1. Iraq

2. Iraq
• The Cradle of Civilization
• The Fertile Crescent
• The birthplace of writing, law and the
wheel
• Historically, known as Mesopotamia (Land
between the rivers)

4. • At different periods in its history, Iraq was
the center of the indigenous Akkadian,
Sumerian, Assyrian, Babylonian, and
Abbasid empires.
• It was also part of the Achaemenid,
Hellenistic, Parthian, Sassanid, Roman,
Rashidun, Umayyad, Mongol, Safavid,
Afsharid, and Ottoman empires
• It came under British control after
WWI(1918)as a League of Nations
mandate.

5. • A monarchy was established in 1921.
• Iraq gained independence from Britain in 1932
• In 1958, the monarchy was overthrown and the
Republic of Iraq was created.
• Iraq was controlled by the Arab Socialist Ba'ath
Party from 1968 until 2003.
• After an invasion led by American and British
forces, the Ba'ath Party was removed from
power.
• Iraq came under a military occupation by a
multinational coalition(led by US).
• Power was transferred to the Iraqi Interim
Government in June 2004.

6. • A new constitution was then approved by
vote and a new government of Iraq was
elected.
• Foreign troops remained in Iraq after the
establishment of a new government due to
an insurgency that developed shortly after
the invasion
• In August 2010, the U.S. became the last
member of the coalition to cease combat
operations in Iraq
• In December 2011, the last U.S. troops left
the country.

7. Iran-Iraq War-1980-1988
• The war began when Iraq invaded Iran
• What caused it?
3. border disputes
4. fears of Shia Muslim insurgency among
Iraq's long-suppressed Shia majority
influenced by the Iranian Revolution-
Saddam Hussein was Sunni Muslim
5. Iraq wanted to replace Iran as the
dominant Persian Gulf state-wanted Iran’s
oil fields

8. Iran-Iraq War Cont.
• Iraq did not fair too well
• Iran was able to regain most lost territory by
1982
• For the next six years, Iran was on the offensive
and actually entered Iraq
• The war finally ended with a United Nations
ceasefire which was accepted by both sides
• A million Iraqi and Iranian soldiers as well as
civilians are believed to have died in the war
• Nothing really changed as a result of the war
• US supported Iraq in this war

9. Saddam Hussein-1979-2003

10. Genocide against the Kurds
• series of military and gas
attacks against the
Kurdish civilian
population of rural
Northern Iraq
• conducted between 1986
and 1989
• Some reports cite
Saddam Hussein's army
being responsible for
200,000 civilian deaths

13. December 30, 2006

14. Persian Gulf War
• August 2, 1990 – February 28, 1991
• Codenamed Operation Desert Storm (17
January 17, 1991 – February 28,1991)
• It was a war waged by a UN-authorized
coalition force from 34 nations led by the
United States
• The war started when Iraq invaded and
annexed Kuwait
• Goal for UN: Free Kuwait from Iraqi
control

17. Why did Iraq Invade Kuwait?
1. Iraq was bankrupt after the war with Iran,
with most of its debt owed to Saudi
Arabia and Kuwait
• Iraq pressured both nations to forgive the
debts, but they refused.
2. Iraq also accused Kuwait producing too
much oil and driving down it’s price,
hurting the Iraqi economy.

18. 3. Iraqi claimed that Kuwait was a territory of
Iraq
4. Iraq claimed that Kuwait was drilling for oil
across the border into Iraq's oil fields

19. UN Reaction
• UN condemned the invasion and
demanded an immediate withdrawal of
Iraqi troops
• UN authorized a naval blockade to enforce
the economic sanctions against Iraq
• U.N. gave Iraq until January 15, 1991 to
withdraw from Kuwait
• After deadline, UN could use "all
necessary means" to force Iraq out of
Kuwait

20. Operation Desert Shield
• US troops were sent to Saudi Arabia to
prevent an Iraqi invasion

22. Aftermath
• By March, 1991, 540,000 American troops
began to move out of the Persian Gulf
area
• Saddam Hussein was allowed to remain in
power
• Coalition killed: 392
• Iraq killed: 20,000-35,000

23. Consequences on Iraq
• Economic sanctions remained
• Weapons inspectors
• No fly zone

24. No Fly Zone

25. Iraq War-2003-2011
• Called Operation Iraqi Freedom by the
United States military
• Conflict that occurred in Iraq from March
20, 2003 to December 18, 2011

26. Main Cause
• The United States and the United Kingdom
claimed that Iraq had weapons of mass
destruction (WMD)
• This was a threat to our security
• In 2002, the United Nations Security Council
called for Iraq to completely cooperate with UN
weapon inspectors to verify that Iraq was not in
possession of WMD
• The United Nations found no evidence of WMD
but believed that Hussein was trying to get WMD
from Africa
• Due to the above intelligence, we invaded Iraq
on March 20, 2003

27. • After the Iraqi invasion, it was concluded
that Iraq had ended its WMD program in
1991 and had no active programs at the
time of the invasion
• The invasion of Iraq led to an occupation
and the eventual capture of President
Hussein
• Hussein was later tried in an Iraqi court of
law and executed by the new Iraqi
government

29. Other Causes
• Some accused Saddam Hussein of
harboring and supporting al-Qaeda but no
evidence of a meaningful connection was
ever
• Iraqi government human rights abuses
• Wanted to spread democracy to the
country
• Oil interests
• President Bush wanted to “fix what his
daddy messed up”

30. Issues in Iraq after Invasion
• Violence against coalition forces
• Civil war and sectarian violence
• The emergence of of Al-Qaeda in Iraq
• Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner
abuse-2004

34. President Bush’s Policies
• Started the war in 2003
• War was supported at first but no WMD’s found
led to war becoming very unpopular
• Abu Ghraib
• Accused of not having an “exit strategy”
• Helped establish a new democratic government
in Iraq
• “The surge” took place in 2007. It helped get the
violence under control in Iraq.
• Started troop reduction in 2008

36. President Obama’s Policies
• Opposed to war at the outset as a Senator
• After being elected President, Obama
switched the focus to the war in
Afghanistan
• Pulled out all US combat troops in August
2010
• Pulled all US troops out in December,
2011 thus ending the Iraq War

37. Iraq War Casualties
• Iraqi Combatants: Total dead- 28,736-37,120
• Coalition Forces: Total dead- 24,219
Total wounded: 117,961
• US Dead: 4,487