Musings On Iraq In The News

Musings On Iraq was cited in “Understanding the role of al-Hashd al-Shaabi in Iraq’s national and transnational political field” by Toby Dodge in POMPES Studies, and by Fanar Haddad in “From Existential Struggle to Political Banality: The Politics of Sect in Post-2003 Iraq” for The Review of Faith & International Affairs. Quoted by Paul Iddon in “US moots deploying Patriot system to shield its troops in Iraq” for Rudaw and Wladimir van Wilgenburg in “UN Iraq envoy condemns targeting of Iraqi protestors with ‘hunting guns,’” for Kurdistan 24.

Link to all of Musings On Iraq’s citations appearances and writings

Review Iraq’s Dysfunctional Democracy

Ghanim, David, Iraq’s Dysfunctional Democracy, Santa Barbara, Denver, Oxford: Praeger, 2011

In Iraq’s Dysfunctional Democracy author David Ghanim questions whether the post-Saddam Hussein Iraq was moving towards a real representative government. He didn’t believe in imposing democracy upon other countries using force like the United Sates did in 2003, and saw few signs afterward that the new ruling parties were interested in anything other than staying in power and enriching themselves by stealing from the state. Ghanim has a long list of why he is disillusioned from the use of victimization by the elite, the politicization of deBaathification, the lack of rule of law, questionable elections, a weak state, and corruption. The book reads like one long argument or a diatribe, and the author is very convincing on many of his points.

This Day In Iraqi History - Mar 17

1917 British forces captured Baquba from Ottomans

1935 Yasin al-Hashemi became PM of Iraq 2^nd time

1941 After consulting with UK Foreign Min Suwaidi convinced PM Hashemi and Regent to move

against Golden Square officers Golden Square called on army to overthrow Hashemi

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

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

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

(Musings On Iraq book review Iraq 1941, The Battles for Basra, Habbaniya, Fallujah and Baghdad)

1975 Iraq and Iran Foreign Ministers signed agreement to create three committees to resolve outstanding

issues

1975 US Sec State Kissinger responded to Barzani pleas for help saying that US understood struggle

Kurds were facing

(Musings On Iraq book review Killing Hope, U.S. Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II)

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

(Musings On Iraq book review Kurds of Iraq, Tragedy and Hope)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Great Betrayal, How America Abandoned The Kurds And Lost The Middle East)

(Musings On Iraq article on Nixon admin support for Kurdish revolt)

1982 Iran launched Operation Fath with diversionary attack towards Hoveyzah and Hamid across from

Maysan Worked as Iraq sent reserves there

(Musings On Iraq book review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)

1984 Belgian labs confirmed mustard gas used by Iraq from samples taken from two wounded Iranians

(Musings On Iraq article on the origins of Iraq’s WMD programs)

1985 Iran captured section of Basra-Baghdad highway for first time

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Anthony Tucker-Jones on Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Tom Cooper on Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq book review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iran-Iraq War, The Lion of Babylon, 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)

1991 Iraqi army began assault to retake Karbala from Shiite rebels

1991 Refugee claimed govt killed 250-300 people in Najaf after uprising

1991 Kurds began fleeing Tuz Kharmato in face of govt offensive to retake it

(Musings On Iraq book review Kurds of Iraq, Tragedy and Hope)

1991 Baghdad held 1^st tribal loyalty ceremony to shore up support during uprising

(Musings On Iraq interview with National Univ of Singapore’s Fanar Haddad on the Impact of the 1991 Uprising)

(Musings On Iraq article on 1^st hand accounts of 1991 Uprising)

(Musings On Iraq article on Saddam’s view of 1991 Uprising)

(Ahulbayt Video on 1991 Uprising)

1991 Saddam said he would introduce democracy and create a new constitution

1992 Report in 91 Bush admin tried to block release of information about White House support for Iraq

before Kuwait invasion

1994 English scientists est 57% of southern marshes had been drained by Saddam to drive out displaced

and rebels

1996 UN inspectors said work was moving forward and Iraq was not hiding WMD as some suggested

(Musings On Iraq article UN Inspectors Were Right Iraq Was Not A Threat)

