1921 Cairo Conference decided on indirect rule in Iraq Would
make Faisal King of a pro-British
Iraqi govt allowing withdrawal of
British forces
1921 Cairo Conference decided to keep UK High Commissioner
for Iraq British advisers in govt naval
presence in Basra and RAF squadrons
in rest of country
(Musings
On Iraq How England Chose Feisal As 1st King 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 When God Made Hell, The British Invasion of Mesopotamia
and the Creation of Iraq, 1914-1921)
1939 King Ghazi gave pan-Arab speech saying he was
interested in Arab brothers in Syria Palestine
Kuwait
(Musings
On Iraq review Imagining The Nation, Nationalism, Sectarianism and
Socio-Political Conflict in Iraq)
(Musings On Iraq review Unholy Babylon, The Secret History of
Saddam’s War)
1940 Fmr PM Said put together new govt with Rashid Gaylani
becoming PM Said became Foreign
Minister Had backing of British
1940 Regent had one of the Golden Square officers ordered to
Diwaniya He refused
order Was pushed by UK to try to
break up pan-Arab officers in army
(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 And Syria 1941,
The Politics and Strategy of the Second World War)
(Musings
On Iraq review The Modern History of Iraq)
(Musings
On Iraq review Iraq Between the Two World Wars, The Militarist Origins
of Tyranny)
1945 UK Ambassador to Iraq Sir Cornwallis wrote he was
afraid old Iraqi elite were never going to change
and that would lead to violence
between haves and have nots
1946 Conservatives in govt forced PM Suwaidi’s govt to
resign
1949 Coup in Syria
revived Regent Ilah’s hopes of an Iraq-Syria union which would make him
king of Syria
1963 Kurdish delegation headed by Talabani arrived in
Baghdad for more talks about
Kurdish rights Govt refused to meet
with Talabani
(Musings
On Iraq review The Kurdish Revolt 1961-1970)
1980 Baath made membership in Dawa punishable by death
(Musings
On Iraq Interview with Lowy Institution’s Shanahan on history of the Dawa
Party)
(Musings
On Iraq review The Shi’ite Movement in Iraq)
1982 Saddam admitted that Iraqi forces retreated from
southern Iran
1984 UN condemned use of chemical weapons in Iran-Iraq War
but didn’t mention Iraq as perpetrator
due to US and Soviet objections
(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 review The Iran-Iraq War
1980-1988)
(Musings
On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War, The
Lion of Babylon, 1980-1988)
(Musings
On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War)
(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military
Conflict)
(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War Volume 1: The Battle
for Khuzestan, September 1980-May 1982)
(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes
back, June 1982-December 1986)
(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s
Triumph)
(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten
Fronts)
1984 US banned export of 5 chemicals to Iraq that could be
used to make chemical weapons
(Musings
On Iraq Origins Of Iraq’s WMD Programs)
1990 Report Iraq trying to challenge Israeli military
superiority in Middle East by developing nuclear
bomb Dec 89 Iraq launched new long
range missile Mar 90 3 people arrested in UK trying to smuggle equipment for
program to Iraq Intl Institute for Strategic Studies said program only in
theoretical stage Was actually far more advanced than anyone knew
1991 Saddam’s troops re-entered Dohuk and Irbil to put down
Kurdish rebellion
(Musings
On Iraq review Kurds of Iraq, Tragedy
and Hope)
(Musings
On Iraq interview with National Univ of Singapore’s Fanar Haddad on the
Impact of the 1991 Uprising)
(Musings
On Iraq Remembering The 1991 Uprising In Iraq)
(Musings
On Iraq Saddam’s View of Iraq’s 1991 Uprising)
1991 Majid al-Khoei son of Grand Ayatollah al-Khoei met with
Saudi intelligence and was turned down
for aid to help uprising because US
objected
(Musings
On Iraq When The US Helped Start A Rebellion In Iraq That It Didn’t Want)
1995 INC and PUK attacked Iraqi forces in Kirkuk district
destroying 2 brigades hoping to create a revolt
against Saddam
(Musings
On Iraq review Iraq In The Eye of the
Storm)
2002 Gen Franks presented new revised Iraq war plan to Bush
(Musings
On Iraq review Shaping the Plan for
Operation Iraqi Freedom, The Role of Military Intelligence Assessment)
2003 British began 2nd attack to take Basra city
with 600 commandos attacking western Abu al-Kacib
(Musings
On Iraq review Target Basra, The High
Octane Story of the Royal Marine Commandos In Iraq)
(Musings
On Iraq review Voices From Iraq, A
People’s History, 2003-2009)
2003 UK Defense Minister Hoon told US didn't think taking
Basra City important US wanted UK to hold
south oil fields and Um Qasr port
2003 US intensified air strikes on Republican Guard units
with 800 sorties Began assault on Najaf
2003 Saddam believed U.S. invasion was stalemated
2003 Saddam’s secretary told Iraqi Foreign Ministry to tell
France and Russia Iraq would only accept an
unconditional withdrawal by U.S.
