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https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/08/31/world/middleeast/20100831-Iraq-Timeline.html?action=click&module=RelatedCoverage&pgtype=Article&region=Footer#/#time111_3262

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united states defense and military forces

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Timeline of Major Events in the Iraq War

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Pivotal events in Iraq from the March 2003 invasion to the December 2011 withdrawal of U.S. troops. Related Coverage "

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https://www.britannica.com/place/Baghdad

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Home Geography & Travel Cities & Towns Cities & Towns A-B
Table of Contents

Also spelled:

Bagdad

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Arabic:

Baghdād

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Formerly:

Madīnat al-Salām (Arabic: "City of Peace")

(Show more)

Baghdad, city, capital of Iraq and capital of Baghdad governorate, central Iraq. Its location, on the Tigris River about 330 miles (530 km) from the headwaters of the Persian Gulf, is in the heart of ancient Mesopotamia. Baghdad is Iraq's largest city and one of the most populous urban agglomerations of the Middle East. The city was founded in 762 as the capital of the Abbasid dynasty of caliphs, and for the next 500 years it was the most significant cultural centre of Arab and Islamic civilization and one of the greatest cities of the world. It was conquered by the Mongol leader Hülegü in 1258, after which its importance waned. A provincial capital under the Ottoman Empire, Baghdad regained prominence only when it became the capital of Iraq in 1920; over the next half century, the city grew prodigiously and took on all the characteristics of a modern metropolis.

Baghdad was heavily damaged by aerial bombardment during the Persian Gulf War (1990-91) and again by air and ground operations during the Iraq War (2003-11). During the interwar period the city's services and infrastructure deteriorated badly because of inattention and fiscal constraints resulting from economic sanctions imposed on Iraq by the United Nations (UN). Pop. (2009 est.) 5,521,242; (2018 est.) 6,719,476.

Character of the city

Despite the sundry vicissitudes visited on the city in its history, Baghdad has maintained a mystique and allure equaled by few of the world's cities. Many Muslims revere it as the seat of the last legitimate caliphate and others as the cosmopolitan centre of the Arab and Islamic worlds when they were at the height of their grandeur. Still others-including many in the West-know it primarily through print and film as the scene of many tales of The Thousand and One Nights adventures and other accounts found in a rich tradition of Middle Eastern storytelling. In more peaceful times, modern Baghdad has been a prosperous and sophisticated city whose rich cultural life can be measured by its many museums, universities, and institutes and by the myriad scholars and literati who traveled there and made it their home.

Baghdadis have an affinity for gardens and family recreation. Traditionally on weekends the city's restaurants, cafés, and public parks have been filled with people. Restaurants serve the local delicacy masgūf, Tigris fish roasted over an open fire. Recreational centres include two islands in the Tigris that have swimming pools and cafés, the Lunar Amusement Park, and Al-Zawrāʾ Public Park and Zoo. Beginning in the early 1990s, traditional patterns of recreation for city residents were disrupted by war and economic hardship. Although a prosperous class of government and party officials and wealthy merchants continued to frequent private clubs, most residents spent their free time either at home or visiting close friends or relatives.

Landscape

City site

Baghdad is situated on the Tigris River at its closest point to the Euphrates, 25 miles (40 km) to the west. The Diyālā River joins the Tigris just southeast of the city and borders its eastern suburbs. ( See Tigris-Euphrates river system.) The terrain surrounding Baghdad is a flat alluvial plain 112 feet (34 metres) above sea level. Historically, the city has been inundated by periodic floods from the Tigris's tributaries to the north and east. These ended in 1956 with the completion of a dam on the Tigris at the town of Sāmarrāʾ, north of Baghdad, and the ending of the floods has permitted extensive expansion of the city to the east and west. To the north, urban expansion has absorbed the old townships of Al-Aʿẓamiyyah on the east bank and Al-Kāẓimiyyah on the west bank.

Climate

The climate is hot and dry in summer, cool and damp in winter. Spring and fall are brief but pleasant. Between May and September the average daily maximum temperature reaches the low 100s F (low 40s C), and the high may reach the low 120s F (high 40s C) at midday in July and August. Intense daytime heat is mitigated by low relative humidity (10 to 50 percent) and a temperature decline of 30 °F (17 °C) or more at night. In winter the average daytime temperature is in the mid-50s F (low 10s C), and the temperature occasionally drops below freezing. Precipitation is sparse (6 inches [150 mm] annually) and occurs mainly between December and April. There is no precipitation in summer. In spring and early summer the prevailing northwesterly winds (shamāl) bring sandstorms that frequently bathe the city in a dusty mist.

City layout

Districts

The city extends along both banks of the Tigris. The east-bank settlement is known as Ruṣāfah, the west-bank as Al-Karkh. A series of bridges, including one railroad trestle, link the two banks. From a built-up area of about 4 square miles (10 square km) at the beginning of the 20th century, Baghdad has expanded into a bustling metropolis with suburbs spreading north and south along the river and east and west onto the surrounding plains.

The older core of the city, a rectangle about 2 miles (3 km) long and 1 mile (1.6 km) wide, is located on the east bank. Its length extends between two former city gates, Al-Muʿaẓẓam Gate, now Al-Muʿaẓẓam Square, in the north and Al-Sharqī Gate, now Taḥrīr Square, in the south. From the Tigris the rectangle runs eastward to the inner bund, or dike, built by the Ottoman governor Nāẓim Pasha in 1910. Rashīd Street in downtown Baghdad is the heart of this area and contains the city's financial district, many government buildings, and the copper, textile, and gold bazaars. South of Rashīd Street a commercial area with shops, cinemas, and business offices has spread along Saʿdūn Street. Parallel to Saʿdūn, Abū Nuwās Street on the riverfront was once the city's showpiece and-as befits a thoroughfare named for a poet known for his libidinous verse-its entertainment centre. During the 1990s the street lost much of its old glamour, and its cafes, restaurants, and luxury hotels either closed or suffered from a loss of business. Its demise as a gathering place was principally the result of its location directly across the river from the main presidential palace, which led to it being placed off-limits to the public because of security concerns. Much of the street became an exclusive residential area for high-ranking officials.

Adjacent to these commercial districts are older, middle-class residential areas, such as Al-Sulaykh to the north, Al-Wāziriyyah to the west, and Al-Karrādah to the south, now densely settled. The University of Baghdad and a fashionable residential area are located on Al-Jādriyyah, a peninsula formed by a bend in the Tigris.

Since the late 1950s the city has expanded eastward beyond the bund. Planned middle-class neighbourhoods are located between the bund and the Army Canal, which connects the Tigris and Diyālā rivers. Beyond the canal, at the eastern edge of the city, is a sprawling low-income district of some two million rural Shiʿi migrants known alternately as Al-Thawrah ("Revolution") quarter or, between 1982 and 2003, as Saddam City.