(Musings On Iraq article Iraq’s Rejection of UN Inspectors Led To Mistrust Over WMD and 2003 Invasion)

1999 Uprising in Basra after Saddam killed Ayatollah Sadiq al-Sadr

(Musings On Iraq interview with Univ of Haifa’s Prof Baram on legacy of Ayatollah Sadiq al-Sadr)

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq Between Occupations, Perspectives from 1920 to the Present)

2002 Dep Sec Def Wolfowitz and PM Blair’s adv Manning talked about building intl support for military

action vs Iraq

2002 UK Amb to US Meyer told Dep Sec Def Wolowitz that if US wanted military action against Iraq it

needed to go through UN

(Musings On Iraq Book Review The Report of the Iraq Inquiry, Executive Summary)

2002 Dep Sec of Def Wolfowitz told UK Amb to US Meyer that Iraq was linked with terrorism and

harboring member of 1993 World Trade Center bombing Was based upon conspiracy theories of Laurie Mylroie

(Musings On Iraq article on Mylroie’s Iraq conspiracy theories)

(Musings On Iraq Laurie Mylroie’s Iraq Conspiracy Theory Was Debunked By Captured Baath Documents)

2002 Times of London article quoted Iraqi defector provided by INC that Iraq had WMD programs

2002 Bahrain Foreign Minister Salamn ibn Hamda al-Khalifa told press Arab world did not see Iraq as

the threat but Israel for its actions against Palestinians

2003 UN Draft resolution saying Iraq in non compliance and open to military action withdrawn by US

because couldn’t be passed

2003 Bush met with Congressional leaders telling them UN route with Iraq was dead Blamed France Sen

Byrd only one who said he opposed war

2003 Bush in TV speech said Iraq had WMD and was hiding them Gave Saddam and sons 48 hours to

leave office or face invasion

(Musings On Iraq article Iraq, One Of The Worst Intelligence Failures In US History)

(Musings On Iraq book review Leap of Faith, Hubris Negligence, and America’s Greatest Foreign Policy

Tragedy)

2003 PM Blair gave Saddam ultimatum to comply with UN resolutions

2003 UK Attny Gen Lord Goldsmith gave legal advice that war with Iraq was legal

(Musings On Iraq Book Review The Report of the Iraq Inquiry, Executive Summary)

2003 UN Sec Gen Annan announced he would order withdrawal of weapons inspectors due to impending

war

2003 ORHA head Garner met with his oil team Said concerned Sec Def Rumsfeld picked ex-Shell CEO

Carroll to join group Oil team told Garner if Iraq oil sector destroyed by war would need someone with standing of Carroll to deal with situation

2004 Bombing of Mount Lebanon hotel in Baghdad killed 27 wounded 40 

2004 Iraqi Governing Council asked UN to return to Baghdad and advise the creation of interim govt

2007 Report Education Ministry run by Shiite United Iraqi Alliance refused to give any aid or support to

schools in Sunni areas of Baghdad

2007 Gen Odierno said Baghdad belts key to securing Baghdad

2007 Report captured ISI docs said 06 decided to move into Baghdad to fight militias and wanted to

force Shiites from west Baghdad and attack Shiites in Anbar Diyala Salahaddin Mahdi Army took initiative and pushed insurgents out of large parts of Baghdad Insurgents now operating out of Baghdad belts more than Baghdad itself

(Musings On Iraq book review The Caliphate At War, Operational Realities and Innovations of the Islamic State)

2008 Clashes between Mahdi Army and police spread to Karbala 35 killed 130 wounded Before was

fighting in Diyala and Wasit Sadr blamed PM Maliki for violence 

2008 Female suicide bomber hit crowd of Shiites in Karbala 40 killed 65 wounded

(Musings On Iraq article on female suicide bombers)

