Problems Completing Iraq’s Grand Faw Port And Development Road

The National recently ran an article “What is Iraq’s Development Road and will it challenge US and China trade routes?” The piece went into the huge potential of several connected projects Baghdad is currently working on. The first is the Grand Faw Port which could be one of the largest in the Persian Gulf. Then there is the Development Road which will build a highway and railway system from Faw to Turkey to allow trade from Asia to reach Europe. A telecommunications route has also just been added. This has received the backing of companies from South Korea, Kuwait, Turkey, Qatar and the UAE.

This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 30 Iraqi army surrounded UK Habaniya airbase hoping to force British troops out of Iraq

 

1915 Ottoman mayor murdered in Najaf for trying to draft men for war and taking money

from shrines

Security In Iraq Apr 22-28, 2024

Violence in Iraq during the fourth week of April 2024 was dominated by pro-Iran groups. The Islamic State was inactive once again.

This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 29 Ottomans defeated British at Kut 2nd biggest loss for UK during WWI

 

1916 Ottomans defeated the British at Battle of Kut after 4 months Captured 13,309 prisoners 7,000

of which died in captivity British lost 33,000 casualties One of largest defeats for UK in WWI

This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 28 PM Gaylani and pan-Arab Golden Square officers decided to go to war with UK Asked Axis for military aid again

 

1922 UK Iraq Commissioner Cox said King Faisal racially weak for disagreeing with him

This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 27 Pres Arif said Kurds would never have autonomy in Iraq

 

1916 UK offered Ottomans all the artillery and 1 mil pounds in return for letting British forces

leave Kut UK forces had been under siege in Kut since Dec Ottomans refused offer

This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 26 PM Gaylani asked Axis for aid to fight British

 

1917 British attacked Turks at Edheim, Diyala and occupied town Turks counterattacked

and retook it

Review Return To Ruin, Iraqi Narratives of Exile and Nostalgia

Saleh, Zainab, Return To Ruin, Iraqi Narratives of Exile and Nostalgia, Stanford University Press: 2021

 

Return To Ruin, Iraqi Narratives of Exile and Nostalgia by Zainab Saleh is the story of Iraqi expatriates living in London. Saleh interviewed five Iraqi exiles from different backgrounds and experiences about their families, life in Iraq and how they ended up in England. She included her own story about exile as well. Their stories are by far the best part as Iraqi voices are rarely heard in Western books about Iraq. On the other hand this was based upon a thesis. That meant Saleh’s college advisor told her to link her interviews to a larger theory. She chose one about British and American imperialism that didn’t stand up.

This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 25 British Mandate in Iraq created Was start of Iraq as a nation state

 

1920 San Remo Agreement created British Mandate in Iraq France agreed to give up Mosul vilayet

in return for oil concessions in Iraq

(Musings On Iraq How The Ottoman Province Of Mosul Became Part Of Iraq)

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

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

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

(Musings On Iraq review Dictatorship, Imperialism & Chaos, Iraq since 1989)

(Musings On Iraq review An Analysis of Hanna Batatu’s The Old Social Classes and the Revolutionary Movements of Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Inventing Iraq: The Failure of Nation Building and a History Denied)

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

(Musings On Iraq review The Chatham House Version and other Middle-Eastern Studies)

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

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

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq Since 1958, From Revolution To Dictatorship)

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq’s Democratic Moment)

This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 24 Kurds announced tentative deal with Saddam for Kurdish autonomy Would lead to Kurdistan Regional Government

 

1916 British attempt to re-supply besieged garrison at Kut failed

Latest Corruption Scandal In Iraq $600 Million Stolen Using Fake Foreign Travel

Al Aalem reported that tens of thousands of people were falsely registered as traveling outside of Iraq and gained access to hundreds of millions of dollars.

This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 23 PM Maliki ordered raid on Hawija protest site leaving 110 casualties Led to revival of the insurgency

 

1915 UK Gen Townshend ordered by Mesopotamia cmdr Gen Nixon to take Qurna and Amara

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

Security In Iraq Apr 15-21, 2024

The Islamic State remained quiet in Iraq for the second consecutive week while a mysterious explosion at a Hashd base led to another attack upon Israel.

