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Iraq

Definition: Iraq

Iraq

Noun

1. A republic in the Middle East in western Asia; the ancient civilization of Mesopotamia was in the area now known as Iraq.

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

 

Specialty Definition: 2003 invasion of Iraq

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

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The 2003 invasion of Iraq began on March 20, 2003, when a large force of United States and British troops invaded Iraq, leading to the collapse of the Ba'athist Iraqi government in about three weeks and the start of the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq. Ground forces from Australia and Poland and naval forces from Denmark and Spain also took part. The international community was divided on the legitimacy of this invasion; see worldwide government positions on war on Iraq.

The start of hostilities came after the expiration of a 48-hour deadline which was set by U.S. President George W. Bush, demanding that Saddam Hussein and his two sons Uday and Qusay leave Iraq, ending the diplomatic Iraq disarmament crisis.

The U.S. name for the military campaign was Operation Enduring Freedom. The US military operations in this war were conducted under the name of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The UK military operations in this war were conducted under the name of Operation Telic. The Australian codename was Operation Falconer.

The United States, with support from approximately 45,000 British, 2,000 Australian and 200 Polish combat forces, entered Iraq primarily through their staging area in Kuwait. Coalition forces also supported Iraqi Kurdish militia troops, estimated to number upwards of 50,000. Included in these forces were groups of Australia SAS and Commando Personnel who performed Recon and combat search and rescue mission along side American and British SF units.

Timeline of the invasion

See 2003 invasion of Iraq timeline for a detailed timeline

The invasion was notably swift, with the collapse of the Iraq government and the military of Iraq in about three weeks. The oil infrastructure of Iraq was rapidly secured with limited damage in that time. Securing the oil infrastructure was considered important in order to prevent Saddam Hussein's forces from destroying it (as happened in 1991, creating environmental and economic problems).

Casualties of the invading forces were limited, while Iraqi military and civilian casualties are unknown, probably at least in the thousands. A study from the Project on Defense Alternatives ( http://www.comw.org/pda/ ), a Boston-based think tank, numbered the Iraqi casualities between 11,000 and 15,000 ( http://www.comw.org/pda/fulltext/0310rm8.pdf ), and the Iraq Body Count project numbered the civilian Iraqis injured in 20,000 ( http://www.iraqbodycount.net/editorial_aug0703.htm ).

The U.S. Third Division moved westward and then northward through the desert toward Baghdad, while the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force and a UK expeditionary force moved northward through marshland. UK forces secured Iraq's second-largest city, Basra, following two weeks of conflict, although their control of the city was limited. Preexisting electrical and water shortages continued through the conflict and looting began as Iraqi forces collapsed. While British forces began working with local Iraqi Police to enforce order, humanitarian aid began to arrive from ships landing in the port city of Umm Qasr and trucks entering the country through Kuwait.

Three weeks into the invasion U.S. forces moved into Baghdad with limited resistance, Iraqi government officials either disappeared or conceded defeat. Looting took place in the days following. It was alleged that many items in the National Museum of Iraq were amongst those things looted. The F.B.I. was soon called into Iraq to track down the stolen items. However, it has been found that the initial claims of looting of substantial portions of the collection were somewhat exaggerated. Yet, as some of the dust has settled, thousands of antiquities are still missing including 30 invaluable objects from the main collection.

There has been speculation that some objects still missing were not taken by looters after the war, but were taken by Saddam Hussein or his entourage before or during the fighting. There have also been reports that early looters had keys to vaults that held the more rare pieces and speculation of systematic removal of key artifacts. The arts and antiquities communities warned policymakers in advance of the need to secure the museums. Despite the looting being somewhat less bad than initially feared, the cultural loss of items from ancient Sumeria is significant. The accusation that US forces did not guard the museum because they were guarding the Ministry of Oil and Ministry of Interior is apparently true. The reality of the situation on the ground was that hospitals needed guarding, water plants needed guarding, and ministries with vital intelligence inside needed guarding. There were only enough US troops on the ground to guard a subset of everything that ideally needed guarding, and so some "hard choices" were made.

In the north Kurdish forces under the command of U.S. Special Forces captured oil-rich Kirkuk on April 10. On April 15, U.S. forces mostly took control of Tikrit.

As areas were secured, coalition troops began searching for the key members of Saddam Hussein's regime. These individuals were identified by a variety of means, most famously through sets of most wanted Iraqi playing cards.

George W. Bush announced, with great fanfare and a banner stating "Mission Accomplished", the end of major combat on May 1, 2003. However, this did not mean that peace returned to Iraq. The U.S.-led occupation of Iraq thereupon commenced, marked by ongoing violent conflict between the Iraqi and the occupying forces. As of Novermber 15, 2003, the total deaths of American soldiers in the Iraq war since march have reached 400. Of these the majority has been killed after the end of major hostilities on May 1. There is concern being voiced from domestic quarters comparing the situation to previous wars such as the Vietnam War.

The ongoing resistance in Iraq is concentrated in, but not limited to, an area known as the Sunni triangle and Baghdad [1]. Critics point out that the regions where violence is most common are also the most populated regions. This resistance may be described as guerilla warfare. The tactics used thus far include mortars, suicide bombers, roadside bombs, small arms fire, and RPGs, as well as purported sabotage against the oil infrastructure. There are also accusations about attacks toward the power and water infrastructure, but these are rather questionable in nature. In the only widely covered example of what some considered an attack on the power system, two US soldiers were killed, indicating that they may instead have been the target. In the purported attack against a water main, some witnesses reported seeing an explosion on the pipe, but US soldiers and repair crews on the scene stated that it did not appear to have been caused by an explosion.

There is evidence that some of the resistance is organized, perhaps by the fedayeen and other Saddam Hussein or Baath loyalists, religious radicals, Iraqis simply angered over the occupation, and foreign fighters. [1]

Events leading to the invasion

In September 2000, in the Rebuilding America's Defenses report [1], the Project for the New American Century planned an attack on Iraq, independently of whether or not Saddam Hussein remained in power. One year later, on the day of the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attack, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld is reported to have written in his notes, "best info fast. Judge whether good enough hit S.H. [Saddam Hussein] at same time. Not only UBL [Osama bin Laden]". Shortly thereafter, the George W. Bush administration announced a War on Terrorism, accompanied by the doctrine of preemptive military action dubbed the Bush doctrine. In 2002 the Iraq disarmament crisis arose primarily as a diplomatic situation. In October 2002, the United States Congress granted President Bush the authority to wage war against Iraq. The Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq was worded so as to encourage, but not require, UN Security Council approval for military action. In November 2002, United Nations actions regarding Iraq culminated in the unanimous passage of UN Security Council Resolution 1441 and the resumption of weapons inspections. The United States also began preparations for an invasion of Iraq, with a host of diplomatic, public relations and military preparations.

Payoff of Iraqi Military

Shortly after the sudden collapse of the defense of Baghdad, rumors were circulating in Iraq and elsewhere that there had been a deal struck (a "safqua") wherein the US had bribed key members of the Iraqi military elite and/or the Baath party itself to stand down. These rumors were ignored or treated dismissively in the US media and among the US public.