On the west bank are a number of residential quarters, including Al-Karkh (an older quarter) and several upper middle-class districts with walled villas and green gardens. Chief among these is Al-Manṣūr, surrounding the racetrack, which provides boutiques, fast-food restaurants, and sidewalk cafés that appeal to its affluent professional residents. These areas were the most heavily developed sections of the city under the Baʿathist regime of Saddam Hussein. Al-Karkh in particular was the centre of Baʿathist political offices and of regime security services. The main presidential palace was also located there. Al-Karkh was heavily bombed in 1991 and in 2003.

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Baghdad | History, Population, Map, & Facts

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Baghdad, capital city of Iraq. It is Iraq's largest city and one of the most populous urban agglomerations of the Middle East. The city was founded in 762 as the capital of the Abbasid dynasty of caliphs, and for the next 500 years it was the most significant cultural center of Arab and Islamic civilization.

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https://www.skokie.org/587/Skokie-Maps

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Geographic Information System (GIS)

The Village of Skokie maintains an accurate and sophisticated geographic information system (GIS). The Village joined the GIS Consortium in 2005 and is one of over 30 area municipal member communities united by the goal of enabling GIS technology for Village staff and residents by providing access to Skokie GIS information.

GIS integrates maps and other geographical data for capturing, managing, analyzing and displaying all types of geographically referenced information. GIS technology works by linking information in databases to a specific place or location and allows users to visualize where things are with descriptive and illustrated information. GIS can be used for nearly everything from scientific investigations, environmental impact assessments and urban planning to sales and marketing.

Click here to explore Skokie's GIS map.

Available Properties

View a listing of available commercial properties located in the Village of Skokie. For more information on these properties please contact Leslie Murphy, Economic Development Specialist, at 847/933-8446.

Benchmarks in Skokie

A benchmark provides precise information, including the height and location of a certain geographic point, for the use in surveying. Skokie provides over 100 benchmarks, most of which are classified as having second order accuracy. View the benchmark interactive map through the GIS Consortium site.

Bicycling in Skokie

For a map of existing bicycle routes in Skokie please view the Bike Facilities (PDF). To learn about the Bicycle Facilities Plan that identifies existing and future bike routes in Skokie please read our Bike System Plan (PDF).

Community Map (Skokie Street Map)

A print copy of the Village of Skokie Community Map (PDF) is available in the Village Manager's Office or by calling 847/933-8257.

​Downtown Skokie Parking Map

For more information View the Downtown Skokie Parking Map (PDF).

Permit Parking Streets

For locations of streets with permit parking, please view the Permit Parking Map (PDF).

Recycling Map

View the Single Family Recycling Schedule (PDF)

Schedule

Monday collection: Residents living east of Kostner Avenue and north of Greenleaf Street have recycling collection every Monday.

Tuesday collection: Residents living east of Kostner Avenue and south of Greenelaf Street have recycling collection every Tuesday.

Thursday collection: Residents living west of Kostner Avenue and north of Greenleaf Street have recycling collection every Thursday.

Friday collection: Residents living west of Kostner Avenue and south of Greenleaf Street have recycling collection every Friday.

School District Map

For more information on Skokie public school districts, View the Skokie School District Map (PDF).

Street Map

For a full list and map of all Skokie streets, please view the Skokie Street Map (PDF).

Street Jurisdiction Map

For more information about street jurisdictions in Skokie, please click here.
See a printable PDF version of the street jurisdiction map.

Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District Maps

To see maps of TIF Districts in Skokie, please view the GIS Consortium site, it will show an interactive map of all three TIF Districts. For more information on Redevelopment Plans and TIF Districts in Skokie, please visit our Economic Development page.

Zip Codes Map

To see the boundaries for the four zip codes in Skokie, please view the Zip Codes Map (PDF).

A print copy of the Zoning map can be purchased for $12 from the Planning Division at 847/933-8447.

Voting Districts Map

For information on where to vote, visit voterinfonet.com.

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The Village of Skokie maintains an accurate and sophisticated geographic information system (GIS). The Village joined the GIS Consortium in 2005 and is one of over 30 area municipal member communities united by the goal of enabling GIS technology for Village staff and residents by providing access to Skokie GIS information.

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Oral Histories: The Iraq Experience Project

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Oral Histories: The Iraq Experience Project

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https://www.usip.org/publications/2005/10/oral-histories-iraq-experience-project

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The Iraq Experience Project is designed to collect, distill, and disseminate lessons learned from U.S. government officials, military officers, and contractors who served in the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq. Using a combination of tools from printed reports to interactive DVDs and interviews collected in 2004, the Iraq Experience Project seeks to help U.S. civilian and military personnel by providing the training and skills needed for Americans serving in Iraq and beyond.

The Oral Histories Project on Stability Operations collects the full text of interviews with individuals involved in stability operations, to draw lessons learned and address the challenges of post-conflict intervention.

Governance | Security | Reconstruction | Related Resources

Governance

Bauer, Eric: Interviewed 10/21/04 (107K PDF)

Costello, Charles: Interviewed 08/24/04 (98K PDF)

Coyne, Heather: Interviewed 08/24/04 (84K PDF)

Dermer, P.J.: Interviewed 08/22/04 (92K PDF)

Gompert, David: Interviewed 08/25/04 (45K PDF)

Grinnell, Charles: Interviewed 10/22/04 (1.3MB PDF)

Isralow, Sharon: Interviewed 10/06/04 (68K PDF)

Nelson, Jim: Interviewed 09/07/04 (960KB PDF)

Rice, Joe: Interviewed 07/31/04 (111K PDF)

Sammons, Lloyd: Interviewed 10/01/04 (56K PDF)

Sugar, Adam: Interviewed 11/01/04 (82K PDF)

Warlick, James: Interviewed 09/10/04 (60K PDF)

Williams, Aaron: Interviewed 10/01/04 (85K PDF)

Yanaway, Mark: Interviewed 07/14/04 (78K PDF)

Security

Reconstruction

Bent, Rodney: Interviewed 09/14/04 (68K PDF)

Callahan, Terry: Interviewed 08/05/04 (104K PDF)

Crandall, Larry: Interviewed 09/20/04 (56K PDF)

Dauphinais, Denise: Interviewed 07/27/04 (112K PDF)

Dean, Leslie: Interviewed 10/28/04 (102K PDF)

Dehgan, Alex: Interviewed 08/13/04 (71K PDF)

Kraham, Sherri: Interviewed 11/05/04 (78K PDF)

Nalu, Munthir: Interviewed 09/22/04 (76K PDF)

Nelson, Jim: Interviewed 09/07/04 (65K PDF)

Nummy, David: Interviewed 10/14/04 (64K PDF)

Van Gorp, John D.: Interviewed 09/28/04 (92K PDF)

Wheelock, Tom: Interviewed 09/08/04 (91K PDF)

Williams, Aaron: Interviewed 10/01/04 (85K PDF)

Related Resources

Muqtada al-Sadr, a Shia cleric whose Mahdi Army followers battled U.S. forces during the years of the occupation, made big gains in Iraq's parliamentary election on October 10. His victory could pose problems for the United States and Iran. But despite the Sadrist List's electoral success, it is not a given that al-Sadr will be the next man to lead Iraq, or even be the only kingmaker. USIP's Elie Abouaoun examines the outcome of the election, the electoral process and the implications for Iraq's future.
Democracy & Governance

On October 10, Iraq will hold national parliamentary elections, the fifth national elections since Iraq adopted its 2005 constitution. And despite waning expectations about what these elections might accomplish, they remain an important avenue for pursuing change through peaceful means.