2008 ISCI and Dawa delegation made deal with Sadrists to end week’s worth of fighting between ISF

and Mahdi Army in Kut Govt agreed to release Sadrist prisoners and only conduct raids with warrants

2008 BBC ABC NK ARD poll found 55% of Iraqis said lives were good vs 39% in Aug 07 62% said

security better vs 43% in Aug 07 45% said next year would be better vs 29% in Aug 07

2012 Baghdad claimed KRG-Exxon oil deal was frozen but wasn’t

View the Iraq History Timelines 

This Day In Iraqi History - Mar 16

1917 UK War Cabinet created Mesopotamia administration committee to decide on form of govt

in captured areas

1921 Churchill told Foreign Secretary Lloyd George there was no longer a plan for a Kurdish state

            Instead Kurds would be included in new Iraq

(Musings On Iraq article on Churchill’s views on Mesopotamia)

(Musings On Iraq book review Churchill’s Folly, How Winston Churchill Created Modern Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq book review Kurds of Iraq, Tragedy and Hope)

1959 Gen Qasim signed economic agreement with Soviet Union to move away from England and

west

1959 Nasser organized 50,000 for anti-Iraq protest in Cairo

1975 Iraqi forces launched new offensive against Kurds after Iran stopped supporting them as part of

Algiers agreement

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

(Musings On Iraq book review Kurds of Iraq, Tragedy and Hope)

(Musings On Iraq book review Killing Hope, U.S. Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II)

1982 Iraq’s Dep PM Yassin Ramadan said Iraq ready to withdraw from Iran and would accept ceasefire in

Iran-Iraq War

1984 Iran fought off Iraqi effort to free Majnoon Islands in Basra  

1984 CIA Station Chief in Lebanon William Buckley kidnapped by Islamic Jihad-Hezbollah and sent

to Iran Was retaliation for US support for Iraq

(Musings On Iraq article on Buckley’s kidnapping)

1985 Republican Guard joined counterattack against Iran Op Badr in south Iran threw in reserves Iraq

recaptured Ajrada Sabkha Beida 2,000 Iranians captured

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Anthony Tucker-Jones on Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Tom Cooper on Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq book review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iran-Iraq War, The Lion of Babylon, 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)

1988 Saddam accused residents in Halabja of working with Iran Said “Kill them all” Ordered mustard

and nerve gas attack upon town Killed 5,000 Kurds to recapture town

(Musings On Iraq article on the attack upon Halabja)

1991 Saddam made 1^st address since Gulf War Blamed southern uprising on Iran Said Kurds worked

with foreigners and always defeated

(Musings On Iraq interview with National Univ of Singapore’s Fanar Haddad on the Impact of the 1991 Uprising)

(Musings On Iraq article on 1^st hand accounts of 1991 Uprising)

(Musings On Iraq article on Saddam’s view of 1991 Uprising)

(Ahulbayt Video on 1991 Uprising)

(Musings On Iraq article on how US encouraged 1991 uprising)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iraq in Wartime, Soldiering, Martyrdom, and Remembrance)

1992 Baghdad set off car bomb in Irbil after warning Kurds not to ally with foreign powers

2003 Azores summit with Bush PM Blair Portuguese PM Barroso Bush said that Iraq war would start in

days not weeks Agreed to give 2^nd UN resolution 24 more hours

(Musings On Iraq book review Leap of Faith, Hubris Negligence, and America’s Greatest Foreign Policy

Tragedy)

(Musings On Iraq Review Hubris, The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, And The Selling Of The Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Bush Administrations and Saddam Hussein, Deciding on Conflict)

2003 Bush and PM Blair gave UN 24 hour ultimatum to enforce its own resolutions on Iraq disarming or

they would invade

2003 PM Blair got transcript of 60 Minutes interview with Pres Chirac who said he wanted 30 more days

for UN inspections

2003 PM Blair complained that US screwed up a 2^nd UN resolution on Iraq

(Musings On Iraq Book Review The Report of the Iraq Inquiry, Executive Summary)