In late May, 2003, General Tommy Franks announced his retirement. Shortly thereafter, he confirmed in an interview with Defense Week that the US had paid Iraqi military leaders to defect. The extent of the defections and their effect on the war were not clear as of this writing (May 24, 2003).

Invasion justification and goals

The stated justification for the invasion included Iraqi production and use of weapons of mass destruction, links with terrorist organizations and human rights violations in Iraq under the Saddam Hussein government. To that end, the stated goals of the invasion, according to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, were: to end the Saddam Hussein government and help Iraq transition to representative self-rule; to find and eliminate weapons of mass destruction and terrorists; to collect intelligence on networks of weapons of mass destruction and terrorists; to end sanctions and to deliver humanitarian support; and to secure Iraq's oil fields and resources.

No weapons of mass destruction have been reported as found as of September 21, 2003, though Saddam Hussein's government collapsed, former Palestine Liberation Front leader Abu Abbas was captured, and the oil fields and resources were rapidly secured but have since suffered continued sabotage.

After the fall of Baghdad, U.S. officials claimed that Iraqi officials were being harbored in Syria, and several high-ranking Iraqis have since been detained after being expelled from Syria.

Support and opposition

See Support and opposition for the 2003 invasion of Iraq for the full article.

The Bush administration claimed that the U.S.-led coalition against Iraq included 49 nations, a group that was frequently referred to as the "coalition of the willing". These nations provided combat troops, support troops, and logistical support for the invasion. The nations contributing combat forces were, roughly: United States (250,000), United Kingdom (45,000), Australia (2,000), Denmark (200), and Poland (54). Ten other countries were known to have offered small numbers of noncombat forces, mostly either medical teams and specialists in decontamination. In several of these countries a majority of the public was opposed to the war. In Spain polls reported at one time a 90% opposition to the war.

Popular opposition to war on Iraq led to global protests, and the war was criticized by Belgium, Russia, France, the People's Republic of China, Germany, and the Arab League.

There are some that claim the US intervention took place without any international legal framework. Others would counter by pointing out that the UN Security Council Resolutions authorizing the 1991 invasion gave legal authority to use "...all necessary means...", which is diplomatic code for going to war. This war ended with a cease fire instead of a permanent peace treaty. Their view was that Iraq had violated the terms of the cease-fire by breaching two key conditions and thus made the invasion of Iraq a legal continuation of the earlier war. To support this stance, one has to "reactivate" the war resolution from 1991; if a war resolution can be reactivated ten years after the fact, it would imply that almost any nation that has ever been at war that ended in a ceasefire (such as Korea) could have the war restarted if any other nation felt at any time that they were no longer meeting the conditions of the cease fire that ended that war. Since the majority of the United Nations security council members (both permanent and rotating) did not support the attack, it appears that they viewed the attack as not being valid under the 1991 resolution.

However, a resolution drafted and accepted the year before the invasion fully endorsed the use of military action to force Iraq to comply with the United Nations desires, and every country that sat upon the Security Council voted to draft that resolution.

Several nations say the attack violated international law as a war of aggression since it lacked the validity of a U.N. Security Council resolution to authorize military force. The Egyptian former United Nations Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali called the intervention a violation of the UN charter.

The United States and United Kingdom claim it was a legal action which they were within their rights to undertake. Along with Poland and Australia, the invasion was supported by the governments of several European nations, including the Czech Republic, Denmark, Portugal, Italy, Hungary, and Spain.

Many people regarded the attack on Iraq to be hypocritical, when other nations such as Israel are also in breach of UN resolutions and have nuclear weapons; this argument is controversial [1].

Although Iraq was known to have pursued an active nuclear weapons development program previously, as well tried to procure materials and equipment for their manufacture, these weapons and material have yet to be discovered. This casts doubt on some of the accusations against Iraq. However, some believe that the weapons were moved into Syria and Lebanon.

Related slogans and terms

This campaign has featured a variety of new and weighted terminology, much coined by the U.S. government and then repeated by the media. The name "Operation Iraqi Freedom", for example, expresses one viewpoint of the purpose of the invasion. Also notable was the exclusive usage of "regime" to refer to the Saddam Hussein government (see also regime change), and "death squads" to refer to fedayeen paramilitary forces. Members of the Hussein government were called by disparaging nicknames - e.g., "Chemical Ali" (Ali Hassan al-Majid), "Comical Ali" (Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf), "Mrs Anthrax" (Huda Salih Mahdi Ammash) - for propaganda purposes and because Western peoples are unfamiliar with Arabic names.

Other terminology introduced or popularized during the war include:

Media coverage

Media coverage of this war was different in certain ways from that of the Gulf War. The Pentagon established the policy of "embedding" reporters with military units. Viewers in the United States were able to watch U.S. tanks rolling into Baghdad live on television, with a split screen image of the Iraqi Minister of Information claiming that U.S. forces were not in the city. Many foreign observers of the media and especially the television coverage in the USA felt that it was excessively partisan and in some cases "gung-ho"

Another difference was the wide and independent coverage in the World Wide Web demonstrating that for web-surfers in rich countries and the elites in poorer countries, the internet has become mature as a medium, giving about half a billion people access to different versions of events.

However, the coverage itself was intrinsically biased by the fact that internet penetration in Iraq was already very weak (estimate of 12,000 users in Iraq in 2002 [1]), and the deliberate destruction of Iraqi telecommunication facilities by US forces made internet communication even more difficult. Different versions of truth by people who have equal ignorance of first-hand, raw data are by definition a very biased substitute for original, first-hand reports from people living locally.

Al-Jazeera, the Qatar-based news network, which was formed in 1996, gained a lot of worldwide attention for its coverage of the war. Their broadcasts were popular in much of the Arab world, but also to some degree in western nations, with major American networks such as CNN and MSNBC re-broadcasting some of their coverage. Al-Jazeera was well-known for their graphic footage of civilian casualties, which American news media branded as overly sensationalistic. The English website of Al-Jazeera was brought down during the middle of the Iraq war by hackers who saw its coverage as casting a negative view on the American cause.

Iraq

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History of Iraq

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Prehistory

Neanderthals lived in Iraq about 60,000 years ago; Neanderthal remains include those discovered at the Shanidar cave.

Ancient Times

For most of historic time, the land area now known as modern Iraq was almost equivalent to Mesopotamia, the land between the two rivers Tigris and Euphrates (in Arabic, the Dijla and Furat, respectively), the Mesopotamian plain was called the Fertile Crescent. Many dynasties and empires ruled the Mesopotamia region such as Sumer, Akkad, Assyria and Babylonia.

It was in Mesopotamia about 4000 BCE where the Sumerian culture flourished. The civilized life that emerged at Sumer was shaped by two conflicting factors: the unpredictability of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which at any time could unleash devastating floods that wiped out entire peoples, and the extreme richness of the river valleys, caused by centuries-old deposits of soil.