Democracy & Governance; Fragility & Resilience

When Pope Francis visited Iraq this year, he met and prayed with religious communities across the country's spectrum of faiths. Among the wounds he sought to heal, one remains massive and unaddressed: the 2,763 Yazidi women and children kidnapped seven years ago by ISIS whose fates remain unknown.

Gender; Global Policy; Human Rights

"All the energy of the country is focused on October 10" as Iraq prepares for crucial parliamentary elections, says USIP's Sarhang Hamasaeed. "We'll see if it will produce a government and a parliament that [is] closer to what the people expect ... and restore some of the faith of the voters in the process."
Democracy & Governance

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Oral Histories: The Iraq Experience Project

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The Iraq Experience Project is designed to collect, distill, and disseminate lessons learned from U.S. government officials, military officers, and contractors who served in the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq. Using a combination of tools from printed reports to interactive DVDs and interviews collected in 2004, the Iraq Experience Project seeks to help U.S.

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https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/search?query=Baghdad,%20Iraq&query_type=exact_match&record_types%5B%5D=Item&record_types%5B%5D=Collection&submit_search=Search

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https://www.citybureau.org/notebook/2019/12/19/safe-spaces-brave-spaces-and-why-we-gon-be-alright

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Felicia Holman shares reflections on her Public Newsroom curated series and resources for designing your own brave space.

By Felicia Holman and Ellie Mejía

This fall I curated a series of Public Newsrooms that we called, "Community Care in the 2020 Election: We Gon Be Alright," which began by talking about building safe space. On Nov. 21 at Experimental Station, my friend & fellow multi-hyphenate artist Nikki Patin presented her empowering Surviving The Mic workshop about nurturing brave spaces for self & community-the perfect bookend to the series.

As I reflect on this curatorial experience, I want to first thank City Bureau (especially Andrea Hart & Ellie Mejía) for selecting my series pitch and for being such great production/community partners. Next, I am so grateful for each presenter of this three-session series; Jenna Anast led the series opener on Halloween at 345 Art Gallery. Then Tanuja Jagernauth presented the following week on Nov. 7 at Build Coffee, using Toni Morrison's "Racism and Fascism" essay as a guiding text. Each of these dynamic creative women of color was my No. 1 pick for the respective date they covered (hallelujah)!... #twasordained #realrecognizereal

Of course, I am so grateful to all the attendees who made their way out (especially on that snowy Halloween) to engage in these conversations and to learn and share relevant best practices for community care in the face of continued depletion & marginalization. As I've stated previously, no matter who's occupying 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., I want us to know that we're going to be good because we've activated our own agency, autonomy, and mobility.

To officially close out the series, I wanted to share an illustrated deep dive by Ellie Mejía of one of the main practices shared by all three presenters-building a brave space. You can read more about it below and use the illustrations as a tool to build your own.
- Felicia Holman

By Ellie Mejía
What is a brave space?

Brave spaces can look, sound and feel different from one another, but the general idea is to cultivate a productive dialogue where participants are encouraged to speak honestly and critically from their own experience toward the end of mutual learning and liberation.

How is it different from a safe space?

It's hard to define a brave space without bringing up its now ill-reputed sibling, the safe space. If you paid attention to the news in the mid- to late-2010s, you probably heard at least one university administrator or conservative talk show host frame safe spaces as antithetical to freedom of speech.

In fact, the term safe space dates back to the mid-20th century, and has long been associated with movement building, according to Diana Ali, writing for the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. Pre-Stonewall, queer activists created safe spaces where participants could be "open about their respective identities, with lower risk of negative societal or legal repercussions at a time when many states still had anti-sodomy laws in effect," Ali writes. And during the Civil Rights Movement, "Freedom Riders created literal safe spaces on their interstate commutes, packed together on buses...These tight-knit communities were places to foster actionable political strategies and propel the movement forward."

In other words, the "safe" in safe space meant participants aimed to protect one another from legal or bodily harm, at the hands of the state or otherwise (and not, as Ellison suggests, differing viewpoints).

Today, safe no longer means safety from legal trouble and/or state violence, but also psychological and emotional security. While a safe space may try to foster comfort, a brave space encourages mutual learning and accountability. Which takes us to the next question...

What are the elements of a brave space?

At our 126th Public Newsroom, host Nikki Patin wrote down "brave" on a big sticky note and "safe" on another, asking attendees to write down what they associated with each term. Afterward, she started a conversation by asking attendees, "Do you have a place where you feel safe, or moments when you feel safe?"

A handful of us said we felt safe in our homes or bedrooms. But one or two participants said they didn't have a constant safe place, mentioning instances of police brutality that occurred in the victims' homes, unprompted. When we looked back at the sheets we had just written on, the words "protected," "privileged" and "white people" appeared next to "safe," while "intersectional" and "being a Black person on this planet" were under "brave."

The exchange underscored an important point: Even at a well-intentioned gathering, safety can't be guaranteed in a world that is unsafe to marginalized people. Fostering a brave space comes with that recognition.

That doesn't mean that organizers of brave spaces are absolved from trying to facilitate dialogue in a way that steers away from harm. Rather, it acknowledges "the likelihood that we will be uncomfortable when investigating issues of race, privilege, and oppression and our roles within them," as the LA chapter of Alliance of White Anti-Racists Everywhere (AWARE-LA) expresses.

And so the "brave" here has a few meanings. It acknowledges that marginalized people have to be brave in diverse ways every day. It also makes room for the fact that we all have different understandings of the world and the ways in which it operates. We acknowledge that in speaking from our own experience, we may slip up. But we agree to hold one another accountable when a mistake is made, and we hope our dialogue will lead us to knowledge we couldn't have arrived at alone.

How do I make my own brave space?

To create your own brave space, or to introduce a brave space framework to a group you are already part of, you need three things:

1. A group: Who do you want to show up? Depending on the purpose of the gathering, you might want to invite colleagues, neighbors, members of a community you are part of or even total strangers. Think about what you want to accomplish through this conversation, then think about whose perspectives you want to include in that dialogue.

