In 2015 an Israeli was looking for an Arab to kill in revenge for the deaths of Jews. He stabbed an Iraqi Jew because he looked like an Arab. Even after the Iraqi yelled that he was Jewish the man continued his attack. Luckily the Iraqi was able to run away. This is a metaphor for author Orit Bashkin on how Iraqis were treated in Israel. Even though they were Jewish they were treated as an Other because they came from an Arab country.
1918 UK oil expert Adm Slade wrote 1st Lord of the Admiralty Sir Geddes that UK should seize as
much oil as possible which included fields in Iraq
(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)
On July 29 the United States and Saudi Arabia launched a series of strikes against the Hashd throughout Iraq. Bases were hit in Baghdad, Basra, Diyala, Karbala, Kirkuk, Ninewa and Wasit leading to the deaths of 20 Hashd members, the wounding of 32 along with 5 Iranian advisers being killed.
762 Construction of Round City of Baghdad began by Abbasid Empire
1933 Assyrian leader Mar Shimun wrote letter to Interior Min Said he was being detained He would
help settle Assyrians If govt did nothing he would go to League of Nations and advocate for Assyrians to leave Iraq Letter sent to ambassadors in Iraq embarrassing govt
(Musings On Iraq review The Tragedy of the Assyrian Minority in Iraq)
(Musings On Iraq review State and Society in Iraq)
1823 Ottomans and Safavids signed peace treaty that set border between two empires after
Persian invasion of Iraq failed
1912 Work began building railway through Mesopotamia financed by Germany
I was quoted in this article by Wladimir Van Wilgenburg "What's Behind Iraq's New Anti-Corruption Campaign" in Khayrion
1920 Gertrude Bell wrote that Baghdad started the 1920 Revolt but lost control of it when tribes
rose up and they listened to no one Baghdad did not start revolt
(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)
(Musings On Iraq review Reclaiming Iraq, The 1920 Revolution and the Founding of the Modern State)
(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 Desert Queen, The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell: Adventurer, Adviser to Kings, Ally of Lawrence of Arabia)
(Musings On Iraq review A Quest in the Middle East, Gertrude Bell and the Making of Modern Iraq)
1915 British attack on Nasiriya restarted and took city
1920 France occupied Syria Defeated King Faisal’s forces leading him to flee Would set sites on
Mesopotamia afterward
(Musings On Iraq review Empires of the Sand, The Struggle For Mastery In The Middle East 1789-1923)
1401 Tamerlane and Tartars took Baghdad for 2nd time Ordered his men to bring him the heads of 2
Baghdadis Were said to be 120 towers of skulls afterwards Ordered city to be flattened Was in revenge for city standing up to him
1920 Albu Hassan took Kifil from British 1920 Revolt All of Mid-Euphrates under tribal control
except for Hillah Babil
(Musings On Iraq review Reclaiming Iraq, The 1920 Revolution and the Founding of the Modern State)
(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)
In June it appeared that the US-Iran War had subsided and the Strait of Hormuz was once again open. In turn, Iraq began loading tanker ships with its oil. The next month however hostilities were renewed and Baghdad was right back to where it started being unsure of its economic future.
1920 Kufa was surrounded by rebels 1920 Revolt
(Musings On Iraq review Reclaiming Iraq, The 1920 Revolution and the Founding of the Modern State)
(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)
New Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi has decided to thrown in his lot with the United States and the Trump administration. That means disarming the pro-Iran Resistance and fighting corruption. Some of this might actually help Tehran though.
1920 Pro-Independence delegation of Iraqis met UK High Commissioner Wilson who invited 20
pro-British Iraqis Meeting went nowhere British later tried to arrest pro-independence delegates
(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)
1733 Safavid siege of Baghdad ended by Ottoman relief force
1921 Christian Jewish Muslim notables had meeting at Grad Rabbi’s house in Baghdad Gave
support for Faisal to be king after much lobbying by Gertrude Bell
(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 Desert Queen, The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell: Adventurer, Adviser to Kings, Ally of Lawrence of Arabia)
(Musings On Iraq review A Quest in the Middle East, Gertrude Bell and the Making of Modern Iraq)
The British defeat at Kut during the Mesopotamia campaign was England’s second worse during World War I. Around 12,000 troops were taken prisoner almost half of which died in captivity. Nikolas Gardner in The Siege of Kut-al-Amara, At War In Mesopotamia 1915-1916 attempts to challenge the conventional wisdom about Kut. He makes a convincing argument that the commander General Sir Charles Townshend was responsible for the surrender.
869 Deposed Abbasid Caliph Mutazz executed by Turkish soldiers
(Musings On Iraq review when baghdad ruled the muslim world, the rise and fall of islam’s greatest dynasty)
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| Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council said it may give amnesty to those recently arrested for corruption |
In January 2025 Iraq’s parliament passed a new amnesty law which allowed those accused of corruption to go free if they promised to return the money they stole. It was a way for the state to recover some of its missing funds while not prosecuting officials which could lead to political problems since they were often working for the elite. Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi may apply that same law to those he recently arrested in his anti-graft campaign.
1919 UK India Office official Sir Hirtzel told chief political officer in Iraq Wilson there was
going to be an Arab state in Iraq or there would be a revolt
(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)
Iraq’s government dominates the country. It gives out huge contracts every year which are manipulated by the ruling elite.
1914 US consulate in Baghdad reported Sayid Talib and Ottoman forces attacked Sheikh
Ajaimi of Montafiq Confederation in Zubayr Basra vilayet Talib won battle and took town Gave Talib de facto control of all of Basra Led to dismissal of Ottoman governor of vilayet
1915 US consulate report Worried that sectarian war might start with Shiites turning on
Sunni Ottomans due to troubles in Karbala and Najaf
1920 Tribal forces surrounded British garrison at Abu Skhair during 1920 Revolt
1923 1st Parliamentary elections resumed after protests by Shiite clergy led to delay Assembly
wouldn’t meet until Mar 1924
869 Abbasid Caliph Mutazz confronted by Turkish soldiers who wanted to be paid Mutazz beaten
and forced to resign Muhtadi became new caliph
(Musings On Iraq review when baghdad ruled the muslim world, the rise and fall of islam’s greatest dynasty)
1920 Lead political officer in Iraq Wilson sent telegram to India Office Said threat to Iraq was
external coming from Turkey Syria Bolsheviks 1920 Revolt had just started
1920 Treaty of Sevres started break-up of Ottoman Empire after WW I Ceded Mesopotamia to UK Included call for Kurdish ...