Eventually, the Sumerians had to battle other peoples. Some of the earliest of these wars were with the Elamites living in what is now western Iran. This frontier has been fought over repeatedly ever since; that is it is the most fought over frontier in the world. Sumerian dominance was challenged by the Akkadians, who migrated up from the Arabian Peninsula. The Akkadians were a Semitic people, that is, they spoke a language drawn from a family of languages called Semitic languages.

In 2340 BCE, the great Akkadian leader Sargon, conquered Sumer and built the Akkadian Empire stretching over most of the Sumerian city-states and extending as far away as Lebanon. Sargon based his empire in the city of Akkad, which became the basis of the name of his people.

Sargon's ambitious empire lasted for only short time in the long time spans of Mesopotamian history. In 2125 BC, the Sumerian city of Ur in southern Mesopotamia rose up in revolt, and the Akkadian empire fell before a renewal of Sumerian city-states.

After the later collapse of the Sumerian civilization, the people were reunited in 1700 BCE by King Hammurabi of Babylon (1792-1750 BCE), and the country flourished under the name of Babylonia. Babylonian rule encompassed a huge area covering most of the Tigris-Euphrates river valley from Sumer and the Persian Gulf. He extended his empire northward through the Tigris and Euphrates River valleys and westward to the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. After consolidating his gains under a central government at Babylon, he devoted his energies to protecting his frontiers and fostering the internal prosperity of the Empire. Hammurabi's dynasty, otherwise referred to as the First Dynasty of Babylon, ruled for about 200 years, until 1530 BCE. Under the reign of this dynasty, Babylonia entered into a period of extreme prosperity and relative peace

On Hammurabi's death, however, a tribe known as the Kassites began to attack Babylonia as early as the period when Hammurabi's son ruled the empire. Over the centuries, Babylonia was weakened by the Kassites. Finally, around 1530 BCE (given in some sources as 1570 or 1595 BCE), a Kassite Dynasty was set up in Babylonia.

The Mitanni, another culture, were meanwhile building their own powerful empire. They had only temporary importance, they were very powerful, but were around for only about 150 years. Still, the Mitanni were one of the major empires of this area in this time period, and they came to almost completely control and subjugate the Assyrians (who were located directly to the east of Mitanni and to the northwest of Kassite Babylonia). The Assyrians, after they finally broke free of the Mitanni , were the next major power to assert themselves on Mesopotamia. After defeating and virtually annexing Mitanni, the Assyrians, challenged Babylonia. They weakened Babylonia so much that the Kassite Dynasty fell from power; the Assyrians virtually came to control Babylonia, until revolts in turn deposed them and set up a new dynasty, known as the Second Dynasty of Isin. Nebuchadrezzar I(Nabu-kudurri-usur; c. (1119 BCE-c. 1098 BCE) was the best known of this dynasty.

Nebuchadnezzar the First, added a good deal of land to Babylonia and eventually came to attack Assyria.

Eventually, during the 800s BCE, one of the most powerful tribes outside Babylon, the Chaldeans (Latin Chaldaeus, Greek Khaldaios, Assyrian Kaldu), entered the scene. The Chaldeans rose to power in Babylonia and, by doing so, seem to have increased the stability and power of Babylonia. They fought off many revolts and aggressors. Chaldean influence was so strong that, during this period, Babylonia came to be known as Chaldea.

In 626 BCE, the Chaldeans helped Nabo-Polassar to take power in Babylonia. At that time, Assyria was under considerable pressure from an Iranian people, the Medes (from Media). Nabo-Polassar allied Babylonia with the Medes. Assyria could not withstand this added pressure, and in 612 BCE, Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, fell. The entire city, once a great capital of a great empire, was burned and sacked.

Later, Nebuchadnezzar II (Nabopolassar's son) inherited the empire of Babylonia. He added quite a bit of territory to Babylonia and rebuilt Babylon, still the capital of Babylonia.

In the 6th century BCE (586 BCE), Nebuchadnezzar II conquered Judea (Judah), destroyed Jerusalem; Solomon's Temple was also destroyed; Nebuchadnezzar carried away an estimated 15,000 captives, and sent most of its population into exile in Babylonia. Nebuchadnezzar (604-562 BCE) is credited for building the legendary Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Various invaders conquered the land after Nebuchadnezzar's death, including Cyrus the Great in 539 BCE and Alexander the Great in 331 BCE, who died there in 323 BCE, Babylon declined after the founding of Seleucia, the New Greek capital. In the second century BCE, it became part of the Persian Empire, remaining thus until the 7th century CE, when Arab Muslims captured it.

The Muslim Conquest

In 634 CE, an army of 18,000 Arab Muslims, under the leadership of Khalid ibn al Walied, reached the perimeter of the Euphrates delta. Although the occupying Persian force was vastly superior in techniques and numbers, its soldiers were exhausted from their unremitting campaigns against the Byzantine Empire. The Sassanid troops fought ineffectually, lacking sufficient reinforcement to do more.

Muslims conquered Iraq in the 7th century CE. In the eighth century, the Abassid caliphate established its capital at Baghdad, which became a frontier outpost on the Ottoman Empire.

Modern Times

During World War I, The Ottoman empire collapsed when British forces invaded Mesopotamia in 1917 and occupied Baghdad. Before they succeeded, the British forces suffered a major defeat at the hands of the Turkish army, the siege and surrender of Kut. An armistice was signed with Turkey in 1918.

The British Mandate Period

Iraq was carved out of the old Ottoman Empire by direction of the UK government on January 10 1919, and on November 11, 1920 it became a League of Nations mandate under British control with the name "State of Iraq".

At the end of the war, ownership of and access to Iraq's petroleum was split five ways: 23.75% each to the UK, France, The Netherlands and the USA, with the remaining 5% going to a private oil coroporation headed by Calouste Gulbenkian. The Iraqi government got none of the nation's oil. This remained the situation until the revolution of 1958.

The British government laid out the institutional framework for Iraqi government and politics; the Iraqi political system suffered from a severe legitimacy crisis; Britain imposed a Hashemite monarchy, defined the territorial limits of Iraq with little correspondence to natural frontiers or traditional tribal and ethnic settlements, and influenced the writing of a constitution and the structure of parliament. The British also supported narrowly based groups -- such as the tribal shaykhs over the growing, urban-based nationalist movement, and resorted to military force when British interests were threatened, as in the 1941 Rashid Ali Al-Gaylani coup. This coup led to a second British conquest of Iraq, a very rapid defeat for the Iraqi army in May 1941.

The Iraqi Monarchy

The British designated Iraq as a kingdom and placed the country under the rule of Emir Faisal ibn Husayn, brother of the new ruler of neighboring Jordan, Abdullah ibn Husayn, a member of the Hashemite family. Although the monarch was elected and proclaimed King by plebiscite in 1921, full independence was not achieved until 1932, when the British Mandate officially terminated. In 1927, discovery of huge oil fields near Kirkuk brought many improvements to Iraq. The Iraqis granted oil rights to the Iraqi Petroleum Company, a British-dominated, multinational firm.