2003 VP Cheney told Meet The Press that Americans would be greeted as liberators in Iraq Said that

Army Chief of Staff Gen Shinseki was wrong that US would need more troops to occupy Iraq than invade Told NBC that if world didn’t deal with Iraq it would go back to producing WMD Was already reconstituting its nuclear weapons program Claimed UN inspectors were wrong about Iraq’s weapons program in general citing Iraq buying aluminum tubes which US claimed were for centrifuges Said Iraq had long standing relationship with Al Qaeda

(Musings On Iraq article on the aluminum tubes story)

(Musings On Iraq article on how poor US intel work led to claim Iraq rebuilt its nuclear weapons program)

(Musings On Iraq article Iraq, One Of The Worst Intelligence Failures In US History)

(Musings On Iraq article UN Inspectors Were Right Iraq Was Not A Threat)

(Musings On Iraq article Iraq’s Rejection of UN Inspectors Led To Mistrust Over WMD and 2003 Invasion)

(Musings On Iraq book review Fiasco: The American Military Adventure In Iraq)

2003 ORHA staff that was to run postwar Iraq began leaving US for Kuwait

(Musings On Iraq book review Iraq and Back, Inside The War To Win The Peace)

(Musings On Iraq article Special Inspector General For Iraq Reconstruction Hard Lessons Chapter 4 Staging in Kuwait)

2003 Report US and France sources for all of Iraq’s germ samples for its biological weapons program in

the 1980s

2004 UK Parliament report said British forces had bad intel on Iraq and govt limited them due to fears of

anti-war sentiment

2004 DepDefSec Wolfowitz said Iraq invasion proved US claims about Iraq’s links to terrorism

2006 New Iraqi parliament seated after Dec 05 elections

2007 2 PM Maliki aides said premier told Sadr to stand down Mahdi Army at start of Surge In return

Maliki would push US to focus upon insurgency rather than militias

2007 ISI set off chlorine bombs in Amiriya Fallujah Fallujahand Ramadi 2 Awakening sheikhs killed

(Musings On Iraq article on tribes turning on Al Qaeda in Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq article on change in perceptions that led to Awakening)

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Carter Malkasian on Anbar Awakening)

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Green on Fallujah during the Surge)

(Musings On Iraq book review of Confronting Al Qaeda, The Sunni Awakening and American Strategy In Al Anbar)

(Musings On Iraq book review of The Marines Take Anbar, The Four-Year Fight Against Al Qaeda)

(Musings On Iraq book review Illusions of Victory, The Anbar Awakening And The Rise Of The Islamic State)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iraq’s Sunni Insurgency)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Sheriff of Ramadi, Nvy SEALS and the Winning of Anbar)

(Musings On Iraq review Fallujah Redux The Anbar Awakening and the Struggle With Al Qaeda)

2007 Sadr called on followers to resist U.S. occupation 1000s of Sadrists marched

2008 PM Maliki said he was going to take on security in Basra and that he was going to lead effort

personally

2008 Mahdi Army fought police in 2 villages in Diyala

2008 Fmr head of Defense Policy Board Perle NYTimes OpEd said plan to turn over Iraq to Iraqis right

after invasion stopped by Sec State Powell Natl Sec Adv Rice and CIA Dir Tenet Said US thought it knew better than Iraqis Said Iraqi opposition should have run Iraq Said underestimated how badly Bush admin could mess things up

2008 CPA head Bremer NYTimes OpEd Said US didn’t have postwar Iraq plan Didn’t have

counterinsurgency plan after invasion Only sent half the troops necessary Regreted not pushing for better military plan

(Musings On Iraq book review Fiasco: The American Military Adventure In Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Losing Iraq, Inside The Post War Reconstruction Fiasco)

