Summary file about Iraq issue : how should the UN react?
A brief historical background of the country ; several fundamental keys to understand ; what the UN already did, what is planned.
Some important facts about Iraq :
Area : 437,072 km2
Population : 33,42 M
Capital : Bagdad
GDP : 223 billions (USD)
Share of global oil reserve : 11,7%
Iraqi map, Google Map
Actual president : Fouad Massoum
Actual prime minister : Haïder Al-Abadi
Former prime minister : Nouri Al-Maliki (party : islamic Dawa party, a shia party)
Ethnical groups :
Chia : 62%
Sunni : 19%
Kurds : 16%
Christian and others : 3%
Brief history :
Iraq plays a central role in the Middle-East's and islam's history : in fact, islam first extended to Mesopotamia, which largely integrates Iraq. Bagdad was the capital of the Abassid caliphate, which succeded to the Ummayad one, during which a crucial event in Islam history took place : the Kerbala battle. Kerbala is a a famous battle which lead to the split between chia and sunni, a division which still persiste in Iraq current issues, named after the city where it took place, located right in the middle of the Iraqi territory.
Iraq was later part of the english Commonwealth, with its borders drawn by the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916, until 1932, when it obtain his independency. Then the Republic of Iraq was founded in 1958, it's current Constitution was signed in 2005.
On March 20, 2003, a United States-organized coalition began the invasion of Iraq, claiming that the Iraqi government of Saddam Hussein (in office from 16 July 1979 to 9 April 2003), from the Baath Party which took power thanks to a coup in 1968, was developping weapons of mass destruction, in violation of U.N. resolution 687. Documents that decided the coalition to plunge into this quagmire were later found to be unreliable.
US forces withdrew totally out of Iraq in December 2011, eight years after the official end of the war, in May 2003.
Nouri Al-Maliki was then in office, but he quickly implemented a policy of centralisation of the power in Bagdad, giving all the important offices and advantages to the shia population, segregating sunni one, in the West part of the country. This split facilitated the thriving of djihadists groups around the syrian border, where sunnis mostly live.
This map is interesting : it links the sunni presence in certain regions to the extend of IS, showing how much the decentralisation policy in favor of the shiits from an anti sunni governement led to the thriving of the ISIL, now IS : InfoGraphic – ISIS Islamic State of Iraq & Syria, Flashpoint.
Very complete timeline : Iraqi history by BBC
And a very complete file from Arte (also available in french...) : Iraq, ten years, hundred viewpoints, ARTE
A few key dates about the rise of ISIS :
Early June : ISIL (Islamic State in Irak and the Levant), also named Daech in Arab, makes a huge step in northern Irak. They control the second biggest city in Irak, Mosul. Kurdish forces, the Peshmergas, keep, with difficulty, the Islamic troops out of the semi-self-governing province Kurdistan. The Iraqi troops were quickly defeated.
June 29th : ISIS proclaims an Islamic Caliphate (IS, Islamic State) in northern Iraq. Their leader, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, a former member of Al-Qaida in Mesopotamia ruled by Al-Zarkaoui, who was then fired of Al-Qaida for his cruelty, is now the ruler of the newly established caliphate, posing a serious threat to Middle East stability and Western security.
August 8th : The US Army begins its aerial strikes in Iraq against ISIL forces.
August 11th : Nouri al-Maliki, Iraq PM, is replaced by Haïdar al-Abadi an other Shiite.
August 15th : UN Security Council votes the resolution 2170 regarding Iraq and Syria.
August 19th : ISIL publishes a video showing the beheading of an American journalist, James Foley, and threatens the USA to kill another American if the US government doesn't stop its attacks.
September 2nd : ISIL broadcasts a new video announcing the death of a 2nd American hostage, Steven Sotloff.
September 13th : ISIL uploads a video showing the death of a British NGO worker, David Haines.
September 15th : US President Barack Obama announces the launch of a coalition against the IS, composed by England, France, Germany (taking part for the first time in a coalition), Saudi Arabia... The Arab countries around Irak and Syria are also involved. This coalition did not send troops yet, the United States already launched several precise bombing attack, and sent 1,600 councellers in Bagdad and Erbil.
September 18th : France begins its aerial strikes on some ISIL depots in Irak.
A bleak number ; waging this war induce a steep cost : for instance, it takes 500,000 $ to the US only to destroy an IS pick-up - mainly Toyatas old fashioned pick-up, but also the cutting-edge american humvees sold by the US to iraki troops.