2. One person or a few people to facilitate: Since you'll be asking participants to be vulnerable, you want to make sure at least one person in the room is attentive to the group's needs. A good facilitator should aim to give everyone an opportunity to participate, make sure the conversation adheres to ground rules and be open to feedback. That last part is important; as pointed out above, facilitators cannot guarantee safety. They can't always control who attends, they definitely can't control what is said and they're learning as they go, too. If you're planning to facilitate a brave space, practice is the really the best teacher, but there are resources to get you started (try this, this, and this on for size).

3. A brave space agreement: This is a set of ground rules for the conversation(s) to come. Typically, a facilitator will give everyone a chance to contribute to the brave space agreements. At Jenna Anast and Tanuja Jagernauth's Public Newsrooms, we started off the evening by asking attendees what they would need to feel brave in the space. You can see both of the collectively generated brave space agreements below.

From Jenna Anast's Public Newsroom on October 31st.

From Tanuja Jagernauth's Public Newsroom on Nov. 7.

The beauty of a brave space agreement is that they vary because they are collectively generated, so the ground rules that make one group feel safe may be totally different from those another group creates. Still, you will probably notice some general patterns as you look through brave space agreements. There are many that you can consult as you prepare to host a brave space-you can find some here, here and here.

These agreements will be helpful in guiding the conversation. Still, a dialogue is a live, messy thing. So Jagernauth recommends creating a course of action in case dialogue does bring about harm.

Now go on and be brave! If this blog helps you create your own brave space, please let us know by tweeting it out and tagging us.

And if you are curious about the Public Newsroom series, you can check out recordings of Jenna Anast and Nikki Patin's newsrooms, and you can read notes from Tanuja Jagernauth's workshop here.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article misstated the full name of AWARE-LA. The group is the Alliance of White Anti-Racists Everywhere Los Angeles.

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Safe Spaces, Brave Spaces and Why We Gon' Be Alright - City Bureau

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Felicia Holman shares reflections on her Public Newsroom curated series and resources for designing your own brave space.

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On Collective Agreements and Harm Reduction

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On Collective Agreements and Harm Reduction

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https://howlround.com/harm-reduction-storefront-theatre-community

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Harm Reduction in the Storefront Theatre Community

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Tara BranhamTara Branham talks about the importance of harm reduction in the rehearsal hall and shares tools she uses in her practice to reduce risk and manage it if it arises.

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https://uwm.edu/lgbtrc/support/gender-pronouns/

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Gender Pronouns | LGBTQ+ Resource Center

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First, let’s start off with the most frequently asked questions about Personal Gender Pronouns (PGPs).

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https://news.columbia.edu/news/columbia-alumnus-making-waves-founder-first-lgbtq-organization-iraq

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This Columbia Alumnus Is Making Waves as the Founder of the First LGBTQ+ Organization in Iraq

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Amir Ashour (GSAS'18) founded IraQueer, Iraq's first national LGBTQ+ group in 2014. Here's what he's up to today.

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https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-36702957

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The inquiry into the UK's role in the Iraq war is publishing its findings. Here are the main events before, during and since the conflict.

28 February 1991

The Gulf War ends, leaving Iraq subject to United Nations sanctions and arms inspections to look for weapons of mass destruction (biological, chemical and nuclear). Disputes over inspectors' access to Iraqi facilities continue for years, with US-led air-raids taking place in December 1998.

11 September 2001

Four aeroplanes are hijacked and flown deliberately into targets in the US. Almost 3,000 people are killed. The attack is quickly blamed on al-Qaeda and its leader Osama Bin Laden, then resident in Afghanistan.

7 October 2001

US-led forces begin military action in Afghanistan.

29 January 2002

US President George W Bush identifies Iraq - along with Iran and North Korea - as part an "axis of evil" in his State of the Union address.

12 September 2002

President Bush addresses the United Nations General Assembly and warns Iraq that military action will be unavoidable if it does not comply with UN resolutions on disarmament.

24 September 2002

The UK publishes a dossier on the threat posed by Iraq. It includes the claim that Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction which could be used within 45 minutes.

8 November 2002

The UN Security Council unanimously passes resolution 1441, giving Iraq "a final opportunity to comply with its disarmament obligations" and warning of "serious consequences" if it does not.

November 2002 to March 2003

The UN's Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission fails to find weapons of mass destruction despite carrying out 700 inspections in Iraq.

15 February 2003

Hundreds of thousands of people - estimated by organisers to number almost two million - march through London in opposition to military action in Iraq. There are also gatherings in Glasgow and Belfast, part of a worldwide weekend of protest.

25 February 2003

The US and the UK submit a draft resolution to the UN, stating that Iraq has missed its "final opportunity" to disarm peacefully. But this is opposed by France, Russia and Germany,

10 March 2003

France and Russia announce that they are ready to veto a UN Security Council resolution which gives Iraq seven days to disarm.

17 March 2003

The UK, the US and Spain abandon their attempt to secure a second UN resolution authorising force.

US President George Bush gives Saddam and his sons 48 hours to leave Iraq or face war.

18 March 2003

Tony Blair wins House of Commons backing to send UK forces into war in Iraq, despite a major rebellion by Labour MPs.

20 March 2003

The invasion - Operation Iraqi Freedom - begins with a "shock and awe" campaign of aerial bombardment intended as a show of force. Bombs are dropped on a farming community outside Baghdad where intelligence incorrectly suggested Saddam Hussein might be hiding.

9 April 2003

The government of Saddam Hussein loses control over Iraq's capital Baghdad, with the advance of US forces into the centre of the city.

President Bush appears on an aircraft carrier off the coast of California to declare victory.

A BBC report casts doubt on the government's 2002 dossier stating that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction capable of being deployed within 45 minutes.

18 July 2003

Government weapons expert David Kelly is found dead after being exposed as the source of the BBC story about the dossier.

13 December 2003

Saddam Hussein is found by US troops in a cellar south of Tikrit, his home town. "Ladies and gentlemen, we got him," says US administrator Paul Bremer.

Late 2003 onwards

Insurgents in Iraq begin targeting US-backed forces and fighting erupts between rival militias.

28 January 2004

The Hutton Report into David Kelly's death is published, clearing ministers of wrongdoing and saying that Dr Kelly took his own life.

14 July 2004

The Butler Review on military intelligence finds key information used to justify the war in Iraq has been shown to be unreliable. MI6 did not check its sources well enough and sometimes relied on third-hand reports, it adds.

It also says the 2002 dossier should not have included the claim Iraq could use weapons of mass destruction within 45 minutes without further explanation.

Suicide bombings increase, with 478 attacks during the year. Iraq is beset by sectarian fighting.

22 April 2006

Iraq's President Jalal Talabani asks Shia politician Nouri al-Maliki to form the country's next government.

30 December 2006

Saddam Hussein is hanged, after being found guilty of the killings of 148 Shias from the town of Dujail in the 1980s.