2003 Iraqi TV aired footage of Saddam Qusay and Uday handing
out medals and money to soldiers
2003 Sec Def Rumsfeld told ABC that US knew exactly where
Iraq’s WMD were Claimed they were
around Tikrit and Baghdad
(Musings
On Iraq How The Administration Reversed Itself On Finding Iraq’s WMD)
(Musings
On Iraq review What Happened, Inside the Bush White House and
Washington’s Culture of Deception)
2003 Sec Def Rumsfeld accused Syria of giving military aid
to Iraq Syria claimed US committed crimes
vs Iraqi civilians
2003 Dep Sec of Def Wolfowtiz said Iraq war about WMD and
that they would eventually be found
(Musings
On Iraq Iraq One Of The Worst Intelligence Failures In US History)
2003 PM Blair foreign policy adv Sir Manning worried that
Baghdad when attacked could turn into
drawn out urban battle
2003 Pentagon memo on creating an Iraqi authority after war
Said had to be friendly to the US Had to
end Sunni rule Wanted rule of law
individual liberty representative govt private enterprise Didn’t say how that
was to be achieved
(Musings
On Iraq review Leap of Faith, Hubris
Negligence, and America’s Greatest Foreign Policy Tragedy)
(Musings
On Iraq review State of Denial, Bush At War, Part III)
(Musings
On Iraq review The Endgame, The Inside Story of the Struggle for Iraq,
from
George W. Bush
to Barack Obama)
(Musings
On Iraq review Hard Lessons, The Iraq Reconstruction Experience)
2003 SCIRI head
Ayatollah Hakim told followers in south Iraq that they shouldn’t support
Coalition invasion Demanded foreign troops leave Iraq as soon as possible
Warned of armed struggle if they turned into occupiers
2004 New Iraq Survey Group head Duelfer told Congress most
important work not done Still looking for
critical Iraqis involved in WMD
program Said found equipment to make biological and chemical agents Couldn’t
rule out what aluminum tubes were for Contradicted much of what Survey Group
discovered 3 top inspectors quit to protest Duelfer’s remarks
2006 Report Albu Mahal tribe went from insurgency to
fighting Al Qaeda in Iraq after objected to Islamic
law being imposed Tribe entered
into months of fighting with Salmani and Karabila tribes allied with Al Qaeda
in Iraq in WAnbar Qaim dist Was expelled Albu Mahal went to US formed Desert
Protectors Got tribesmen join Iraqi army
(Musings
On Iraq US Army History of Iraq War Vol 1 – Chapter 17 Innovation In The
Face Of War, Summer-Fall 2005)
(Musings
On Iraq Anbar Before And After The Awakening Pt IX: Sheikh Sabah Aziz Of
The Albu Mahal)
(Musings
On Iraq The Demise But Not Death of Al Qaeda In Iraq)
(Musings
On Iraq How A Change In Perceptions Led To The Anbar Awakening)
(Musings
On Iraq interview with author Carter Malkasian on Anbar Awakening)
(Musings
On Iraq review Confronting Al Qaeda,
The Sunni Awakening and American Strategy In Al Anbar)
(Musings
On Iraq review The Marines Take
Anbar, The Four-Year Fight Against Al Qaeda)
(Musings
On Iraq review Illusions of Victory,
The Anbar Awakening And The Rise Of The Islamic State)
(Musings
On Iraq review Iraq’s Sunni Insurgency)
(Musings
On Iraq review The Caliphate At War,
Operational Realities and Innovations of the Islamic State)
2007 Op Call to Freedom ended effectively clearing Ramadi of
insurgents
2007 Report Ali Salah WBaghdad only had 3 Sunni families
left after militias forced out rest in March
despite US and Iraqi units in area
during Surge
(Musings
On Iraq review Voices From Iraq, A
People’s History, 2003-2009)
(Musings On Iraq
Columbia University Charts Sectarian Cleansing Of Baghdad)
2008 Sadr announced ceasefire in fight vs ISF Mahdi Army
handed over weapons to ISF in 2 Baghdad
neighborhoods Deal worked out
between Dawa ISCI Badr and Sadr with Iran Rev Guards Quds Force cmdr Gen
Suleimani as moderator
(Musings
On Iraq Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ Commander General Suleimani And His
Role In Iraq, An Interview With The New Yorker’s Dexter Filkins)
(Musings
On Iraq interview with Naval Postgraduate School’s Ostovar on history of
the Iranian Revolutionary Guard)
(Musings
On Iraq review Vanguard of the Imam,
Religion, Politics, and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard)
