This Day In Iraqi History - May 16 Sykes-Picot agreement made between French and UK officials to divide up Ottoman Empire in Mideast

 

1916 Sykes-Picot Agreement broke up Ottoman Empire Basra and Baghdad to UK Mosul to France

Would be independent Arab state under UK and French influence

(Musings On Iraq interview with Princeton’s Sara Pursley on Sykes-Picot and creation of Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review The Creation of Iraq 1914-1921)

(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)

(Musings On Iraq review Empires of the Sand, The Struggle For Mastery In The Middle East 1789-1923)

(Musings On Iraq review U.S. Policy In Post-Saddam Iraq)

Review Mahdi Obeidi and Kurt Pitzer, The Bomb In My Garden, The Secrets Of Saddam’s Nuclear Mastermind, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2004

  

In The Bomb In My Garden Dr Mahdi Obeidi tells the story of how Iraq tried to produce a nuclear bomb in the early 1990s. He was in charge of building centrifuges to enrich uranium. He goes through Iraq’s nuclear ambitions, how they covertly worked to gain the know-how and technology, how United Nations inspectors dismantled the program and then how the U.S. bungled its search for WMD after the 2003 invasion.

This Day In Iraqi History - May 15 Iraqi army attacked Israel in 1948 Arab-Israeli War

 

1919 Governor of Sulaymaniya Barzinji seized control of district in revolt vs UK

(Musings On Iraq review The Kurds, A Modern History)

(Musings On Iraq review The Kurdish Revolt 1961-1970)

(Musings On Iraq Explaining Kurdish Nationalism Interview With Teen Tech Univ Prof Michael Gunter)

This Day In Iraqi History - May 14 Pres Bakr brought Communists into National Front govt to co-opt Baath’s largest opponent

 

1920 Gertrude Bell wrote family it was hard for UK to reach out to Shiites Said their clerics held

useless knowledge were anachronisms and refused to meet British Said extremists were anti-British Said Sadr family of clerics were anti-British Then met with member of Sadr family Had good conversation

(Musings On Iraq review Gertrude Bell And Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Gertrude Bell, Explorer of the Middle East)

(Musings On Iraq movie review Letters from Baghdad)

(Musings On Iraq review The Letters of Gertrude Bell Volumes I and II)

(Musings On Iraq review Desert Queen, The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell: Adventurer, Adviser to Kings, Ally of Lawrence of Arabia)

(Musings On Iraq review Empires of the Sand, The Struggle For Mastery In The Middle East 1789-1923)

(Musings On Iraq review Britain In Iraq, Contriving King and Country)

(Musings On Iraq review A Quest in the Middle East, Gertrude Bell and the Making of Modern Iraq)

Iraq Finds Itself Caught Between The US and Iran Over Forming The Next Government

  

Prime Minister designate Ali al-Zaidi is coming under increasing pressure from both the United States and Iran over the direction of his cabinet. The two powers are diametrically opposed to each other leading to a deadlock in talks over forming the next government.

This Day In Iraqi History - May 13 German planes attacked UK forces at Habaniya air base Anglo-Iraq War

 

1915 British forces moved north to try to encircle Ottoman forces in Qurna

(Musings On Iraq review When God Made Hell, The British Invasion of Mesopotamia and the Creation of Iraq, 1914-1921)

This Day In Iraqi History - May 12 Sec State Albright said if 500,000 Iraqi children died under sanctions would be worth it to contain Saddam

 

1920 US got copy of San Remo agreement that divided Iraqi oil between UK and France US Amb

to UK Davis sent message to UK Foreign Sec Lord Curzon Said end of WWI countries agreed there would be equal treatment in development ex-Turkish territories Complained UK controlled Iraqi oil

(Musings On Iraq review Supremacy And Oil, Iraq, Turkey, and the Anglo-American World Order, 1918-1930)