Iraq

The once respected nation deemed the cradle of all civilization has since fallen from their acclaimed greatness. Iraq is a primarily landlocked country residing in the Middle East with an economy driven solely on fossil fuel production. For centuries the Iraqi capitol of Baghdad has been respected as a cultural and economic hub for the Islamic world. In the contemporary era Iraq shares boarders with a multitude of nations such as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Turkey, and Iran. These borders were established following world war one by the League of Nations under British control. Through this a monarchy was established which was later overthrown in a 1958 coup that established a parliamentary democracy. From '58-1979 leadership was in constant teeter with coups become thematic for establishing new governance. To cease this incessant shift in power a 'visionary' stepped up making the name Saddam Hussein etched in stone throughout history books. Following this revolution a man by the name Khomeini an Iranian official who openly called for an Islamic revolution in Iraq. His plan was to begin arming Shiite and Kurdish rebels to create chaos in Iraq as assassination attempts were set into place. Following months of cross boarder raids Iraq retaliated by declaring all out war on Iran in September of 1980 initiating the first Persian Gulf War. In 1982 an Israeli war plane launched an airstrike on an Iraqi nuclear testing facility at Osirak. Iraq responded with a campaign of chemical warfare on Iran. The conflict lasted a ruthless 8 years and resulting in between 1 and 1.5 million lives lost. In addition to this the Ba' Athist Iraqi regime led the Al' Anfal, a genocidal campaign targeting Iraqi-Kurds and resulting in an additional 50,000-100,000 more casualties.

In late summer of 1990 Iraq invaded and annexed Kuwait. This action subsequently resulted in the United States making a military intervention based on their own interests in the Middle East. By launching a 100-hour ground assault on Iraqi forces in southern Iraq and Kuwait the First Gulf War spawned. Leaving Iraqi forces devastated in 1991 Shia and Kurdish rebels initiated several rebel uprisings against the Hussein regime but were suppressed by Iraqi security forces and the use of chemical weaponry. During the uprisings a no fly zone was enacted over Iraq by the US, UK, France, and Turkey claiming authority under UNSCR 668 to minimize Kurdish and Shiite populations from unwarranted attack. The result of this incursion was another 100,000 civilians slaughtered. Following the attack of 9/11 the Bush administration made plans to overthrow the Hussein regime triggering the US and its allies to invade Iraq.

Following the US's declaration of war Saddam Hussein was overthrown and hung by the Iraqi people. However the United States' presence in the Middle East wouldn't end there as Afghanistan emerged on the horizon once again.