January 2007

In the face of mounting attacks by insurgents, the US sends in a "surge" of fresh troops while extending tours for troops stationed in volatile areas. The plan marks a new direction for the war, with more emphasis placed on "winning hearts and minds".

30 April 2009

UK forces lower their flag over the city of Basra to signify the end of their combat operations.

15 June 2009

Prime Minister Gordon Brown announces an inquiry to "learn the lessons" of the Iraq war, to be led by former civil servant Sir John Chilcot.

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The inquiry into the UK's role in the Iraq war is publishing its findings. Here are the main events before, during and since the conflict. 28 February 1991 The Gulf War ends, leaving Iraq subject to United Nations sanctions and arms inspections to look for weapons of mass destruction (biological, chemical and nuclear).

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https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/tv-review-house-saddam-125140/

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Saddam Hussein hasn't been in the news much lately. Being hanged to death two years ago will have that effect. Still, the situation in Iraq continues to be impacted by his life and his ruthlessness, only some of which is widely known.

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"15 Years After U.S. Invasion, Some Iraqis Are Nostalgic For Saddam Hussein Era" (NPR 3 min)

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"15 Years After U.S. Invasion, Some Iraqis Are Nostalgic For Saddam Hussein Era" (NPR 3 min)

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https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2018/04/30/605240844/15-years-after-u-s-invasion-some-iraqis-are-nostalgic-for-saddam-hussein-era

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Before the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, Gen. Najm al-Jabouri would stand at the border crossing with Turkey and look longingly across the gate.

"As an officer, I had a dream to travel outside of Iraq," he says, sitting in a garden in Saddam Hussein's former palace complex in Mosul. "Sometimes I would go to Ibrahim Khalil gate just to see outside Iraq - to see whether the ground outside Iraq was different from inside Iraq."

For almost every Iraqi, the past 15 years have been full of unimaginable twists and turns. Jabouri is still an Iraqi general, but now he oversees security in Mosul and controls Saddam's former compound. His first trip outside his country wasn't to neighboring Turkey but to the United States.

In the Saddam era, Jabouri says, Iraq was like a big prison. You had to have permission to travel abroad. You could be jailed or even executed for contacting people outside Iraq.

In 2003, he was a brigadier general working on national air defenses when the U.S. invaded, cutting off communication between Iraqi troops and the military command. Jabouri, like thousands of other officers, went home.

"I took my family and went to Mosul to go back to my tribe," says Jabouri, 62. "Everyone returned to their tribes - we knew a big mess was coming in Baghdad."

And it did indeed come. U.S. administrator L. Paul Bremer III quickly disbanded Iraq's 350,000-member army, throwing out of work thousands of generals. The Pentagon-backed decision is blamed for sparking an insurgency that tore Iraq apart.

The U.S. military formally ended its Iraq mission in 2011. But there are still more than 5,000 American troops in the country - most of them working with Iraqi forces.

At Jabouri's headquarters, a U.S. surveillance blimp hovers in the sky, watching over the city liberated from ISIS last year. American soldiers wearing shorts and Army T-shirts jog down the road.

It's Wednesday - the day that Jabouri opens his doors to Mosul residents. In 2018, as in 2003, many Iraqis still turn to their military to solve their problems. Almost a year after ISIS was driven out of Mosul, the problems are immense and multilayered.

One woman says her husband and 17 other relatives have been missing since they were arrested three years ago by a militia working with Iraqi security forces.

"They arrested 18 men," she tearfully tells the commander. "Now in my family there are only women. We don't have any men."

Others can't return to their homes because relatives joined ISIS and tribal leaders or local security authorities won't let them come back, or they're destitute and looking for jobs.

For one elderly woman - who says she and her husband have been barred from returning because a grandson joined ISIS - Jabouri picks up the phone and asks the local commander to let them return. For others with missing relatives, he promises to check their names when the Interior Ministry provides a list of prisoners that he has been seeking for months. The poorest leave with boxes of food.

Jabouri says in 2003, he had first thought that with Saddam gone and the Americans in charge, the new Iraq would be orderly, liberal and secular. "We thought we would breathe freedom, we would become like Europe," he says.

Instead, he says, "We returned to the Dark Ages. It was very difficult to imagine that the United States would allow religious people to control Iraq."

Iraq's American administrators, working with expatriate Iraqi leaders, allocated power along religious and ethnic lines. Iraq became the Arab world's first Shiite-led government in centuries. Many of the leading Shiite political figures were Iranian-backed. Some of the country's Sunni figures had ties to al-Qaida.

Iraq devolved into one of the most dangerous and corrupt countries in the world. With an estimated 500,000 killed in war and violence since 2003, few families have been left untouched. Although security has improved immensely, corruption remains entrenched.

"The majority of people before - Sunni and Shiite - did not like the regime," says Jabouri. "But many people, when they compare between the situation under Saddam Hussein and now, find maybe their life under Saddam Hussein was better."

Jabouri was brought back into a new Iraqi army created by the U.S. after 2003. He worked closely with American forces when his troops fought in Tel Afar with Col. H.R. McMaster, who later served as national security adviser to President Trump. Jabouri went to the U.S. and studied at the Army War College. Four years ago, he returned to Iraq to help command the battle for Mosul.

He says he is heartened: He believes Iraqis have learned the painful lesson that sectarianism tore the country apart.

"I am optimistic about the future of Iraq," he says. "Maybe after 15 or 20 years, Iraq will change."

With an iron grip and an oil-fueled economy, Saddam papered over the fault lines of one of the Arab world's most diverse countries.

In 1991, after the U.S. drove Saddam's forces out of Kuwait, which Iraq had invaded, Iraqi Kurds broke away from central government control with the help of a U.S.-led no-fly zone. The Kurdistan region flourished after 2003 as the most stable and prosperous area in Iraq. Some of that has come tumbling down in the aftermath of a Kurdish referendum on independence. Iraq and its Kurdistan region are once again redefining their relationship.

In the mountains near the Kurdish capital, Irbil, former Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari sits by a crackling fire in the filtered light of early spring. Zebari, a Kurd, served as Iraq's top diplomat for 11 years, starting in 2003. He remembers having to convince young American soldiers manning the gate of Baghdad's Green Zone, the seat of government and U.S. military headquarters, that he was the foreign minister and needed to be let in.

Zebari describes Iraq today as "broken." But he believes there is still a chance of fulfilling the promise and the possibilities many envisioned for postwar Iraq.

"We had high hopes of having a new country based on the principle of democracy, on federalism, on human rights, on citizenship, on equality," he says. "That dream is still there but it has taken longer to realize. ... The one achievement is the constitution - it embodies those dreams."

The country's postwar constitution, which Iraqi voters approved in 2005, lays out the foundation for a modern state, pledging to create a country "free from sectarianism, racism ... discrimination and exclusion." Zebari and others say the problem is that constitutional measures aren't implemented.