King Faysal I was succeeded by his son, Ghazi, after the death of his father in December 1933. King Ghazi's reign lasted for some five and a half years. The king drove his car into a lamppost and died instantly on April 3, 1939.

King Faisal II (1935-1958) was the only son of King Ghazi I and Queen Aalya. King Faisal II was about four when his father died. For that reason the regency was assumed by his uncle Abd al Ilah (April 1939 - May 1953).

In 1945, Iraq joined the United Nations and became a founding member of the Arab League.

After the establishment of Israel a war with Israel followed in 1948, in which Iraqi forces were allied with those of Transjordan, in accordance with a treaty signed by the two countries during the previous year. Fighting continued until the signing of a cease-fire agreement in May 1949. The war also had a negative impact on the Iraqi economy. The government allocated 40 percent of available funds for the army and for Palestinian refugees. Oil royalties paid to Iraq were halved when the pipeline to Haifa was cut off in 1948. The war and the hanging of a Jewish businessman led to the departure of most of Iraq's prosperous Jewish community. Although emigration was prohibited, many Jews made their way to Israel during this period with the aid of an underground movement. In 1950 the Iraqi parliament finally legalised emigration to Israel, and between May 1950 and August 1951, the Jewish Agency and the Israeli government succeeded in airlifting approximately 110,000 Jews to Israel.

In 1956, the Baghdad Pact allied Iraq, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, United States and the United Kingdom, and established its headquarters in Baghdad. The Baghdad Pact constituted a direct challenge to Egyptian president Gamal Abdal Nasser. In response, Nasser launched a vituperative media campaign that challenged the legitimacy of the Iraqi monarchy and called on the officer corps to overthrow it. The 1956 British-French-Israeli attack on Sinai further alienated Nuri as-Said's regime from the growing ranks of the opposition. In February 1958 King Hussein of Jordan and Abd al Ilah proposed a union of Hashemite monarchies to counter the recently formed Egyptian-Syrian union, opening its doors for any Arab state to join if they wished ... Nuri as-Said concentrated on the participation of Kuwait as a third country in the proposed Arab-Hashemite Union, Shaikh Abdullah Al-Salim, ruler of Kuwait, was invited to Baghdad to discuss Kuwait's liberation from British protection, and the subject of tri-unity. Britain opposed declaring Kuwait independent at that time. At this point, the monarchy found itself completely isolated. Nuri as-Said was able to contain the rising discontent only by resorting to even greater oppression and to tighter control over the political process.

The End of the Monarchy

Inspired by the example of Gamal Abdel Nasser in Egypt, a swift, predawn coup executed by officers of the Nineteenth Brigade known as "Free Officers", under the leadership of Brigadier Abdul-Karim Qassem (known as "il-Za`im") and Colonel Abdul Salam Arif overthrew the Hashemite monarchy on July 14, 1958. King Faisal II and Abd al Ilah were executed in al-Rihab Palace. Their bodies (and those of many others in the royal family) were displayed in public, hanging by their feet outside the palace. Nuri as-Said escaped capture for one day after attempting to escape disguised as a veiled woman, but was then caught and put to death, his body tied to the back of a car and dragged through the streets until there was nothing left but half a leg. Iraq was proclaimed a republic, and the Arab Union was dissolved. Iraq's activity in the Baghdad Pact ceased. At the same time the new government declared the agreement by which foreign powers controlled the nation's oil reserves to be null and void, but that the government was willing to negotiate with western companies to continue their exploitation of Iraqi petroleum with appropriate payment.

In 1961, Kuwait gained its independence from Britain. Abdul-Karim Qassem immediately claimed sovereignty over it, based on the former status of the Amirate as originally part of the Ottoman province of Basrah. Britain reacted strongly to this threat to its ex-protectorate, dispatching a brigade to the country to deter Iraq. Qassem backed down, and in October 1963, Iraq recognised the sovereignty and borders of Kuwait.

A period of considerable instability followed, with one military coup swiftly succeeding another, and leaders came and went throughout the 1960s and early 1970s. Qassem was assassinated in February 1963, when Ba'ath Party members took power; under the leadership of General Ahmed Hasan al-Bakr as prime minister and Colonel Abdul Salam Arif as president. Nine months later, President Abdul Salam Mohammad Arif led a successful coup against the Ba'athists, ousting the Ba'ath government. In April 13 1966 President Abdul Salam Arif died in a helicopter crash and was succeeded by his brother, General Abdul Rahman Arif. Following the Six Day War of 1967, the Ba'ath Party felt strong enough to retake the government. The Ba'athists overthrew Arif and regained power in the coup of 17 July 1968 coup. Ahmed Hasan al-Bakr became president and chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council (RCC) following the Ba'athists return to power.

A border dispute between Iraq and Iran was resolved with the signing of the Algiers Accord on March 6, 1975.

Rule Under Saddam

In July 1979, Bakr resigned, and his chosen successor, Saddam Hussein, assumed the offices of both President and Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council.

Territorial disputes with Iran led to an inconclusive and costly eight-year war, the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), eventually devastating the economy. Iraq declared victory in 1988 but actually achieved a weary return to the status quo ante bellum. The war left Iraq with the largest military establishment in the Gulf region but with huge debts and an ongoing rebellion by Kurdish elements in the northern mountains. The government suppressed the rebellion by using weapons of mass destruction on civilian targets, including a mass chemical weapons attack on the city of Halabja that killed several thousand civilians.

Invasion of Kuwait and the Gulf War

A long-standing territorial dispute led to the invasion of Kuwait in 1990. Iraq accused Kuwait of violating the Iraqi border to secure oil resources, and demanded that its debt repayments should be waived. Direct negotiations began in July 1990, but they soon failed. Saddam Hussein had an emergency meeting with April Glaspie, the United States Ambassador to Iraq, on July 25, 1990, airing his concerns but stating his intention to continue talks. Arab mediators convinced Iraq and Kuwait to negotiate their differences in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, on August 1, 1990, but that session resulted only in charges and counter-charges. A second session was scheduled to take place in Baghdad, the Iraqi capital, but Iraq invaded Kuwait the next day. Iraqi troops overran the country shortly after midnight on August 2, 1990.

The United Nations Security Council and the Arab League immediately condemned the Iraqi invasion. Four days later, the Security Council imposed an economic embargo on Iraq that prohibited nearly all trade with Iraq. Iraq responded to the sanctions by annexing Kuwait as the "19th Province" of Iraq on August 8, prompting the exiled Sabah family to call for a stronger international response. Over the ensuing months, the United Nations Security Council passed a series of resolutions condemned the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait and implementing total mandatory economic sanctions against Iraq. Other countries subsequently provided support for "Operation Desert Shield". In November 1990, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 678, permitting member states to use all necessary means, authorising military action against the Iraqi forces occupying Kuwait, and demanded a complete withdrawal by January 15 1991.

