Republic of Iraq

2026-06-29T16:18:34Z

104.28.154.230: Update prime minister and president

{{Infobox country|name=Republic of Iraq|native_name=جمهورية العراق کۆماری عێراق|image_flag=Flag of Iraq.png|population_census=45,407,895|population_census_year=2024|currency=Iraqi dinar|currency_code=IQD|drives_on=right|calling_code=+964|iso3166code=IQ|cctld=.iq .العراق|area_km2=438,317|image_coat=Coat of arms of Iraq.png|capital=[[Baghdad]]|official_languages=Arabic Kurdish|recognized_regional_languages=Aramaic Armenian Turkish|demonym=Iraqi|coa_size=76|image_map=Iraq map.png|map_width=290|largest_city=[[Baghdad]]|government_type=Federal parliamentary republic|leader_title1=President|leader_name1=[[Nizar Amidi]]|leader_title2=Prime Minister|leader_name2=[[Ali Al-Zaidi]]}}

'''Iraq''', officially the '''Republic of Iraq''', is a country in [[Western Asia]]. It is bordered to the north by [[Republic of Türkiye|Turkey]], to the east by [[Islamic Republic of Iran|Iran]], to the southeast by [[State of Kuwait|Kuwait]] and the [[Persian Gulf]], to the south by [[Kingdom of Saudi Arabia|Saudi Arabia]] and to the west by [[Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan|Jordan]] and [[Syria]]. Since 1991, it has suffered [[Gulf War|two]] [[Iraq War|invasions]] from the [[United States of America|United States]].

== History ==

=== Bronze Age ===

==== Sumerian civilization ====
{{Main article|Sumer}}

==== Akkadian conquest ====
{{Main article|[[Country of Akkad (2334–2154 BCE)]]}}

==== Third Dynasty of Ur ====
{{Main article|[[Kingdom of Ur (2112–2004 BCE)]]}}

==== Old Babylonian period ====
{{Main article|[[Country of Akkad (1894–1595 BCE)]]}}

==== Kassite conquest ====
{{Main article|[[Karduniaš (1595–1155 BCE)]]}}

=== Iron Age ===

==== Assyrian Empire ====
{{Main article|Country of Aššūr (1363–912 BCE)|Country of Aššūr (911–609 BCE)}}

==== Chaldean dynasty ====
{{Main article|Country of Sumer and Akkad (626–539 BCE)}}

==== Median and Persian rule ====
{{Main article|Media (678–550 BCE)|Achaemenid Empire (550–330 BCE)}}

==== Hellenistic period ====
{{Main article|Macedonia (808–168 BCE)|Kingdom of the Seleucids (312–63 BCE)}}

==== Parthian rule ====
{{Main article|Arsacid Empire (247 BCE–224 CE)}}

==== Sasanian rule ====
{{Main article|Empire of the Iranians (224–651)}}

=== Ottoman Empire ===
In 1514, Iraq was conquered by the [[Ottoman Empire (1299–1922)|Ottoman Empire]]. After the [[First World War]], the Ottoman Empire was split up and Iraq was administered by the [[British|British Empire]].<ref name=":0">{{Citation|author=Phebe Marr|year=2012|title=The Modern History of Iraq|title-url=https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/779395444810973194/798598206732369981/Majid_Khadduri_-_Socialist_Iraq__A_Study_In_Iraqi_Politics_Since_1968_1978_Middle_East_Institute_-_l.pdf|page=6–72|publisher=Westview Press|isbn=9780813345215}}</ref>

=== British mandate ===
It took four years for the British to colonize Iraq. After a nationalist revolt in 1920, the British installed [[Faisal of Iraq|Faisal]] as King of Iraq instead of directly ruling from [[London]].<ref name=":0" /> In 1925, the British dropped poison gas from planes to combat a revolt in the northern Kurdish region of Iraq.<ref name=":1">{{News citation|author=Richard Becker|newspaper=[[Liberation School]]|title=Our view on modern Iraq|date=2011-07-14|url=https://www.liberationschool.org/our-view-on-modern-iraq-html/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922131527/https://www.liberationschool.org/our-view-on-modern-iraq-html/|archive-date=2020-09-22|retrieved=2022-06-24}}</ref> In 1932, Britain under a [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] government gave independence to Iraq and [[Nuri al-Sa'id]] became prime minister.<ref name=":0" /> After independence, Iraq continued to be occupied by British military bases. Between 1935 and 1954, Iraq was put under martial law 11 times.<ref name=":1" />