After 15 years, the Green Zone and the politicians inside it have become almost irrelevant to most Iraqis. They have learned to live with the country's political chaos and government dysfunction.

There are still visible remnants of the destruction from 2003. Buildings collapsed by airstrikes are left unrepaired. But without the nearly constant threat of car bombs that existed for almost a decade, neighborhoods have sprung up and thrived. Gleaming, glass-fronted shopping malls dominate the skyline in upscale parts of the city.

Near the square in central Baghdad where Saddam's statue was toppled in April 2003, Qatham Sherif al-Jabouri sits in his motorcycle repair shop and reflects on the role he played in Iraqi history.

"I was in my garage close to the statue," says Jabouri, 60, who is not related to the general. "I had always had the idea that the day would come when I could hit the statue and topple it. When the Americans started to enter the city, I took the sledgehammer and I went to the statue and started hitting it."

Jabouri was a champion powerlifter. In news footage at the time, his huge biceps bulge from a sleeveless shirt as he swings away at the concrete base of the statue. He says after U.S. Marines arrived, they helped bring down the statue with a truck.

He says when one of them unwisely hoisted an American flag, he brought an Iraqi flag from the social club next door to replace it.

"I was very happy because the danger and the dictatorship and the dictatorial regime were gone," Jabouri says. "We were happy to think there would be change for people, but then we were surprised."

Jabouri had spent 11 years in prison under Saddam. His relatives were executed because they were Communists or members of the Shiite Dawa party. Now, though, he insists that life was better back then.

No one can know what would have happened to Iraq had Saddam stayed in power. With that question unanswerable, many Iraqis look back at the death and destruction of the past 15 years, and in a haze of nostalgia for the stability of dictatorship, believe they would have been better off with Saddam.

"Those who came after haven't improved the infrastructure, they haven't built anything, they haven't done anything for the people," says Jabouri. "Saddam's was a brutal regime. But now, I really regret hitting the statue."

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15 Years After U.S. Invasion, Some Iraqis Are Nostalgic For Saddam Hussein Era

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Before the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, Gen. Najm al-Jabouri would stand at the border crossing with Turkey and look longingly across the gate. "As an officer, I had a dream to travel outside of Iraq," he says, sitting in a garden in Saddam Hussein's former palace complex in Mosul.

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https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1x6zsRi7bsW1HUQhYgGgyu?si=fffe717d3c1240e3

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https://journalofmusic.com/focus/soundtracking-iraq

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'Let the bodies hit the floor, let the bodies hit the floor,
let the bodies hit the floor, let the bodies hit the... FLOOR!'
- 'Bodies' by Drowning Pool

The refrain lyrics to Drowning Pool's 'Bodies' seemed innocent enough in the summer of 2001. The band was emerging as one of best new hard rock/metal acts and 'Bodies' was surging to the top of the charts. When the band toured on Ozzfest (a heavy metal festival) that summer, the song was a mosh-pit anthem as thousands of fans literally 'hit the floor'. The song's continued success propelled the band to the main stage of this two-stage event by the end of tour and their future was looking bright. That is, until September 11.

Then, 'Bodies' became toxic. No DJ or radio station in the US would play the song. Its lyrics had taken on a completely new meaning as images of bodies falling from the World Trade Center Towers were broadcast internationally. 'Bodies' was erased from radio and MTV playlists, and the band fell from mainstream popularity. 'Hitting the floor' now had a different significance.

'Bodies', however, resurfaced and the lyrics gained a new meaning in yet another context. As US forces invaded Afghanistan in late 2001 and Iraq in 2003, the song became an anthem for some American soldiers as they engaged in combat. When ground forces rolled into Iraq, many US soldiers had 'Bodies' pumping in their tanks, Strykers, or iPod earbuds. The song was part of a new war soundtrack, one filled primarily with metal and rap.

This scenario might, literally, sound gruesome: American GIs mindlessly mowing down Iraqis, numbed on the songs of Drowning Pool, Metallica, Slayer, Tupac, and 50 Cent. But this was my starting point at the beginning of 2004 when I began research on the relationship between music and American soldiers in Iraq. I wanted to know what soldiers were experiencing in this music. How were the words and sounds influencing them during combat? How did listening to this music affect them?

Sound Targets
After engaging this and related topics about music and war for five years, I published Sound Targets: American Soldiers and Music in the Iraq War in May 2009. I learned a lot about how music operates in the lives of American soldiers while deployed. I learned that, in fact, the scenario was not as I originally thought. While for some, the music just pumped them up and kept them in a heightened state of awareness during long missions, for others it helped them 'become inhuman', 'step outside of themselves', or allowed them to 'become a monster'. There was something deeper going on here, some degree of psychological transformation, and the music was an important catalyst.

And surprisingly, the music stopped when there was fighting - so much for the popularised notion that combat was nothing more than a video game for American troops who could now add their own war soundtracks. All the soldiers I interviewed said that even if the song continued to play in their headphones or vehicles, when the fighting broke out, it was like the music shut off.

As I reflect on what this research, the soldiers and their music, one of the things that immediately strikes me is how much the US military represents another, independent, culture. It is easy to think that, because these men and women are Westerners listening to the music of popular culture, we already have a degree of understanding concerning the larger contexts that surround and influence them and their musical practices. However, given the difficulties that many soldiers have returning to civilian life - there are numerous organisations devoted solely to this purpose - it can be problematic to regard civilian and military cultures as one.

Mortaitaville
A perfect musical example of this is 'Mortaritaville', a parody of Jimmy Buffett's 'Margaritaville'. This song was recorded by two soldiers, Sergeants Nick Brown and J.R. Schultz, in Baghdad and was circulated primarily among soldiers. (Upon returning to the US, they released a complete album of songs they wrote in Iraq.) When I first heard the song, I imagined it offended just about everyone. It made disparaging remarks about the Iraqis - 'Salam alaikum. / Think I'm going to choke him / if he says one more word I can't understand. / He thinks it's funny. / I think he's talking about me. / Yeah, at least I don't wipe my ass in my hand' - but also took shots at the country's leadership, 'Wasting away again in Baghdad. / Searching for my plane ticket home / Some people say that Saddam Hussein is to blame, But we know, it's all Bush's fault.'

As I probed further, I found that 'Mortaritaville' was not only part of a tradition of the dark barracks humour that extended back through numerous wars. One soldier mentioned that members of his unit gathered before going to Iraq to have a, 'We're All Going to Die' party, and he ironically included songs like Louis Armstrong's 'What a Wonderful World' and John Lennon's 'Give Peace a Chance' on his iPod playlist during deployment. After talking to soldiers about this type of humour, it appears to be much more of a coping mechanism that pokes fun at their surroundings and aspects of military life than an expression of genuine attitudes.