(Musings On Iraq book review Leap of Faith, Hubris Negligence, and America’s Greatest Foreign Policy

Tragedy)

2008 Report 1/3 or more of fuel from Baiji refinery stolen in 07 believed worth $2bil ISI thought

to make up to $100,000/day from refinery Feb 08 head of intel at refinery arrested for smuggling and supporting insurgents

2008 Report PM Maliki advisor said would take years to rebuild Iraq’s infrastructure Adv to Electricity

Min said budget for reconstruction only half of what was needed Power plants only producing at 50% capacity

2015 PM Abadi asked US for airstrikes to help Tikrit operation that was stalled Would put ISF backed by

Coalition airstrikes in lead in war

2015 Report Iran sent short range ballistic missiles to its allies in the Hashd for Tikrit operation

(Musings On Iraq News Of Iran Moving Missiles Into Iraq Continue)

2018 Turkey launched operation against PKK moving 15km into Irbil province

2018 Hundreds protested in Baghdad over lack of services Blocked a main road

View the Iraq History Timelines

Tit For Tat Between U.S. and Pro-Iran Hashd Continues

Rocket launchers used for second strike on Camp Taji (Al Masalah)

A day after the U.S. and England hit five Kataib Hezbollah targets in Iraq for the deaths of two American and one British soldiers at Camp Taji in Baghdad that same facility was hit again by rockets. 33 missiles rained down on Taji from seven launchers. That resulted in three more U.S. soldiers and 3-4 Iraqi Security Forces being wounded. The attack showed that pro-Iran elements within the Hashd are undeterred by the threat of retaliation from Washington. This was the ninth assault on U.S. personnel since January 27, and the fifth in March. The goal of these operations in fact, may be to provoke the Americans into over reacting and killing Iraqis that would re-ignite the move to force foreign troops from the country.

This Day In Iraqi History - Mar 15

1935 PM Midfai resigned over tribal revolt in Diwaniya King Ghazi asked Yasin al-Hashemi to

form new govt

1959 Nasser gave 5^th speech against Iraqi Communists Said party was anti-religious

(Musings On Iraq book review Red Star Over Iraq, Iraqi Communism Before Saddam)

(Musings On Iraq Interview with Prof Johan Franzen on the history of the Iraqi Communist Party)

1980 Ayatollah Khomeini called on Iraqis to rise up against Saddam

(Musings On Iraq book review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)

1981 Saddam said unless Iran agreed to ceasefire he would aid Iranian opposition groups

1985 Iraq carried out air raid on Tehran Iran fired SCUDs at Baghdad in War of Cities

(Musings On Iraq book review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)

1985 Iraq launched counterattack against Iran Op Badr Pushed Iranians back across Tigris

1988 Iran seized areas south of Mawat Kurdistan

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Anthony Tucker-Jones on Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Tom Cooper on Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iran-Iraq War, The Lion of Babylon, 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)

(Musings On Iraq book review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)

1988 First detention center for Kurds displaced during Anfal campaign set up

(Musings On Iraq article on Anfal campaign)

1990 Iraq executed UK Observer journalist Bazoft for reporting on missile programCondemned in West

Saddam believed West plotting against Iraq and Bazoft’s execution would be sign to them to stop Saddam said Bazoft’s death was punishment for PM Thatcher plotting against Iraq

1991 Rebels in Diwanaiya attempted and failed to take Hillah

1991 Saddam declared southern revolt over

1991 Iraqi govt forces began operation to retake Tuz Kharmato from Peshmerga

1991 US shot down Iraqi fighter after warned it no flights allowed during uprisings

(Musings On Iraq interview with National Univ of Singapore’s Fanar Haddad on the Impact of the 1991 Uprising)

(Musings On Iraq article on 1^st hand accounts of 1991 Uprising)

(Musings On Iraq article on Saddam’s view of 1991 Uprising)

(Ahulbayt Video on 1991 Uprising)

(Musings On Iraq article on how US encouraged 1991 uprising)

