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Iran/Iraq
A brief history
Sunnis
Sunnis: Muslims who claim the majority in the world Islamic community. The term sunna, by which the Sunnis refer to themselves (“people of the sunna”), probably means “middle of the road”.
Shiites
Shiites: emerged out of a dispute over the Muhammad’s successor. After the assassination of the fourth caliph (Islamic leader), Ali, in 661 C.E., the Shiites were Muslims claiming that it had been Ali's right to succeed Muhammad and that the previous caliphs had therefore taken over .
Shiites maintained that only descendants of Ali and his wife, Fatima (Muhammad's daughter), were entitled to rule the Muslim community. This doctrine (legitimism), was rejected by the majority of the Muslims (aka Sunnis).
Kurds:
Kurds: Live in Northern Iraq, Southern Turkey and Western Iran. They want their own country. Saddam Hussein hated them.
Iran = Persian Empire
Persian Empire until 1935 Darius Cyrus the Great Xerxes – Battle of
Thermopylae 480 BCE
Greeks – 300 (Leonidas) vs.. Persians 200,000 – 1.5 millions
Iran modernizes
1921: Reza Khan leads Persian area into Modernization Literacy campaigns Voting rights for women Industrialization Neglected Islam Westernization occurs Oil is discovered
Iran: 1935-1951
1935: Persia becomes Iran
1951:Iranian Prime Minister Mossadeq nationalizes the oil industry – angers Britain
1953 - Shah Reza Pahlavi
CIA (US) overthrows Prime Minister Mossadeq and installs Shah Reza Pahlavi as leader.
1953 - Shah Reza Pahlavi
Pahlavi becomes an ally to the “West” and Israel.
He improved Iran’s literacy, women’s rights and industry,
an absolute monarch style rule that angered Fundamental Islamic groups.
Fundamentalist Ayatollah Khomeini criticizes the Shah
Ayatollah Khomeini
Led his opposition from Iraq Was exiled and fled to Paris Still sent tapes to followers in Iran
Ayatollah Khomeini
1979: Iranian Revolution
Shah Flees Ayatollah Khomeini
claims Iran Created a
Theocracy (called the Islamic Republic)
Iranian Revolution: 1979
Veils were enforced
Iranian Revolution: 1979 Islamic punishment reinstated (based off of
Sharia Law). The Sharia: Means "path" in Arabic and guides
all aspects of Muslim life: daily routines, family/religious obligations, and financial dealings. Sharia is used to refer both to the Islamic system of law and the Islamic way of life. It is based off the Qu’ran (Koran) and the Sunna.
Iranian Revolution: 1979
Alcohol and “Western” ideals banned
Hostile towards US and Israel
Iranian Hostage Crisis
53 Americans taken hostage by Islamic students in Tehran – held 444 days and released in 1981 by Reagan
1980-1988: Iran/Iraq War
Political reason: Over disputed waterway Shatt-al-Arab
1980-1988: Iran/Iraq War
Economic reason: recession in Iraq
Saddam thought Iran was vulnerable because of Iranian Revolution
1980-1988: Iran/Iraq War
1982- US provides billions in aid to Saddam Hussein for weapons to kill Iranians
1983-White house secretly gives Iran weapons to kill Iraqis.
1980-1988: Iran/Iraq War
1-2 million killed, UN cease fire Led to Persian Gulf War No-Fly Zones – Shiite southern
region and Kurd northern region
More Recently in Iran
1989 - Ayatollah Khomeini dies 2005 - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is
elected president. Power, however, is still in the hands of the Imams and Ayatollahs.
IRAQ:
Saddam Hussein comes to power in 1979.
He rules by using fear. He terrorizes, tortures, and kills own people.
Persian Gulf War 1990
After the Iran/Iraq war, Saddam Hussein was still in need of money.
1990 Iraq invaded Kuwait because “they were overproducing and stealing oil from one of Iraq’s fields”
Persian Gulf War 1990
That was a mistake- all the world sent money and/or troops
US imposed trade embargo against Iraq.
An embargo is when a country refuses to trade with another country.
Persian Gulf War 1990
Ground and air attacks for one month – Saddam withdrew
Before leaving – set fire to Kuwait’s oil fields and dumped 250 million gallons of oil in Persian Gulf
Operation Desert Fox
The December 1998 bombing of Iraq was a major four-day bombing campaign on Iraqi targets from 12/16-12/19/1998 by the U.S. and the U.K.
Operation Desert Fox
These strikes were officially undertaken in response to Iraq’s continued failure to comply with United Nations Security Council resolution as well as their interference with United Nations Special Commission Inspectors.
Operation Iraqi Freedom:
March 20, 2003 invaded Iraq beginning the Iraq War
U.N. Resolutions - 1441 Security Resolution - “a final opportunity to comply with it’s disarmament obligations”.
Operation Iraqi Freedom (American Iraq War)
Saddam Hussein refused to allow UN weapons inspections. UN Inspectors were supposed to be able to visit any facility in Iraq to check on WMDs (Weapons of Mass Destruction): biological, chemical, and/or nuclear weapons.
Operation Iraqi Freedom: Now known as “Operation: New Dawn”
Total Deaths as of 3/2/11 – 4,429 Americans
Total Wounded as of 3/2/11 – 31,938 Americans
Total Civilian Deaths as of 3/2/2011- Between 99,901 – 109,143 Iraqi’s
Power Vaccum
Power Vacuum: government has collapsed, or leadership left or died leaving vacancy in political office or government – strong group or person usually comes in to claim office.
Example: Two Macedonian kings, Philip II (ruled 359-336 BC) and his son Alexander the Great (ruled 336-323 BC), filled the power vacuum in Greece by turning their formerly weak kingdom into an international superpower.