Iraq

							Iraq
            The Early Years
• Socialist Baath Party takes control / Sunni
  minority has all the power over the Kurds
  and Shi’ite majority.
• Guess who takes over in 1979?
           Saddam Hussein
• 1980 – Iraq declares war on Iran (Sunni vs.
  Shiite) (secular govt vs. religious govt)
• Iraq supported by US and its allies.
• 1988 – war finally ends in a stalemate
  (Iraq’s economy is a mess!!)
           Halabja Massacre
• Some Kurds in Iraq
  supported Iran in the
  war.
• March 1988 – Saddam
  orders a chemical
  attack on Kurd town
  killing thousands.
          Persian Gulf War
• 1990 – Saddam decides to take over Kuwait
  (use their oil to restore Iraq’s economy)
• 1991 – UN votes for military action
• Within weeks, the UN forces led by the US
  military had removed Iraqi forces from
  Kuwait.
• Loss in war led to no-fly zones, UN
  weapons inspections and oil embargo.
      Saddam is still in power!
• US hoped that the Iraqi people would overthrow
  Saddam.
• Shiite Muslims tried but failed and faced the
  consequences!! Thousands were rounded up and
  killed.
• 1993 – US uncovers a plot to assassinate President
  Bush.
• 1998 – Saddam kicks out UN weapons inspectors.
  Pres. Clinton responds with air strikes.
            Invasion of Iraq
• March 2003 – US led forces invade Iraq
  stating that Iraq was continuing to develop
  WMD’s
• April 2003 – US forces enter Baghdad /
  Saddam is on the run.
• US begins establishing a new democratic
  government.
    What happened to Saddam?
• Dec. 2003 – Saddam
  captured by US forces.
• Nov. 2006 – Saddam
  sentenced to death for
  crimes against the
  people of Iraq
• Dec. 2006 – Saddam
  executed.
                What now?
• Despite the creation of democracy and
  successful elections, there is still a growing
  insurgency (rebels) that looks to slow down
  the progress towards change.
• ALSO, threat of civil war looms as Sunnis,
  Shi’ites and Kurds sometimes don’t
  cooperate.