When Saddam Hussein failed to comply with this demand, the Gulf War (Operation "Desert Storm") ensued on the 17th of January 1991 (3 a.m. Iraq time), with allied troops of 28 countries, led by the US launching an aerial bombardment on Baghdad. The war, which proved disastrous for Iraq, lasted only six weeks, one hundred and forty thousand tons of firearms had showered down on the country, the equivalent of 7 Hiroshima bombs. Probably as many as 100,000 Iraqi soldiers were killed and tens of thousands of civilians. Allied air raids destroyed roads, bridges, factories, and oil-industry facilities (shutting down the national refining and distribution system) and disrupted electric, telephone, and water service. Conference centres and shopping and residential areas were hit. Hundreds of Iraqis were killed in the attack on the Al-Amiriyah bomb shelter. Diseases spread through contaminated drinking water because water purification and sewage treatment facilities could not operate without electricity. A cease-fire was announced by the US on 28 February 1991. Iraq agreed to UN terms for a permanent cease-fire in April 1991, and strict conditions were imposed, demanding the disclosure and destruction of all stockpiles of weapons.

Iraq under UN Sanction

On August 6 1990 the U.N. Security Council adopted Resolution 661 which imposed stringent economic sanctions on Iraq, providing for a full trade embargo, excluding medical supplies, food and other items of humanitarian necessity, these to be determined by the Security Council sanctions committee. Iraq is allowed under the UN Oil-for-Food program (Resolution 986) to export $5.2 billion (USD) of oil every 6 months with which to purchase these items to sustain the civilian population. 30% of the proceeds are redirected to a war reparations account.

The United States, in an attempt to prevent the genocide of the Marsh Arabs in southern Iraq and the Kurds to the north, declared "air exclusion zones" north of the 36th parallel and south of the 32nd parallel. The Clinton administration judged an alleged attempted assassination of former President George H. W. Bush while in Kuwait to be worthy of a military response on 27 June 1993. The Iraqi Intelligence Headquarters in Baghdad was targeted by 23 Tomahawk cruise missiles, launched from US warships in the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf. Three missiles were declared to have missed the target, causing some collateral damage to nearby residential housing and eight civilian deaths.

In May 1995 Saddam sacked his half-brother, Wathban, as Interior Minister and in July demoted his notorious and powerful Defense Minister, Ali Hassan al-Majid, known popularly as "Chemical Ali" because of his role in gassing operations in Kurdistan. These personnel changes were the result of the growth in power of Saddam Hussein's two sons, Uday Hussein and Qusay Hussein, who were given effective vice-presidential authority in May 1995. They have been able to remove most of Saddam's loyal followers and it is clear that Saddam feels more secure protected by his immediate family members. In August Major General Hussein Kamil Hassan al-Majid, his Minister of Military Industries and a key henchman, defected to Jordan, together with his wife (one of Saddam's daughters) and his brother, Saddam, who was married to another of the president's daughters; both called for the overthrow of the Iraqi regime. In response, Saddam promised full co-operation with the UN commission disarming Iraq (UNSCOM) in order to pre-empt any revelations that the defector could make.

The weakening of the internal position of the regime occurred at a time when the external opposition forces were as weak as ever, too divided among themselves to take any effective action. At the same time, France and Russia pushed for an easing of sanctions. US determination to keep up the pressure on Iraq has prevailed however. In any case, the apparent weakening of the regime was illusory, not least when the two defectors returned home and were killed, apparently by other clan members, in a warning to other potential defectors. In fact, during 1996, the regime's grip on power seemed to have significantly strengthened despite its inability to end the UN sanctions against it.

2003 invasion of Iraq

In September 2002 President George W. Bush urged the United Nations to encourage Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to comply with UN resolutions or "actions will be unavoidable". Bush said that Saddam has repeatedly violated 16 UN Security Council resolutions, which include a call for Iraq to "disarm its chemical, biological and nuclear weapons programs". Iraqi officials rejected Bush's assertions.

In March 2003 the United States and Great Britain, with some aid from other nations, invaded Iraq. See: 2003 invasion of Iraq.

US-led occupation of Iraq

Iraq is currently under a US-led occupation following the ousting of the Ba'ath Party in April. The political future is uncertain and detailed plans remain to be developed. Rampant looting and crime, coupled with infrastructural problems continue to plague the country at the moment and the initial US interim civil administrator, Jay Garner, was replaced in May by L. Paul Bremer. An Interim Iraq Governing Council has also been established with an interim president, and is currently in the process of drafting a constitution and other infastructure-building duties.

On May 23, 2003, the UN Security Council unanimously approved a resolution lifting all economic sanctions against Iraq, largely due to the fact that Saddam Hussein's regime, which the sanctions had targeted, no longer ruled the country.

See also

External links

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Iraq

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Note: Information in this article may no longer be entirely accurate due to current developments. For more background on this see related articles Iraq disarmament crisis, Military preparations for 2003 invasion of Iraq, 2003 invasion of Iraq and 2003 occupation of Iraq. Please update if necessary. The Republic of Iraq is a nation in the Middle East in the southwest of Asia. It shares borders with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to the south, Turkey to the north, Syria to the north-west, Jordan to the west and Iran to the east. Located in Mesopotamia, the country is currently in a state of flux following the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Al-Jumhuriyah Al-Iraqiyah جمهوريّة العراق
(In Detail)
National motto: None
Official language Arabic
Capital Baghdad
Civil Administrator L. Paul Bremer
Interim President Abdul Aziz al-Hakim
Area
 - Total
 - % water		Ranked 57th
437,072 km²
1.1%
Population
 - Total (2002)
 - Density		Ranked 44th
24,001,816
55/km²
IndependenceOctober 3, 1932
Currency Iraqi dinar
Time zone UTC +3
National anthem Ardulfurataini Watan
Internet TLD.IQ
Calling Code964

History

Main article: History of Iraq

The fertile area of Mesopotamia, between the Euphrates and the Tigris rivers, was the birth place of several of the world's oldest civilisations, such as the Sumerians, Babylonians and Assyrians. After being part of Persia for a long time, it was conquered by the Arabs in 656, and in 762 the Caliphate was moved to the new city of Baghdad (near ancient Babylon). This city remained the centre of the Arab world until it was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in 1534.

In 1915, British troops occupied Iraq and established a League of Nations mandate, which ended with independence in 1932. The socialist Ba'ath Party gained control in 1968, and established a strict rule, notably after the ascent to power of Saddam Hussein in 1979. In the 1980s, Iraq was involved in a long war with neighbour Iran, ending in 1988.

Following Iraq's occupation of Kuwait in 1990, and the subsequent expulsion by international troops, Iraq was internationally isolated until the spring of 2003, when the United States and the United Kingdom controversially invaded and removed the Ba'ath Party from leadership and continue to occupy the country.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Iraq

Up until 2003, Iraq was a dictatorship with all power completely in the hands of the repressive Ba'ath Party, under the leadership of president Saddam Hussein. The regime claimed it was democratic, but during the last presidential elections, Saddam received 99% of the votes; no other candidates were running. The unicameral Iraqi parliament, the National Assembly or Majlis al-Watani, had 250 seats and its members were elected for 4-year terms. Like in presidential elections, no non-Ba'ath candidates were allowed to run.

