environmental disaster!

U. N. No-Fly ZonesU. N. No-Fly Zones

1990s: Iraqi Targets1990s: Iraqi Targets

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.

Allied Advance on Baghdad

Allied Advance on Baghdad

“Shock & Awe!”“Shock & Awe!”

Coalition forces attack Baghdad (again).

Anti-War ProtestorsAnti-War Protestors

Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf

Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf

Saddam’s Minister of Information

(better known as “Baghdad Bob”)

“Baghdad Bob”“Baghdad Bob”

The Dictator is “Toppled”The Dictator is “Toppled”

“Mission Accomplished”“Mission Accomplished”

President George W. Bush lands on board the USS Abraham Lincoln (May, 2003)

Saddam Is Captured!Saddam Is Captured!

December, 2003

The American Soldier: 2003

The American Soldier: 2003

Capt. Dawn HalfakerCapt. Dawn Halfaker

One of many female soldiers killed or wounded in Iraq.

An Interim Iraqi Government

is Created (June, 2004)

An Interim Iraqi Government

is Created (June, 2004)

Prime Minister Ayad Allawi

The Scandal at Abu Ghraib Prison

The Scandal at Abu Ghraib Prison

1/30/05 – The Vote!1/30/05 – The Vote!

Courage at the Polls!!

A Growing Insurgency A Growing Insurgency

Former Baathists and foreign terrorists

(Al-Qaida, etc.)

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

Peshmerga

• “those who confront death”• Kurdish freedom fighters who have

existed since the 1920s• Currently engaged in fighting the

Islamic State