I came to understand that 'Mortaritaville' was not so much about racist attitudes of American soldiers towards the Iraqis or even anger at Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld. Like most military parody songs, the song ultimately makes fun of itself. The final refrain: 'Wasting away again in Baghdad. / "One weekend, a month," - yeah, my ass. / I'd like to kick my recruiter straight square in the teeth, / but I know, it's my own damn fault.' Seeing the song through this lens provided a different way to understand it; I came to appreciate the military as having its own set of cultural practices and meanings.

But let's not overlook what is making all of this possible. The important factor underlying everything I have discussed so far is that audio technology is now far more pervasive and much more mobile. The reason that 'Bodies' can pump through a vehicle or that soldiers can record songs, even albums, within the context of the combat theatre is the recent advances in audio technology. Recording music at a camp or base was practically unthinkable in Operation Desert Storm (1991), and while some soldiers had portable tape players to help inspire them for combat, one Desert Storm veteran told me, 'sure wish we had iPods then.' The recent advances in audio technology are shaping soldiers' relationships with music on and off the battlefield in unprecedented ways.

Interrogation
Another sonic aspect of the Iraq War that has caught the attention of popular culture is the use of music and sound in interrogation. In May 2003, Adam Piore reported for Newsweek magazine that US interrogators played metal and American children's songs to break the will of uncooperative captives. Piore claimed that if prisoners refused to answer questions, they were often exposed to repeated metal or children's songs for prolonged periods. Interestingly, according to Piore, 'Bodies' appeared on a list of songs chosen for interrogation.

I was fortunate to speak with a soldier who used music in interrogation and he said that the intention was, 'to get on these people's nerves so that they will break down their resistance. You just want to find some way to put a wedge between that resistance. And once you chip away a little bit of it, it starts crumbling, and so music is just a way of doing that.' It was the art of sonic antagonisation, and he even had a tape of babies crying that he would occasionally use. Reports of this interrogation technique spread like wildfire, with some responses jokingly dismissing the practice and others condemning it as torture.

I must admit that I am somewhat surprised by the attention that issues like sound and music in interrogation and as an inspiration for combat have received. There have been countless television, radio, newspaper and magazine pieces on these topics, all 'breaking the story' of these new uses of music. In reality, though, not much of what is happening in Iraq is new.

Music has been used to inspire soldiers throughout history. One can go back to Plato, who thought that certain musical scales could incite aggressive behavior, and pipers have long led armies to the battlefront. Music and sound in interrogation has numerous precedents as well. This technique was almost certainly used by Nazi interrogators, but for sure in August of 1971 when twelve suspected IRA terrorists were arrested by British agents and subjected to a prolonged and continuous 'noise or hiss' pending interrogation. The idea here is exactly the same: sound irritates or frustrates detainees to the point that they will answer questions during interrogation.

While some reports portray this as a new practice, there are even cinematic precedents for this technique before 1971. In a scene from Alfred Hitchcock's 1940 film, Foreign Correspondent, Nazi spies attempt to obtain secret information about a peace treaty from a character named Van Meer. Van Meer is drugged and placed in a bed with bright lights shining directly upon him. A recording of big band jazz music is played repeatedly as one of the spies prevents Van Meer from putting his hands over his ears. Another cinematic example is the James Cagney comedy One, Two, Three (1961). In one scene, East German officials interrogate a character, Otto, who has been accused of being an American spy. The scene implies that they have been playing Brian Hyland's 1960 hit 'Itsy Bisty Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini' for hours in an effort to break Otto's will. Although Otto is a dedicated Communist, the repetitive music drives him to sign a confession.

Obviously, both of these uses of music have clear precedents, fictional or real, so I'm curious, why now? Why do we suddenly care that music is being used in interrogation? I'm not sure I know the answer. Perhaps it is due to the considerable amount of political controversy surrounding the Iraq War and these uses of music demonstrate the continuing barbarity of the war - exposing these practices is one way to protest and illustrate how wrong the war is.

Part of the battlefield
Is it the perceived hypocrisy of a world power like the US - who supposedly holds herself to the highest standards of ethical treatment of others - using music in such unethical ways? Or maybe it is the fact that music is no longer the sound of song telling us about war and protesting it: music is now part of the sounds emanating from the battlefield itself, along with the sound of guns, grenades and bombs. And this makes us uncomfortable because we like to hold on to the romanticised notion that music is something that delights our senses; it doesn't inflict harm on others.

The questions and possible answers could go on and on, but one thing is for sure, music has become a major part of the war story. Heavy metal and rap artists are being interviewed about how they feel about their music on soldiers' soundtracks to combat, and groups like the human rights organisation Reprieve have released a 'torture playlist' and launched an initiative called 'zero dB' to protest the use of music in interrogation. To even the score a little, they suggest a compilation disc titled, Now that's what I call Torture, President Bush's selection of eight songs he would take to a Desert Island, blasted at him for all eternity.

Every picture - even my own - is painted with the possible tint of being a platform for expressing the political leanings of its author. If one wanted to lionise or demonise American soldiers, one could. It would have been very easy to depict and analyse soldiers listening to metal and rap during combat as a group of dehumanised young men playing a game on their Xbox, blaming American society and the media for their continuous glorification of violence. But this ignores a lot, particularly what one discovers through talking to the soldiers about their experiences.

'Mortaritaville' could be treated similarly. Should one want to focus on the controversial aspects of the lyrics, like 'We don't know the reason, / we're missing deer season. / Nothing to show but a turban to two', one could have done so. Then, it is easy to reach the conclusion that the song signifies American soldiers' true attitudes about the Iraqis as animals who are hunted as trophy prizes. This is quite a different story from what the author of the lyrics, Sergeant J.R. Schultz, says about the lyrics, 'It isn't meant as an attack on their [the Iraqis] character. I happen to have worked daily with the Iraqi National Guard and came to have great respect for several of the soldiers, including the interpreters who worked with our unit.'

Further, if people want to portray Army interrogators as music torturers, they can. Or, one could argue the other side, pointing to the instances where useful information was obtained under 'harsh interrogation', and that music in interrogation has only qualified as torture in a few isolated situations. Thus, those calling it torture are labeling everyone who has used this technique as a war criminal without understanding the degrees to which the technique has been used. Moreover, this form of interrogation has rarely, if ever, been employed after 2006-7, and the music that may be presently played in detainee camps prevents detainees from communicating to each other from their individual cells - the military has discovered that detainee camps were fast becoming fertile recruiting grounds for militant movements like al-Qaeda and the loud music creates a sonic barrier preventing communication. Or, this is all a bunch of bullshit that thinly veils a defense of torture.