2008 Fighting continued in Babil and Karbala between ISF and
Mahdi Army Green Zone hit by
rockets
2008 UK report situation in Basra unchanged during Charge of
Knights Said ISF had no coherent
plan and
morale low
2008 Report PM Maliki was shocked that his offensive in
Basra caused fighting throughout south and
Baghdad Was actually warned by ISF
that would happen beforehand but he ignored it
2008 Tribes in Dhi Qar and Dulaim in Wasit joined govt in
crackdown against Mahdi Army
(Musings
On Iraq Argument For Maliki Being Iraq’s Next Strongman)
(Musings
On Iraq Disputes Over Tribal Support Councils)
2008 ISCI held pro-govt demonstration in Karbala against
Sadr
2009 Report 200 Sadrists broke away from Sadr PM Maliki gave
amnesty to Sadrists and
Special Groups Supposed to be for
reconciliation but was Maliki trying to split Sadrists
2009 PUK co-founder and media mogul Mustafa said his Change
party would run in KRG
elections
2009 Report PM Maliki had sahwa leaders in Baghdad and
Diyala arrested
2011 Accountability and Justice Comm ruled PM Maliki’s
nominees for Interior and Defense Ministers
made by PM Maliki were disqualified
for Baathist past
2011 Turkey’s Erdogan went on tour of Iraq to Baghdad 1st
Sunni leader to go to Najaf shrine 1st Turkish
leader to go to Irbil
2011 Report Small/medium sized business hardly developed in
Iraq due to high start up costs lack of govt
support power and water shortages
security high tariffs Iraq has 35,000 industrial projects 85% of them idle The
15% that operate work at 20% capacity
2011 Report Iraqiya head Allawi refused to lead National
Council for Strategic Policies which was part of
power sharing agreement to get PM
Maliki 2nd term
2012 Pres Barzani said PM Maliki becoming authoritarian
Criticized Maliki for holding all security
positions Said didn’t follow power
sharing agreement
(Musings
On Iraq review Iraq From War To A New
Authoritarianism)
2012 MP on energy committee said electricity shortages would
be worse in 2012 than 2011 Said power
production would only be slightly
up by 2014 Came after Dep PM Shahristani said that Iraq would become
self-sufficient in power by end of 2013
2012 Report KDP training Syrian Kurds to return to Syria and
fight
2013 Report banks in Sulaymaniya facing crisis Can’t pay
govt workers Can’t cash large checks Stories
that PUK leadership taking money
out of banks and placing it elsewhere Part of financial crisis due to dispute with
Baghdad over oil and budget
2014 ISIS held parade in Abu Ghraib
2016 Kurdish Alliance said they would not give up any of
their ministers in PM Abadi’s reform program
(Musings
On Iraq interview with Reidar Visser on PM Abadi’s reform program)
2016 Report Unaoil paid bribes to Iraqi officials to get its
clients contracts Hosted Oil Ministry
official and said ministry should
charge inflated prices on products so they could steal the money Oil official
agreed Every drum of oil bought by Weatherford Unaoil involved kickbacks to
senior officials Officials told Unaoil about upcoming deals so that clients
could win them Unaoil made payoffs to Eni and BP Paid $1 mil bribe for Petrofac
and SBM to win contract at Gharraf oil field
(Musings
On Iraq interview with Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction
Stuart Bowen on corruption in Iraq)
(Musings
On Iraq interview with anti-graft US official Vincent Foulk)
2017 KRG spokesman told newspaper it was time for KRG to
divorce from rest of Iraq
2018 Report Anbar
council accused Hashd of blocking displaced from returning to Khalidiya Island
Ramadi dist Extorting people
2019 Abdul Mahdi govt not spending on rebuilding war torn
areas Mosul needed est $2 bil
for rebuilding All of Ninewa only
got $250 mil in 2019 budget Anbar got $150 mil Salahaddin got $170 mil Baghdad
hadn’t sent budgets to provinces yet Provinces only had until end of 2019 to
spend money otherwise went back to Baghdad
2019 Speaker Halbusi said would take until 2022 to lesson
Iraq’s dependency upon
electricity imports Asked US for 3
yrs waivers on Iranian sanctions as a result By 2022 Iraq still dependent on
Iranian energy
View the Iraq History Timelines
