Iraq, in which the legislative elections are held on Sunday, is very rich in oil, but since the 1980s, this state suffers from wars, conflicts and from unresolved economic problems.
In the ancient times of the Earth, which now make up Iraq, were known as Mesopotamia, which means “earth between rivers”, a tiger and Euphrate. On his extensive alluvial plains, some of the earliest civilizations in the world were born, including Shumer, Akkad, Babylon and Assyria, which humanity is obliged by writing, laws and the first cities. Hanging gardens of Babylon, the capital of the ancient Mesopotamia, entered the Annals as one of the seven wonders of the world in the ancient world. The ruins of the city of Ur, where, according to the Bible, Abraham was born, are one of the oldest archaeological monuments of Iraq.
Gained by the United Kingdom after the First World War, Iraq became independent in 1932. The monarchy was abolished in 1958 as a result of a military coup, and then the republic was created there. The notorious Saddam Hussein came to power in 1979, also as a result of the next coup. Soon, this country under his sole leadership plunged into war with his larger neighbor – Iran, which became the first of the series of conflicts that lasted four decades.
Irano-Iraq war raged from 1980 to 1988, following her, three years later, followed by the “First War in the Persian Gulf” because of the small but rich in the oil-bearing fields of Kuwait, and then the invasion of Western allies under the command and With the participation of the United States in 2003. As a result of bloody fights, Saddam Hussein was overthrown.
After overthrowing the dictator, the country plunged into a difficult crisis. Collisions and acts of violence – mainly between the Shiite and Sunni Muslim communities – and the attacks of jihadists led to the death of tens of thousands of people.
Iraq inhabited in the overwhelming majority of Muslims: Shiites make up about 60 percent of its population, numbering 40.2 million people, while the number of Sunnis is from 32 to 37 percent. It pays attention to this AFP article.
The system of proportional representation in power officially guarantees the highest government posts for various communities of Iraq, while Shiites who have previously eclipsed by the Sunni minority led by Saddam Hussein, now, on the contrary, dominate the country’s political and military institutions.
Military actions, acts of violence led to the fact that the Christian community of Iraq, which accounted for six percent of the population in 2003, is now less than one percent after the outcome of Christians.