This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 22 Ayatollah Khomeini revealed Ayatollah Baqir al-Sadr executed by Iraq Called for Saddam to be overthrown

 

1915 Lord Curzon asked why British should promise Basra and Baghdad vilayets to Arabs if they

were fighting on Ottoman side

This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 21 Coalition Provisional Authority created to run post-war Iraq

 

1802 Wahabi army from Arabia sacked Karbala 2,000-5,000 killed

This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 20 Iraq-Turkey agreement allowed each to conduct cross border raids to fight Kurds

 

1917 British military governor in Baghdad banned weapons and ammunition for public and

imposed curfew on city

This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 19 San Remo Conference held with UK France Italy Japan Decided to split up Ottoman empire and create Iraq

 

1916 German commander of the Ottoman forces in Mesopotamia Gen Goltz died of typhoid in

Baghdad

Review Coalition Armor vs Iraqi Forces, Iraq 2003-06

McNab, Chris, Coalition Armor vs Iraqi Forces, Iraq 2003-06, Osprey, 2024

 

Coalition Armor vs Iraqi Forces, Iraq 2003-06 is part of Osprey’s versus series of books where they discuss a major confrontation between two weapons systems. Here the focus was much broader covering American and British forces fighting the Iraqi army during the 2003 invasion and then militias and the insurgency afterwards. It’s a mix of technical reviews along with combat stories.

This Day In Iraqi History – Apr 18 ISI Leader Baghdadi and War Minister Masri killed by US and Iraqi forces

 

1919 France and England signed Long-Berenger oil deal France got 20% of Iraqi oil via Turkish

Petroleum Company

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

This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 17 PM Gaylani asked Nazis for military aid in case of war with UK

 

1916 Battle of Bait Isa Turkish counterattack stopped British advance British suffered

1,600 casualties Ottomans 4-5,000 3^rd defeat in British effort to relieve siege at Kut

This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 16 Shah of Iran started giving military aid to Barzani to pressure Iraq to give him control over Shatt al-Arab

 

1914 US consul in Baghdad reported rumors spread that all Christians and Jews in city

would be massacred due to start of 2^nd Balkans War Rumors started after newspaper asked Mufti and Shiite clergy what was duty of Muslims in war They said to protect Islam and raise money Said Christians were defiling Muslim women in Balkans

Security In Iraq Apr 8-14, 2024

The Islamic State continues to fade in Iraq while pro-Iran groups claimed another attack upon Israel.

This Day In Iraqi History – Apr 15 Joint Chiefs presented postwar plan with divisions from UK Poland Gulf States along with foreign police White House thought countries would end opposition to war and offer troops

 

1915 UK War Ministry committee heard from Adm Slade leading UK oil expert Said if Ottoman

Empire divided UK had to get Mosul vilayet because had oil

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

This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 14 Saddam wrote article saying Shiites and Kurds were untrustworthy since ancient times because worked for Persians and was reason they started 1991 uprising

 

1915 Ottoman campaign to try to retake Basra from British failed

This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 13 Gen Qasim made cover of Time magazine

 

1915 British won Battle of Shaiba Ottomans had 4200 casualties 700 captured UK 1232 casualties

            Ottoman commander Askari killed himself in disgrace British 1200 casualties

This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 12 Gertrude Bell wrote that Shiite clergy were all Persians and should be deported for issuing fatwas not to help UK defend Mosul against Turkey

 

1915 Battle of Shaiba began in Basra Ottomans and tribesmen launched frontal assault upon fortress

despite German advisers warning against it British artillery decimated Ottoman forces

Review Assyrians in Modern Iraq, Negotiating Political and Cultural Space

Benjamen, Alda, Assyrians in Modern Iraq, Negotiating Political and Cultural Space, Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, New Delhi, Singapore: Cambridge University Press, 2022

 

Iraq is one of the most diverse countries in the Middle East and yet there are very few books about the different groups outside of the Kurds that make up the population. That means that Alda Benjamen’s Assyrians in Modern Iraq, Negotiating Political and Cultural Space is a welcomed addition to the canon. She focuses upon the struggle by Assyrians to achieve their rights within the country from the Ottoman period up to modern Iraq with most of the book focusing upon the 1950s-80s.

This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 11 Sec Def Rumsfeld said “Stuff happens” to try to explain looting after US invasion of Iraq

1915 Ottomans and tribesmen began probing attack upon British outpost in Shaiba, Basra to try to

expel UK forces from vilayet

This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 10 Sadrists killed Sayid Abdul Majid al-Khoei Surrounded Ayatollah Sistani’s house in Najaf Driven off by tribesmen

 

1917 US consulate report Economy in Baghdad collapsing after British took city Trade cut off No

business

Iraq Continues To Flaunt OPEC+ Production Cuts

In January Iraq was supposed to institute OPEC+ production quotas. Not only did it not do so but its exports increased. Baghdad promised to comply but it has never followed any of the recent agreements.