=== Monarchy ===
Faisal died of a heart attack in 1933 and his son, [[Ghazi of Iraq|Ghazi]], took the throne. A military coup occurred in Iraq in 1936. In 1941, after pro-British politicians were removed from power, the UK invaded and occupied Iraq. Five political parties were founded in 1945, including the [[Pan-Arabism|pan-Arab]] [[Iraqi Independence Party|Istiqlal (Independence) Party]]. Iraq supported Palestine in the [[First Arab–Israeli War]] in 1948.<ref name=":0" />

=== Republic ===
In 1953, the [[United States of America|United States]] took control of Iraq and established the [[Baghdad Pact]] with [[Islamic Republic of Pakistan|Pakistan]], [[Imperial State of Iran (1925–1979)|Iran]], Turkey, Iraq, and the UK. On 14 July 1958, Brigadier [[Abd al-Karim Qasim]] led a military rebellion that overthrew the last king of Iraq.<ref name=":1" /> Qasim then became the first president of Iraq and tried to stay neutral in the [[Cold War]].<ref name=":12">{{Citation|author=[[William Blum]]|year=2002|title=Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower|chapter=A Concise History of United States Global Interventions, 1945 to the Present|isbn=9781842772201|publisher=Zed Books Ltd|lg=https://libgen.rs/book/index.php?md5=29EED3C6906FF165E08303B9EAF66B4F|pdf=https://cloudflare-ipfs.com/ipfs/bafykbzacedas5bwprytpzcih6tof3ipede5uzmcvt47tfzwp4cptdau6vmjpy?filename=William%20Blum%20-%20Rogue%20State_%20A%20Guide%20to%20the%20World%27s%20Only%20Superpower-Zed%20Books%20Ltd%20%282002%29.pdf|page=114–115}}</ref> After the revolution, the [[Iraqi Communist Party]] formed an alliance with the national [[bourgeoisie]].<ref name=":1" />

Soon after the revolution, the U.S. and Turkey planned an invasion of Iraq.<ref name=":12" /> U.S. President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower|Eisenhower]] cancelled the invasion because of the presence of the [[United Arab Republic (1958–1971)|United Arab Republic]] and the movement of [[Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (1922–1991)|Soviet]] troops into southern republics near Iraq.<ref name=":1" /> In 1960, the USA began funding Kurdish guerrillas and the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] tried to kill Qasim. In 1962, Qasim helped create [[Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries|OPEC]] and nationalized the oil industry.<ref name=":12" />

In 1963, a US and UK-backed military group overthrew and murdered Qasim. Even though Qasim had not supported the Communist Party, the coup also killed thousands of communists.<ref name=":12" /> In 1972, Iraq signed a defense treaty with the Soviet Union.<ref name=":1" /> [[Saddam Hussein]] arrested the leadership of the pro-Ba'ath faction of the ICP in 1978.<ref name=":12222">{{Citation|author=[[Vijay Prashad]]|year=2008|title=The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World|chapter=Bali|page=158–160|pdf=https://cloudflare-ipfs.com/ipfs/bafykbzaceascnzh26r5d6uitjjs2z7rflhaxlt7rboz5whzdf76qg6xxvecqq?filename=%28A%20New%20Press%20People%27s%20history%29%20Vijay%20Prashad%20-%20The%20darker%20nations_%20a%20people%27s%20history%20of%20the%20third%20world-The%20New%20Press%20%282008%29.pdf|publisher=The New Press|isbn=9781595583420|lg=https://libgen.rs/book/index.php?md5=9B40B96E830128A7FE0E0E887C06829F}}</ref> After Saddam became president in 1979, the United States armed Iraq for its war against [[Islamic Republic of Iran|Iran]].<ref name=":1" />