Iraq is currently under a US-led occupation following the ousting of the Ba'ath Party in April. The political future is uncertain, and a violent campaign of attacks by insurgents against U.S. and coalition forces has prevented hoped-for postwar stability from emerging. Rampant looting, crime, as well as infrastructure problems continue to plague the country, and the initial US interim civil administrator, Jay Garner, was replaced in May by L. Paul Bremer. An Interim Iraq Governing Council has also been established with an interim president, and is currently in the process of drafting a constitution and other infastructure-building duties.

In November 2003 the U.S. announced a plan to turn over sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government by the summer of 2004.

Provinces

Main article: Provinces of Iraq

Iraq is divided into 18 provinces (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah):

Geography

Main article: Geography of Iraq

Large parts of Iraq consist of desert, but the area between the two major rivers Euphrates and Tigris is fertile, with the rivers carrying about 70 million cubic meters of silt annually to the delta. The north of the country is largely mountainous, with the highest point being Haji Ibrahim at 3,600 m. Iraq has a small coastline with the Persian Gulf. Close to the coast and along the Shatt al-Arab there used to be marshlands, but many of these were drained in the 1990s.

The local climate is mostly a desert clime with mild to cool winters and dry, hot, cloudless summers. The northern mountainous regions experience cold winters with occasional heavy snows, sometimes causing extensive flooding. The capital Baghdad is situated in the centre of the country, on the banks of the Tigris. Other major cities include Basra in the south and Mosul in the north.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Iraq

Iraq's economy is dominated by the oil sector, which has traditionally provided about 95% of foreign exchange earnings. In the 1980s financial problems caused by massive expenditures in the eight-year war with Iran and damage to oil export facilities by Iran led the government to implement austerity measures, borrow heavily, and later reschedule foreign debt payments; Iraq suffered economic losses from the war of at least $100 billion. After hostilities ended in 1988, oil exports gradually increased with the construction of new pipelines and restoration of damaged facilities.

Iraq's seizure of Kuwait in August 1990, subsequent international economic sanctions, and damage from military action by an international coalition beginning in January 1991 drastically reduced economic activity. Although government policies supporting large military and internal security forces and allocating resources to key supporters of the regime have hurt the economy, implementation of the United Nations' oil-for-food programme in December 1996 has helped improve conditions for the average Iraqi citizen. For the first six, six-month phases of the programme, Iraq was allowed to export limited amounts of oil in exchange for food, medicine, and some infrastructure spare parts.

In December 1999 the UN Security Council authorised Iraq to export under the program as much oil as required to meet humanitarian needs. Oil exports were more than three-quarters of the prewar level. However, 28% of Iraq's export revenues under the programme are deducted to meet UN Compensation Fund and UN administrative expenses. The drop in GDP in 2001 was largely the result of the global economic slowdown and lower oil prices. Following the 2003 invasion of Iraq the economy has to a great extent shut down and attempts are underway to revive it from the damages of the war and rampant crime.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Iraq

Almost 75% of Iraq's population consists of Arabs, the other major ethnic group are the Kurds (20%), who live in the north and northeast of the country. Other distinct groups are Turkomans, Chaldeans, Assyrians, Iranians, Lurs, and Armenians. Arabic is the official language, although Kurdish has an official status in the North and English is the most commonly spoken Western language.

Most Arab Iraqi Muslims are members of the Shiite sect, but there is a large Sunni population as well, made up of both Arabs and Kurds. Small communities of Christians, Jews, Bahais, Mandaeans, and Yezidis also exist. Most Kurds are Sunni Muslim but differ from their Arab neighbors in language, dress, and customs.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Iraq

Miscellaneous topics

External Links

Countries of the world  |  Asia

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Iraq."

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Iraq war

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

For some of the wars in Iraq, see also Gulf War (disambiguation) and History of Iraq.
The modern state of Iraq, since its founding in the early 20th century, has been involved in the following wars: in addition to internal conflicts which have involved governmental overthrow.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Iraq war."

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List of places in Iraq

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

This is a list of places in Iraq

Modern cities and important towns:


Iraq Map

Ancient cities and important ruins:

Other geographic features:






Provinces:

Al Anbar Al Basrah, Al Muthanna, Al Qadisiyah, An Najaf, Arbil, As Sulaymaniyah, At Ta'mim, Babil, Baghdad, Dahuk, Dhi Qar, Diyala, Karbala', Maysan, Ninawa, Salah ad Din, Wasit

External links

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List of Prime Ministers of Iraq

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

List of Prime Ministers of Iraq

See also: Politics of Iraq, President of Iraq, list of Kings of Iraq, lists of incumbents

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "List of Prime Ministers of Iraq."

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President of Iraq

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

The President of Iraq is Iraq's head of state and chief of government. All of Iraqis presidents have been authoritarian dictators so the office does not have a clearly designed constitutional structure.

The president exercises all power single-handedly, operating only with the consultation of a small cabinet.

The office is likely to change upon the adoption of a new constitution.

Presidents of Iraq

Presidents of the Iraq interim governing council See also: List of Prime Ministers of Iraq, List of Kings of Iraq

[1] Though head of state, he was not technically president.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "President of Iraq."

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Transportation in Iraq

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Railways:
total: 2,032 km
standard gauge: 2,032 km 1.435-m gauge

For more than two decades there have been plans for building a metro system in Baghdad. It is possible that part of the tunnels have been built, but that they are now used militarily for sheltering, hiding and escaping purposes. U.N. inspectors have heard of the tunnels for years, but have not found their entrances. [1] map [1] [1]

The first train to Basra since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime arrived on April 26 2003. British troops hope to use the 68 km long railway to transport much-needed aid supplies from the port town of Umm Qasr to Basra.

Highways:
total: 45,550 km
paved: 38,400 km
unpaved: 7,150 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: 1,015 km; Shatt al Arab is usually navigable by maritime traffic for about 130 km; channel has been dredged to 3 m and is in use; Tigris and Euphrates Rivers have navigable sections for shallow-draft watercraft; Shatt al Basrah canal was navigable by shallow-draft craft before closing in 1991 because of the Gulf war

Pipelines: crude oil 4,350 km; petroleum products 725 km; natural gas 1,360 km

Ports and harbors: Umm Qasr, Khawr az Zubayr, and Al Basrah have limited functionality

Merchant marine:
total: 32 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 606,227 GRT/1,067,770 DWT
ships by type: cargo 14, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 13, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off 2 (1999 est.)

Airports: 113 (1999 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 80
over 3,047 m: 20
2,438 to 3,047 m: 39
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 10 (1999 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 33
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 12 (1999 est.)

Heliports: 5 (1999 est.)

See also : Iraq

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Transportation in Iraq."