2003 Iraqi state TV said country was on a war footing Baghdad had been divided into four military

districts

2003 Special Republican Guard withdrew $1 bil from Central Bank of Iraq under Uday Hussein to pay

off sheikhs to put down expected rebellions

2003 Iraqi security forces tried to stamp out signs of Kurdish opposition in Kirkuk City

2003 VP Cheney told NBC that UN weapons inspetors had missed Iraq’s nuke program in 1990s and

they weren’t going to do better this time Said Iraq could have a nuclear bomb soon Said Iraqis defying inspections again

(Musings On Iraq Interview With VP Dick Cheney On Weapons Inspections March 2003)

(Musings On Iraq article on how poor US intel work led to claim Iraq rebuilt its nuclear weapons program)

(Musings On Iraq article UN Inspectors Were Right Iraq Was Not A Threat)

(Musings On Iraq article Iraq’s Rejection of UN Inspectors Led To Mistrust Over WMD and 2003 Invasion)

2003 ORHA head Garner told Sec Def Rumsfeld plan was only to dismiss top two officials from each

Iraqi ministry and not carry out any deBaathification policy Rumsfeld okayed plan

(Musings On Iraq book review Leap of Faith, Hubris Negligence, and America’s Greatest Foreign Policy

Tragedy)

2003 Sec Def Rumsfeld complained Garner picked non-Pentagon people to run some Iraqi ministries

Wanted them all from Defense

(Musings On Iraq article on Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction Hard Lessons Chapter 3 The Department of Defense Takes Charge)

2003 CIA gave explosive to Kurdish team which blew up Mosul-Baghdad railway starting covert action

campaign before invasion

2003 CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll found 51% of Americans believed Saddam believed in 9/11

2004 Bush told Blair Chalabi up to no good using deBaathification committee for his own ends

2005 Mahdi Army attacked college engineering students in Basra for having mixed male-female party in

park Led to protests vs Sadrists

2005 Report leaked that Halliburton overcharged US for fuel imports to Iraq by more than $108 mil

2005 Italy announced it would withdraw its approximate 3,000 troops from Iraq

2005 Ukraine withdrew 130 of its soldiers from Iraq

2006 Iraq Study Group began creating alternative Iraq strategy for Bush admin

2007 Report when White House presented Surge said would be progress on political benchmarks by Mar

07 Was none Cabinet approved draft oil law US officials said they were backing off pushing Maliki govt on changing deBaathification law in fear of backlash

2012 One of VP Hashemi’s guards who had accused him of terrorism died in custody Authorities

claimed kidney failure but pictures showed torture

(Musings On Iraq book review Iraq From War To A New Authoritarianism)

(Musings On Iraq article on charges against VP Hashemi)

View the Iraq History Timelines 

This Day In Iraqi History - Mar 14

1925 Iraq deal gave Turkish Petroleum Company right to explore for oil in entire country

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

1951 Grenade hit American Cultural Center in Baghdad wounding some Jewish visitors 5^th of 8 such

attacks on Jews 1950-51

1959 Nasser gave 4^th speech against Iraqi Communists Said that he would stand against the communist

            dictatorship

(Musings On Iraq book review Red Star Over Iraq, Iraqi Communism Before Saddam)

(Musings On Iraq Interview with Prof Johan Franzen on the history of the Iraqi Communist Party)

1981 Cuba’s foreign minister arrived in Lebanon as head of Non-Aligned Movement attempt to negotiate

ceasefire in Iran-Iraq War

1983 Sec of State Shultz ordered US diplomat in Baghdad to discuss US financing trade deals with Iraq

1985 Iran fired SCUD missiles at Baghdad War of Cities 1^st time Iran used long range missiles Saddam

ordered retaliation Baghdad would bomb Tehran for 4 weeks

1986 UN mission found that Iraq had used chemical weapons several times in Iran-Iraq War

(Musings On Iraq article on the origins of Iraq’s WMD programs)