For those who really have no idea about the position of their country, this might help : The composition of the international coalition
Area : 437,072 km2
Population : 33,42 M
Capital : Bagdad
GDP : 223 billions (USD)
Share of global oil reserve : 11,7%
Iraqi map, Google Map
Actual president : Fouad Massoum
Actual prime minister : Haïder Al-Abadi
Former prime minister : Nouri Al-Maliki (party : islamic Dawa party, a shia party)
Ethnical groups :
Chia : 62%
Sunni : 19%
Kurds : 16%
Christian and others : 3%
Brief history :
Iraq plays a central role in the Middle-East's and islam's history : in fact, islam first extended to Mesopotamia, which largely integrates Iraq. Bagdad was the capital of the Abassid caliphate, which succeded to the Ummayad one, during which a crucial event in Islam history took place : the Kerbala battle. Kerbala is a a famous battle which lead to the split between chia and sunni, a division which still persiste in Iraq current issues, named after the city where it took place, located right in the middle of the Iraqi territory.
Iraq was later part of the english Commonwealth, with its borders drawn by the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916, until 1932, when it obtain his independency. Then the Republic of Iraq was founded in 1958, it's current Constitution was signed in 2005.
On March 20, 2003, a United States-organized coalition began the invasion of Iraq, claiming that the Iraqi government of Saddam Hussein (in office from 16 July 1979 to 9 April 2003), from the Baath Party which took power thanks to a coup in 1968, was developping weapons of mass destruction, in violation of U.N. resolution 687. Documents that decided the coalition to plunge into this quagmire were later found to be unreliable.
US forces withdrew totally out of Iraq in December 2011, eight years after the official end of the war, in May 2003.
Nouri Al-Maliki was then in office, but he quickly implemented a policy of centralisation of the power in Bagdad, giving all the important offices and advantages to the shia population, segregating sunni one, in the West part of the country. This split facilitated the thriving of djihadists groups around the syrian border, where sunnis mostly live.
This map is interesting : it links the sunni presence in certain regions to the extend of IS, showing how much the decentralisation policy in favor of the shiits from an anti sunni governement led to the thriving of the ISIL, now IS : InfoGraphic – ISIS Islamic State of Iraq & Syria, Flashpoint.
Very complete timeline : Iraqi history by BBC
And a very complete file from Arte (also available in french...) : Iraq, ten years, hundred viewpoints, ARTE
A few key dates about the rise of ISIS :
Early June : ISIL (Islamic State in Irak and the Levant), also named Daech in Arab, makes a huge step in northern Irak. They control the second biggest city in Irak, Mosul. Kurdish forces, the Peshmergas, keep, with difficulty, the Islamic troops out of the semi-self-governing province Kurdistan. The Iraqi troops were quickly defeated.
June 29th : ISIS proclaims an Islamic Caliphate (IS, Islamic State) in northern Iraq. Their leader, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, a former member of Al-Qaida in Mesopotamia ruled by Al-Zarkaoui, who was then fired of Al-Qaida for his cruelty, is now the ruler of the newly established caliphate, posing a serious threat to Middle East stability and Western security.
August 8th : The US Army begins its aerial strikes in Iraq against ISIL forces.
August 11th : Nouri al-Maliki, Iraq PM, is replaced by Haïdar al-Abadi an other Shiite.
August 15th : UN Security Council votes the resolution 2170 regarding Iraq and Syria.
August 19th : ISIL publishes a video showing the beheading of an American journalist, James Foley, and threatens the USA to kill another American if the US government doesn't stop its attacks.
September 2nd : ISIL broadcasts a new video announcing the death of a 2nd American hostage, Steven Sotloff.
September 13th : ISIL uploads a video showing the death of a British NGO worker, David Haines.
September 15th : US President Barack Obama announces the launch of a coalition against the IS, composed by England, France, Germany (taking part for the first time in a coalition), Saudi Arabia... The Arab countries around Irak and Syria are also involved. This coalition did not send troops yet, the United States already launched several precise bombing attack, and sent 1,600 councellers in Bagdad and Erbil.
September 18th : France begins its aerial strikes on some ISIL depots in Irak.
A bleak number ; waging this war induce a steep cost : for instance, it takes 500,000 $ to the US only to destroy an IS pick-up - mainly Toyatas old fashioned pick-up, but also the cutting-edge american humvees sold by the US to iraki troops.
For those who really have no idea about the position of their country, this might help : The composition of the international coalition