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Abbreviations & Acronyms: Iraq

The following table is compiled from various sources, across various languages. When English abbreviations or acronyms come from a non-English source, this is noted.
EntrySourceExpressionField
IRQEnglishRepublic of IraqGeography, Law

Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

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Synonyms: Iraq

Synonyms: Al-Iraq (n), Irak (n), Republic of Iraq (n). (additional references)

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Crosswords: Iraq

English words defined with "Iraq": Al-Iraq, Ashur, Assur, Assyria, Asur ♦ Bagdad, Baghdad, Basia, Basra ♦ capital of Iraq, Centaurea imperialis ♦ dinar ♦ fils ♦ Irak, Iraki, Iran-Iraq War, Iraqi, Iraqi dinar, Iraqi monetary unit ♦ Kurdish ♦ Mesopotamia, Mosul ♦ Nineveh ♦ Operation Desert Storm ♦ Republic of Iraq ♦ Second World War, Sumer, sweet sultan ♦ World War II. (references)
Specialty definitions using "Iraq": Axis of evil ♦ IQ ♦ The Nineteen. (references)
Non-English Usage: "Iraq" is also a word in the following language with the English translation in parentheses.

Italian (Iraq).

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Modern Usage: Iraq

DomainUsage

Lyrics

The difference in Iraq and Iran (Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning); performing artist: Alan Jackson)

Movie/TV Titles

Adventure in Iraq (1943)

Iraq Ka Chor (1934)

Between Iraq and a Hard Place (2003)

In Shifting Sands: The Truth About Unscom and the Disarming of Iraq (2001)

Paying the Price: Killing the Children of Iraq (2000)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Commercial Usage: Iraq

DomainTitle

References

  • A Strategic Assessment of Iraq,1999 edition (reference)

  • The 2000 Import and Export Market for Beans, Peas, Lentils and Other Legumes in Iraq (reference)

  • The 2001 Iraq Economic and Product Market Databook (reference)

  • The 2000 Import and Export Market for Passenger Motor Cars for Transport of Passangers and Goods in Iraq (reference)

  • The 2002 Export Competitiveness of Iraq (reference)

    (more reference examples)

  

Books

  • Iraq Under Siege (reference)

  • Iraq Under Siege: The Deadly Impact of Sanctions and War (reference)

    (more book examples)

  

Periodicals

  

Theater & Movies

  

Music

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Image Slideshow: Iraq

Illustrations:
Iraq

More pictures...

Computer Images:
Iraq

More pictures...

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Photo Album: Iraq

ThumbnailDescription & CreditThumbnailDescription & Credit

In an area north of the city of Al-Basrah, Iraq, which borders Iran, a former wetland has been drained and walled off. Now littered with minefields and gun emplacements, it is a staging area for military exercises. Credit: NASA.

Baghdad, Iraq. Credit: NASA.

F-16 Fighting Falcons Enforcing No-Fly Zone in Southern Iraq.

An F-15 Eagle from the 159th Fighter Wing, Louisiana's "Bayou Militia," streaks across the Southwest Asia sky on its way to the "box" -- the area of southern Iraq below the 33rd Parallel. (P.; photo by Army Staff Sgt. Len Butler)..

Operation Northern Watch forces patrolling skies over Iraq.

Photographed illuminated at night during a two-day visit to Basra, Iraq, as Middle East Force flagship. Her last two visits to Basra were on 6-8 December 1960 and 12-14 December 1961. Credit: NAVY.

Alexander the Great at the altar-fire on the eve of the Battle of Gaugamela, Iraq, 331 B.C.] / A. Castaigne. Credit: Library of Congress.

An old cafe, Baghdad, Iraq / Mokhless Al-Hariri. Credit: Library of Congress.

Baghdad University, Iraq / Mokhless Al-Hariri. Credit: Library of Congress.

International book fair in Frankfort [sic] from 18-23 Oct. : greetings from Iraq the land of one thousand and one night[s] & the country of nationalization. Credit: Library of Congress.

Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

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Digital Photo Gallery: Iraq
 

"Lucca" by Tina Lorien
Commentary: "I did a load of photos - cause making postcards - before the war in Iraq - it is a little out of date - now. But some of them I thought were nice photos."		"Mohawk" by Michelle Kwajafa
Commentary: "Protesters attend a demonstration in Washington DC against Bush's Iraq policy."

Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers.

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Non-Fiction Usage: Iraq

SubjectTopicQuote

Civil Liberties

Saudi Arabia

Travel to Iraq still requires specific permission. (references)

Moldova

Many originate in Chechnya, Iraq, Sudan, Afghanistan, Nigeria, and other African countries. (references)

Turkey

Another station that is not banned, Kurdistan-TV, is based in northern Iraq and can be received via satellite. (references)

Economic History

Syria

Recently, Syria and Iraq also resumed rail service. (references)

Kuwait

On August 2, 1990, Iraq invaded and occupied Kuwait. (references)

Lebanon

Lebanon is considering a Free Trade Agreement with Iraq. (references)

Human Rights

Kuwait

In 1999 Iraq ceased its participation in ICRC-sponsored talks regarding the fate of the detainees. (references)

Iraq

In June the Coalition for Justice in Iraq reported that the Government arrested dozens of lawyers and jurists for distributing antigovernment leaflets. (references)

Kuwait

The U.N. Secretary General's special representative, Yuli Vorontsov, reported in August that Iraq continues to refuse to cooperate with the U.N. regarding these cases. (references)

Minorities

Iraq

Assyrians continue to fear attacks by the PKK, a Turkish-based terrorist organization that operates against indigenous Kurds in northern Iraq. (references)

Political Economy

Oman

Oman and Iran maintain correct political relations, and have limited economic interaction, as is the case with Iraq. (references)

Jordan

However, competition from other countries, as well as the declining level of income in Iraq, has limited Jordan-Iraq trade. (references)

Trade

Syria

Syria has free trade arrangements with Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, UAE, Qatar, Sudan, and Saudi Arabia. (references)

Qatar

When Iraq occupied Kuwait in 1990, the GOQ assured all banks of its support in case of unusually large outflow of deposits to foreign markets. (references)

Egypt

Banks decline to finance long-term export contracts, especially after the negative experiences of Egyptian exporters with the former USSR and Iraq. (references)

Travel

Kuwait

U.S. citizens should not go near the border with Iraq and should be very careful when traveling north and west of Kuwait City. (references)

Worker Rights

Australia

There also have been reports of women trafficked into the country from Afghanistan and Iraq. (references)

Hungary

Men trafficked for forced labor through Hungary to the EU and the United States come from Iraq, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. (references)

Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

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Spoken Usage: Iraq

SpeakerPhrase(s)

Al Hunt

Mr. Ambassador, those UNSCOM comments were of course four years ago. There are those who think that Iraq has developed significantly weapons over those four years.

Ann Richards

That's a wish. That hasn't happened yet. But if the United States has information that justifies an invasion of Iraq, I think the administration needs to share that with us.

Dan Rather

Let me take the latter first, of course we have plans. But as we learned the last time, the best laid plans sometimes go awry. We certainly have plans to cover any major U.S. assault on Iraq.

Dennis Miller

I guarantee you, you plunk Switzerland down somewhere between Syria and Iraq, and they're going to be thinking about how to kill somebody with a Toblerone.

Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres

I'm not sure. Maybe a change in Iraq can facilitate a better solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. It's not so clear that there is a simple answer.