This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 9 Baghdad fell during the 2003 invasion

 

1915 New UK cmdr in Iraq Gen Nixon arrived Ordered to take all of Basra Secure Tigris to protect

Anglo-Persian Oil Company in Persia Plan for advance on Baghdad 1^st step in escalating war from protecting oil concession to taking all of Mesopotamia

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

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq In World War I, From Ottoman Rule to British Conquest)

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

Security In Iraq, Apr 1-7, 2024

The Islamic State has gone back to barely being active in Iraq. Pro-Iran groups continue to claim drone strikes on Israel.

This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 8 France approved Sykes-Picot agreement Baghdad and Basra vilayets would go to UK Mosul to France Independent Arab state would also be created under UK-French influence

 

1915 PM Asquith ordered committee created to determine which parts of Ottoman Empire

UK should get Would lead to creation of Iraq

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

This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 7 PM Maliki said he was turning to Asaib Ahl Al-Haq and Kataib Hezbollah to secure Baghdad because disappointed with Iraqi security forces

 

1915 UK Gen Nixon ordered to prepare attack on Nasiriya and Amara to protect Basra vilayet and

Persian oil concession

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq In World War I, From Ottoman Rule to British Conquest)

(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 - Apr 6 Fatwa said Wahabi Ikhwan were brigands Rallied Shiite tribes to fight the invaders

 

1916 British attacked Sannaiyat by Kut British suffered 1,168 casualties

Apr 5 - This Day In Iraqi History - Faisal II made king Cousin Ilah made Regent

 

1916 Battle of Sannaiyat by Kut British attacked Ottomans Took Hanna and Fallahiya British had

1,885 casualties

Review The Making of Foreign Policy in Iraq, Political Factions and the Ruling Elite

Gulmohamad, Zana, The Making of Foreign Policy in Iraq, Political Factions and the Ruling Elite, London, New York, Oxford, New Delhi, Sydney: I.B. Tauris, 2021

 

Zana Gulmohamad set out to try to explain the complicated story of how Iraq formulates its foreign policy in The Making of Foreign Policy in Iraq, Political Factions and the Ruling Elite. His thesis was that Iraq’s foreign affairs are shaped by each ethnosectarian group, political party, and leading officials in Iraq under the influence and interference of foreign nations. That leads to a contradictory stance as each actor follows its own path to the detriment of the country.

This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 4 King Ghazi’s death announced to public Queen Aliya said it was Ghazi’s wish that his cousin Ilah be made regent

 

1927 UK official wrote Foreign Sec Chamberlain saying UK got Mosul by trick Promised 25 yr Iraq

Mandate Now pushing Iraq independence

This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 3 King Ghazi died in a car accident King Faisal II took power but was only 3 His cousin Abd al-Ilah became Regent

 

1929 Shah and King Faisal passed notes that legal barriers over Persian nationals In Iraq had been

lifted

Musings On Iraq In The News

 I was quoted in this article "Iraqi Militias Are Targeting Israel, But Israel Probably Won't Retaliate With Strikes Inside Iraq" by Paul Iddon in Forbes. 

You can see all of Musings On Iraq's citations here.

Iraqi Govt Sues KRG To Force Closure Of Displaced Camps

(Rudaw)

The Sudani government is pursuing the same policy as the last four prime ministers when it comes to Iraq’s internal refugees. That is to close down displacement camps, force everyone out and claim victory.

This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 2 Iraq closed border with Iran declared Kurdish revolt over Barzani and 150,000 people fled to Iran

 

1941 Regent of Iraq arrived at UK airbase at Habaniya Anbar after Golden Square officers tried to

arrest him after coup Regent tried and failed to organize resistance to coup in Basra Then fled to Jordan

(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s First Battle Of Fallujah 1941)

(Musings On Iraq interview World War II In Iraq and Syria Interview With Case Western’s Prof Broich)

(Musings On Iraq review Persian Gulf Command, A History of the Second World War In Iran and Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Rashid Ali al-Gailani, The National Movement in Iraq 1939-1941)

(Musings On Iraq review The Role of the Military In Politics, A case study of Iraq to 1941)

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq Between the Two World Wars, The Militarist Origins of Tyranny)

Islamic State Makes Brief Return To Iraq In March While Pro-Iran Groups Continue Ceasefire With US

After almost disappearing from Iraq in February the Islamic State let everyone know it was still present in the country. Pro-Iran groups maintained a ceasefire with the U.S. while claiming a number of attacks upon Israel.

This Day In Iraqi History - Apr 1 PM Taha Hashemi overthrown in coup by pan-Arab Golden Square officers Regent fled along with leading politicians

 

872 Brother of the Caliph Muwafaq defeated by Zanj slave rebellion in Basra

Musings On Iraq review The Revolt Of African Slaves In Iraq in the 3^rd/9^th Century