Iraq in the Modern World

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Iraq in the Modern World

• World History

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Iraq in the Middle East

• Iraq is located right in the center of the region
  we call the Middle East.
• It became a British mandate after World War I and
  a monarchy soon after.
• Saddam Hussein would take control as a dictator
  in 1979.

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The Religion of Iraq

• There are two types of Muslims Shiites and
  Sunnis.
• Three religious disagreement is over a thousand
  years old.
• Most of the people in Iraq are Shiite.
• There are also Kurds, a separate ethnic group in
  the North.

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Saddam Hussein Comes to Power

• Saddam Hussein becomes the dictator of Iraq in
  1979.
• He killed all those who opposed him.
• He was a Sunni Muslim. They are the minority but
  held all of the power.

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Saddam goes to War

• In 1980, Saddam Hussein will try to occupy a
  disputed region on the border with Iran.
• This will lead to a major war called the
  Iran-Iraq War.
• The US will SUPPORT Iraq in this war.

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Why Would the US support Iraq?

• In 1953, the United States helped to put the Shah
  of Iran in power.
• He had many enemies, and was overthrown in 1979.
• He was overthrown by Islamic militants who wanted
  a theocracy, or completely religious country.

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The Ayatollah takes Over

• In 1979, Ayatollah Khomeini takes over Iran and
  creates a theocracy.
• The government allows the US embassy to be seized
  by militants and 52 Americans were held hostage
  for over a year.

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Reasons to Support Iraq

• The US was angry with Iran for the hostage
  crisis.
• The US did not want Islamic states in the Middle
  East.
• The Soviet Union supported Iran, so the US
  supported Iraq.

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Iraq During the Iran / Iraq War

• The war would continue from 1980 to 1988.
• Millions would die and no one would really win.
• Saddam Hussein would regularly use chemical
  weapons, the first time they were used since
  World War I.
• He will also use them against people he believes
  are against him in his own country.

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The Persian Gulf War

• In 1990, Saddam invades his small but oil-rich
  neighbor, Kuwait.
• He wants the oil and access to the Persian Gulf.
• Kuwait is quickly defeated.

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The Persian Gulf War

• Iraq is quickly defeated by a US led coalition.
• Saddam is forced out of Kuwait but remains in
  power.
• After the war, Shiite uprisings took place
  against Saddam and he brutally crushed them,
  killing and torturing huge numbers of people.

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Iraq After the Persian Gulf War

• No fly-zones were set up to protect the people of
  Iraq from Saddam Hussein.
• The United Nations said that Weapons of Mass
  Destruction must be destroyed throughout Iraq.
  These include chemical and biological weapons.

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Buildup to a New War

• In 2002, The United State and Great Britain
  believed that Saddam still had WMDs.
• The US, led by president Bush, invaded in 2003.
• Saddam was quickly toppled.
• No WMDs have been found to this point.

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Saddam is Toppled

• Saddams government is toppled relatively
  quickly.
• He is captured and later executed by the new
  Iraqi government.
• No weapons of mass destruction have been found.

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New Problems

• Saddams government falls in April, 2003.
• New problems have emerged for the United States.
• Shiites and Sunnis have clashed repeatedly.
• Many Iraqis have also attacked US troops. Most
  troops have been killed by IEDs (Improvised
  Explosive Devises).
• Terrorists from other countries have also move to
  Iraq to attack US troops.

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Iraq Today

• Iraq remains at the brink of a civil war between
  Shiites and Sunnis.
• The United States has large number of troops in
  the country.
• They do not plan to leave until they believe the
  Iraqi government can support itself without them.