John Major

Well, I don't think it will be a quick in and out at all. I mean, Iraq is not a natural democracy and I think the troops that arrive there as liberators may well find themselves staying there for some time as peacekeepers.

Robert Novak

President Bush this weekend reaffirmed that he considers Saddam Hussein in Iraq an enemy of the American people.

Rush Limbaugh

Imagine if Canada's neighbors were Iraq or Nazi Germany or the USSR or imperial Japan or any powerful empire.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Speeches: Iraq

SpeakerTermPhrase(s)

George Bush

1989-1993We do not seek the destruction of Iraq, its culture or its people.

Bill Clinton

1993-2001Last month, in our action over Iraq, our troops were superb.

George W. Bush

2001-2005America is a friend to the people of Iraq.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

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Usage Frequency: Iraq

"Iraq" is generally used as a noun (proper) -- approximately 99.97% of the time. "Iraq" is used about 3,167 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted)
Parts of SpeechPercentUsage per
100 Million Words		Rank in English
Noun (proper)99.97%3,1662,979
Noun (singular)0.03%1339,140
                    Total100.00%3,167N/A

Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.

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Expressions: Iraq

Expressions using "Iraq": capital of Iraq ♦ Republic of Iraq. Additional references.

Hyphenated Usage

Beginning with "Iraq": iraq-backed, iraq-based, iraq-gate, Iraq-iran, Iraq-jordan, Iraq-korea, Iraq-kuwait, iraq-related, iraq-soviet.

Ending with "Iraq": anti-iraq, arms-for-iraq, arms-to-iraq, Iran-iraq, Kuwait-iraq, pro-iraq.

Containing "Iraq": Iran-Iraq War, Iran-iraq-turkey.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Frequency of Internet Keywords: Iraq

The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com.
 
ExpressionFrequency
per Day		ExpressionFrequency
per Day

iraq

10,133

iraq najaf

134

baghdad iraq

4,120

balad iraq

132

iraq war

2,754

iraq information minister

130

map of iraq

1,636

in iraq picture war

128

war in iraq

1,143

iraq reconstruction

127

hotel of iraq

559

iraq nineveh

117

al basrah iraq

481

flag of iraq

112

iraq news

430

iraq card

105

iraq picture war

352

iraq employment

103

job in iraq

315

baqubah iraq

100

iraq mosul

305

casualty iraq war

100

iraq job

284

al iraq kut

93

iraq nasiriyah

205

iraq most wanted

92

iraq picture

192

iraq deck of card

90

iraq rebuilding

188

casualty iraq

90

iraq photo war

180

iraq weather

87

history iraq

166

iraq photo

83

iraq jessica lynch war

163

al hillah iraq

80

iran iraq war

145

freedom iraq

76

iraq playing card

143

in iraq killed soldier

73
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Modern Translation: Iraq

Language Translations for "Iraq"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses.

Afrikaans

  

Irak (Irak). (various references)

   

Albanian

  

Irak. (various references)

   

Arabic 

  

‏العراق, ‏بلاد العراق. (various references)

   

Bulgarian 

  

Ирак. (various references)

   

Chinese 

  

伊拉克 . (various references)

   

Czech

  

Irák. (various references)

   

Danish

  

Irak (Republic of Iraq, the Republic of Iraq), IQ (Republic of Iraq), republikken Irak (Republic of Iraq, the Republic of Iraq). (various references)

   

Dutch

  

Irak (Irak). (various references)

   

Esperanto

  

Irako (Irak). (various references)

   

Finnish

  

Irakin tasavalta (Republic of Iraq), Irak (Republic of Iraq), IQ (Republic of Iraq). (various references)

   

French

  

Irak (Irak). (various references)

   

German

  

Irak (Iraq (iq)). (various references)

   

Greek 

  

Ιράκ (Republic of Iraq). (various references)

   

Hebrew 

  

ׂיראק. (various references)

   

Hungarian

  

Irak (Irak). (various references)

   

Irish

  

An IarÚic. (various references)

   

Italian

  

Iraq (Republic of Iraq, the Republic of Iraq). (various references)

   

Japanese Kanji 

  

イメージ調査 (99.999999999 percent., bad bounce, bad hop, ear protector, ear valve, earmark, earphone, earring, eleven, eleven nines, eraser, eruption, Ile de France, illegal, Illinois, illumination, illumination control, illusion, illustrated map, illustration, illustrator, image change, image survey, in, include, income, income gain, income tax, increment, incremental, incremental business, incubate, incubation, incubator, ink, inn, Iran, iridium, irony, Iroquois, irrational, irregular, irregular bound, yearbook, year-round fashion). (various references)

   

Japanese Katakana 

  

イラク . (various references)

   

Korean 

  

이라크 (Iraqi). (various references)

   

Manx

  

Yn Earack. (various references)

   

Papiamen

  

Irak. (various references)

   

Pig Latin

  

iraqay.(various references)

   

Portuguese

  

Iraque (Republic of Iraq). (various references)

   

Russian 

  

Ирак. (various references)

   

Serbo-Croatian

  

irak. (various references)

   

Spanish

  

Irak. (various references)

   

Swedish

  

Irak (Republic of Iraq). (various references)

   

Tagalog

  

Irák. (various references)

   

Thai

  

อิรัก, ประเทศอิรัก. (various references)

   

Turkish

  

ırak (distant, far, far away, far off, Iraqi). (various references)

   

Ukrainian

  

ірак. (various references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references.

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Misspellings: Iraq

Misspellings

"Iraq" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: eraq, Ikram, Irai, Irak, Iray, Irdas, iroq, irq, irra, Irsa, Rizq, Uvaq. (additional references)

Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

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Anagrams: Iraq

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

Words within the letters "a-i-q-r"

-1 letter: air, ria.

-2 letters: ai, ar.

 Words containing the letters "a-i-q-r"
 

+1 letter: faqir.

 

+2 letters: faqirs, faquir, qindar, qintar.

 

+3 letters: acquire, aquaria, aquifer, aquiver, charqui, faquirs, marquis, qindars, qintars, quadric, quakier, quartic, querida, quinary, quintar.

 

+4 letters: acquired, acquirer, acquires, aequorin, antiquer, aquarial, aquarian, aquarist, aquarium, aquifers, charquid, charquis, daiquiri, marquise, pratique, qindarka, quadrics, quadriga, quaggier, quagmire, quagmiry, quainter, qualmier, quarried, quarrier, quarries, quartics, quartile, quatrain, queasier, queazier, queridas, quintars, ramequin, requital, squaring, squarish, tranquil.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro.

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INDEX

1. Definition
2. Synonyms
3. Crosswords
4. Usage: Modern 		5. Usage: Commercial
6. Images: Slideshow
7. Images: Photo Album
8. Images: Digital Art 		9. Quotations: Non-fiction
10. Quotations: Spoken
11. Quotations: Speeches
12. Usage Frequency 		13. Expressions
14. Expressions: Internet
15. Translations: Modern
16. Abbreviations 		17. Acronyms
18. Derivations
19. Anagrams
20. Bibliography


  

Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.