Thursday, December 1, 2022

Review The Fires of Spring, A Post-Arab Spring Journey Through the Turbulent New Middle East, Turkey, Iraq, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, and Tunisia

Culbertson, Shelly, The Fires of Spring, A Post-Arab Spring Journey Through the Turbulent New Middle East, Turkey, Iraq, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, and Tunisia, New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2016


 

The Fires of Spring, A Post-Arab Spring Journey Through the Turbulent New Middle East is a travel journal by author Shelly Culbertson as she went through five countries to see how the Middle East had changed after the Arab Spring protests of 2011-12. She tried to give a brief history of each nation and then interviewed several people to try to find out what direction each country was going in. It’s a good introduction to the politics and societies of the region in the 2010s.

This Day In Iraqi History - Dec 1 UK got France to give up Mosul vilayet after WWI for stake in Iraqi oil


 

1915 Retreating British force attacked pursuing Ottomans at Um at Tubul after loss at Battle of

Ctesiphon/Salman Pak

Wednesday, November 30, 2022

Security In Iraq Nov 22-28, 2022  


Iraq witnessed a new low in violence the third week of November. There were only two incidents reported in the press, both by the Islamic State. The previous low was 3 incidents a week which happened twice in 2022.

This Day In Iraqi History - Nov 30 UK political officer Sir Wilson set up plebiscite that would only support UK rule in Iraq

 

(Wikipedia)

1915 Ottomans attacked retreating UK forces from Ctesiphon/Salman Pak at Um at Tubul

Forced UK to retreat further south UK suffered 37 dead 218 missing 218 wounded 520 taken prisoner along with 2 ships Turks had 748 casualties

Tuesday, November 29, 2022

Chilcot Inquiry Section 9.6 28 June 2007 To April 2008  


Section 9.6 of the Chilcot Inquiry covers the new British government of Prime Minister Gordon Brown who wanted to withdraw from Iraq and the Charge of Knights security operation launched in Basra against the Mahdi Army. The irony was the British made deals with the Sadrists so it could pull out its forces and then the Iraqi government went after Sadr’s militia and the UK was drawn back into the fight.

This Day In Iraqi History - Nov 29 PM Abdul Mahdi resigned under pressure from Ayatollah Sistani over killing protesters

(BBC)

 

1914 Gen Barrett and Sir Percy Cox asked that UK occupation of Basra be announced as

permanent believing it would sway Arabs to UK side Request turned down

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

Iraq’s Oil Exports Climb For 3rd Straight Month

   Iraq’s oil exports passed 2 million barrels a day for the first time since the Iran War started in February. This was acco...