Iraq (Major Nations of the Modern Middle East)

Discusses the geography, history, economy, government, religion, people, foreign relations, and major cities of Iraq.

Between 2003 and 2011, the United States maintained a large military presence in Iraq in an attempt to build a stable, democratic society in that country. That effort, most experts agree, has failed. Today Iraq is a country bitterly divided by civil war. The conflict has emerged along sectarian lines: members of Iraq's Sunni Muslim minority have joined with Islamist rebels from Syria to form the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which has seized control over large areas of territory from the Shiite Muslim majority in Iraq's elected government. Kurds in the north have remained loyal to the Iraqi government so far, but have not ruled out the possibility of breaking away from Iraq to form their own country at some point. The continuing unrest is a major concern to the international community because of Iraq's strategic importance. With the world's second-largest proven oil reserves, Iraq holds great economic value for an energy-hungry globe. As one of the largest Arab states, Iraq is politically important in the region as well. If Iraqis cannot resolve their problems, the ongoing conflict will continue to have a destabilizing effect on the entire Middle East. Each title in this series contains color photos, maps, timelines and graphics that will help student readers put events into historical and present day perspective as well as back matter including: an index, further reading lists for books and internet resources, and a series glossary. Mason Crests editorial team has placed Key Icons to Look for throughout the books in this series in an effort to encourage library readers to build knowledge, gain awareness, explore possibilities and expand their viewpoints through our content rich non-fiction books. Key Icons are as follows: Words to Understand are shown at the front of e