=== First US invasion ===
The United States encouraged Iraq to invade Kuwait in 1990. In 1991, Statesian ruler [[George H. W. Bush|George Bush]] invaded Iraq and bombed it for 40 days without stopping and then [[Economic sanctions|sanctioned]] it.<ref name=":2" /> The invasion killed 200,000 people.<ref>{{Web citation|author=Sameena Rahman|newspaper=[[Liberation News]]|title=Colin Powell (1937-2021): U.S. imperialism’s top salesman for slaughter|date=2021-10-19|url=https://www.liberationnews.org/colin-powell-1937-2021-u-s-imperialisms-top-salesman-for-slaughter/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206140325/https://www.liberationnews.org/colin-powell-1937-2021-u-s-imperialisms-top-salesman-for-slaughter/|archive-date=2022-12-06}}</ref> The USA and UK continued to bomb Iraq for several years, including more than 1,000 times in 1999.<ref name=":2">{{Citation|author=William Blum|year=2002|title=Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower|chapter=A Concise History of United States Global Interventions,
1945 to the Present|isbn=9781842772201|publisher=Zed Books Ltd|lg=https://libgen.rs/book/index.php?md5=29EED3C6906FF165E08303B9EAF66B4F|pdf=https://cloudflare-ipfs.com/ipfs/bafykbzacedas5bwprytpzcih6tof3ipede5uzmcvt47tfzwp4cptdau6vmjpy?filename=William%20Blum%20-%20Rogue%20State_%20A%20Guide%20to%20the%20World%27s%20Only%20Superpower-Zed%20Books%20Ltd%20%282002%29.pdf|page=134–135}}</ref> [[North Atlantic Treaty Organization|Western]] sanctions killed 500,000 children within four years.<ref>{{Web citation|date=2023-04-12|title=Ramsey Clark, human rights fighter – 1927-2021|url=https://www.workers.org/2021/04/55760/|newspaper=[[Workers World]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230131173503/https://www.workers.org/2021/04/55760/|archive-date=2023-01-31|retrieved=2023-04-23|author=Sara Flounders}}</ref>

=== Second US invasion ===
{{Main article|Iraq War}}

==== War crimes ====
In 2007, US mercenaries working for [[Blackwater]] killed 17 civilians in the [[Nisour Square massacre]].<ref>{{News citation|journalist=Sabrina Tavernise|date=2007-09-18|title=U.S. Contractor Banned by Iraq Over Shootings|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/18/world/middleeast/18iraq.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0|newspaper=The New York Times|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201018090949/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/18/world/middleeast/18iraq.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0|archive-date=2020-10-18|retrieved=2022-02-02}}</ref>

In 2010, documents leaked by [[Chelsea Manning]] showed that the majority of Iraqis killed by US forces were civilians.<ref>{{News citation|date=2010-10-22|title=Baghdad War Diary|url=https://wikileaks.org/irq/|newspaper=Wikileaks|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127064610/https://wikileaks.org/irq/|archive-date=2022-01-27|retrieved=2022-02-02}}</ref>

In 2016, [[Barack Obama]] dropped a total of 12,095 bombs on Iraq.<ref>{{News citation|journalist=Ghast Lee|date=2017-01-23|title=Shocking Map Shows Where Barack Obama Dropped His 26,000 Bombs|url=https://www.sickchirpse.com/map-barack-obama-dropped-bombs/|newspaper=Sick Chirpse|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170715221031/https://www.sickchirpse.com/map-barack-obama-dropped-bombs/|archive-date=2017-07-15}}</ref>

In March 2017, a US air strike killed 112 civilians in Mosul.<ref>{{News citation|journalist=Ghazi Balkiz, et al.|date=2017-03-28|title=Mosul: 112 civilian bodies pulled from site of coalition airstrike|url=https://www.cnn.com/2017/03/27/middleeast/mosul-civilian-deaths/|newspaper=[[CNN]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211013221251/https://www.cnn.com/2017/03/27/middleeast/mosul-civilian-deaths/|archive-date=2021-10-13|retrieved=2022-02-02}}</ref>

== References ==
[[Category:Iraq]]
[[Category:Asian countries]]
[[Category:Countries]]
[[Category:Countries targeted by imperialist aggression]]
<references />
[[Category:Countries invaded by the United States]]
[[Category:Global south]]
[[Category:Member states of OPEC]]
[[Category:Member states of the Arab League]]

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Republic of Iraq