1988 Iraq’s 43^rd Div destroyed and Iran captured Halabja Iran captured Dukan Dam Turned back at

Darbandikhan Dam

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Anthony Tucker-Jones on Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq interview with author Tom Cooper on Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq book review Iran-Iraq War, The Lion of Babylon, 1980-1988)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Iran-Iraq War)

(Musings On Iraq book review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)

1991 Pres Bush warned Iran not to take advantage of Iraq uprisings to try to annex any territory

(Musings On Iraq interview with National Univ of Singapore’s Fanar Haddad on the Impact of the 1991 Uprising)

(Musings On Iraq article on 1^st hand accounts of 1991 Uprising)

(Musings On Iraq article on Saddam’s view of 1991 Uprising)

(Ahulbayt Video on 1991 Uprising)

2002 Blair Adv Manning said Natl Sec Adv Rice committed to regime change in Iraq

2002 PM Blair Adv Manning said US working on strategic decisions on how to remove Saddam

(Musings On Iraq Book Review The Report of the Iraq Inquiry, Executive Summary)

2003 Sec Def Rumsfeld told ORHA head Garner he was going to pick all the advisers that were going to run

Iraqi ministries

(Musings On Iraq article on Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction Hard Lessons Chapter 3 The Department of Defense Takes Charge)

(Musings On Iraq article Special Inspector General For Iraq Reconstruction Hard Lessons Chapter 4 Staging in Kuwait)

(Musings On Iraq book review Leap of Faith, Hubris Negligence, and America’s Greatest Foreign Policy

Tragedy)

2003 Iran’s national security adviser said US would not have a happy ending in Iraq

2003 French Pres Chirac told PM Blair he would not accept a UN resolution that set an ultimatum for Iraq

disarmament

(Musings On Iraq Book Review The Report of the Iraq Inquiry, Executive Summary)

2003 NSC decided on language for ultimatum to Saddam Included 48 hour deadline to leave power pushed

by Sec Def Rumsfeld

2005 Netherlands withdrew its 160 troops from Iraq

2006 Report May-Jun 03 British worried of strategic failure in Iraq due to US mistakes

(Musings On Iraq Book Review The Report of the Iraq Inquiry, Executive Summary)

2007 Iraqi military announced deaths down 80% in Baghdad since start of Surge NYTimes found higher

number of deaths but still big drop US military said deaths in Iraq down since start of Surge but deaths up in Baghdad

2007 Pentagon report to Congress on last Qtr of 06 Said PM Maliki promised reform and reconciliation but

did nothing Oct-Dec 06 most violent period recorded in Iraq since 2003

2007 Report Dead bodies found in Baghdad down from more than 200 per week in Dec 06 to 80 per week

start of Mar 07 Number of dead from bombings in Baghdad went from 528 in Dec 06 to 370 in Jan 07 Mahdi army off streets of Baghdad Many insurgents said to have withdrawn to Diyala

(Musings On Iraq book review Voices From Iraq, A People’s History, 2003-2009)

2011 Justice Min said it would close Camp Honor secret prison in Baghdad run by PM Maliki that used

torture on prisoners Was not closed

2012 Ninewa council voted to freeze Article 140 that was to determine future of disputed areas

2012 Baghdad police held Russia Today reporters for 3 hrs because were doing story on emo killings in

capital

2013 5 suicide bombers attacked Justice and Foreign Ministries, Communications Institute in central

Baghdad

2015 Operation to free Tikrit from IS stalled due to high Hashd casualties

2016 State of Law MPs probably pro-Maliki said Sadr’s protests in Baghdad could be infiltrated by

terrorists

(Musings On Iraq interview with Cambridge’s Michael Clark on Sadr, protests and PM Abadi’s reforms)

2018 Sulaymaniya teachers promised to continue their strike over not being paid since November 2017

due to KRG austerity measures

View the Iraq History Timelines