Music as political battleground
The varied uses of music in the Iraq War have become yet another place where political battles are fought. It is easy to argue one side and ignore or interpret the other to fulfill a preconceived position. I have found that within many of these debates on music and war, the nuances of the discussion are sacrificed for advancing a position either for or against the war. While there is nothing wrong with this, it does have the potential to obscure one's ability to think critically about an issue. The fact is, pursuing research on a war that is still being fought is challenging because much of the information we have access to is partial and skewed.

It is difficult to keep a level head about this material, to approach it from a critical perspective, and to engage the sometimes opposed perspectives that are expressed because people are being hurt and dying. And most of us hate this idea. Which is not to say that we shouldn't engage a topic like the Iraq War, but a little more understanding of these limitations, complexities, and uncertainties would surely help.

As I sat on the New York City subway thinking about what I have taken away from my work on music and the Iraq War, the answer seemed to be right in front of me. When I looked up, I saw an advertisement called 'Train of Thought', which included the following quote from Henri Poincaré, 'To doubt everything or to believe everything are two equally convenient solutions, both dispense with the need for thought.' Regardless of what we may doubt or believe, the roles of music in this war call us to think anew about the art form of sound, and sound humanity.
Jonathan Pieslak's interviews with military personnel can be heard at soundtargets.com; Further information on the recordings of Sergeants Nick Brown and J.R. Schultz can be found at iraq-songs.com; Zero dB is a campaign by Reprieve and the Musicians' Union, which aims to end the practice of music torture (repreive.org.uk / zerodb.org).

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Music is no longer the preserve of artists protesting about war, it is now a key part of the sounds coming from the battlefield itself. Jonathan Pieslak, author of Sound Targets, reflects on the musical culture of soldiers in the Iraq war.

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https://www.best-country.com/en/asia/iraq/wedding

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The parents ask about the guy whether he is good, polite, co-operative, etc, in his work place or his collage, and they also ask about his family reputation.

Then after the agreement there is a tradition we call " Mashaya" in which the men ( specially the most solemn men) from both families get the chance to meet each other , to get the good impression about each other, you see the lineage of the family is very important here.

When the girl says " Yes", they buy the engagement rings, a golden one for the girl and a silvery or platinum one for the guy.

Then the engagement party (Khitooba) is the coming step, in this party the girl and the guy's close family members are usually invited, (the parents, sisters, brothers, uncles, aunts and cousins). In this party they wear the rings, the fiance also bring a golden gift to his fiancee, dinner will be served , music as DJ or a band is very important to celebrate this important event.

During the engagement time they begin to know each other more and more , and of course, they start shopping for their new house.

In these days, as the life is very expensive, it is not easy for the young men to buy a house, that is why they may live in his parents' house, they may build an apartment in the garden or as a second floor apartment.

Shopping includes buying clothes, jewelries, make-up stuffs, perfumes, the wedding "Nishan" and "Laylit al henna" party's dresses, they also look for house's necessities & furnishers ).

After that there is another party called " Nishan ", where the traditions are so much fun.

Anyway, the bride wear many dresses ( long time ago in Mosul the bride used to wear 7 dresses, but now they wear 3-5 depend on their financial condition, I didn't know that till my friend talked about her sister's Nishan and how they follow the old traditions and bought seven dresses, red, blue, off-white, black, yellow ,and purple I don't know what is the seventh colour ),both families and the fiance adduce golden jewels to the bride, now days the life become more expensive that's why some bride's family comprehend the groom's financial condition , and not incommode him to bring much, only few grams, but there are still some families ask for very much gold, specially the Kurds, who adduce kilos of gold to the bride!!.

As they may make a heavy golden belt to her.

Nishan is like all the parties, there is music, dancing, then dinner, my mom's Nishan started at 10 pm till 2 am!! But now because of the stroll bans and the very bad situation, the Nishan party starts at 3 pm till 6!!!! In spite of the very hot weather, it's SUMMER for god sake.

What can people do?

My relative " Noor" want to have her Nishan party in a celebration arena, because their house is too small, but they can't, it is not safe. My grandma told her that she is welcome to have her party in our large garden.

(Two years ago, we had Nishan party for my dad's cousin in our garden, I was the DG girl, I have many music CDs and it was a beautiful Nishan party).

Anyway after Nishan or before it there is al-Qiran, it is the lawful wedding.

In Qiran, the judge joins the two bridegrooms to be a husband and wife.

After the Qiran union, the new couple allocates candies in special cups to everybody they know, neighbors, relatives, friends, colleagues etc, to inform them about their union.

A night before the wedding day, there is " Lailat Al-henna" party in this day; one of their relatives put the privet in the newlywed's pinkie or palm. Some relatives may like to have privet in their hands too.

The bride's mother, aunt, or anyone close prepare the Henna's salver, they put green plant we call it" ace ", it really smells good, henna (means the privet), and some candles, I love the salver's view. (The Shiite has different tradition in Qiran and lailat al henna, they put the seven whites, I wrote a post about that once).

Lilat al Henna is a small party, just like the engagement party, just for the new couple, their parents, brothers and sisters, close friends and some time uncles and aunts.

After the Lailit al Henna the Wedding day comes (finally , huh? ), it is just like yours, the bride wear her white dress, and the groom his new suit .they either bring a real band or DJ .the two couples dance as well as their friends and relatives, they make Dabka( special dance in my country), then cake ceremony comes next, and in most of the weddings the bride get jewelries from her family, her husband and his family and from some close friends. Then dinner is served too.

After that the honey-moon starts, as there are no hotels in the last three years, they spend their honey moon in their apartment, or if they have money they go to the north or our side Iraq.

There is another party after the wedding called the Fourth-day (Arb3t Ayam) in Mosul ,and the seven-days (Sab3t Ayam) in Baghdad, it is not necessarily after four days nor seven days ,some times they make it after two weeks or a month.

In this party the bride dress her wedding dress and many other new dresses or her Nishan dresses, in this party, the guests bring the gifts.

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Best-Country Every wedding starts with the engagement, the guy see a girl, then if they like each other, he asks for her hand (in other words to get marry), she might be a relative, neighbor, cousin, they might be work mates, or students in the same collage

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"We find our greatest bliss in moments of collective effervescence. It’s a concept coined in the early 20th century by the pioneering sociologist Émile Durkheim to describe the sense of energy and harmony people feel when they come together in a group around a shared purpose. Collective effervescence is the synchrony you feel when you slide into rhythm with strangers on a dance floor, colleagues in a brainstorming session, cousins at a religious service or teammates on a soccer field. And during this pandemic, it’s been largely absent from our lives."

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Post-Covid Happiness Comes in Groups - The New York Times

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"Mostly played in Egypt, Conquian is usually called Konkan by locals. The game shares several similarities with rummy and 3 card poker in that you must forge a hand into flush draws. A game consists of two players, each with 14 cards. The players then take turns drawing a card from the pile as they build hands with cards of the same face value or the same suit. Each mini hand must contain at least three cards."

https://scoopempire.com/four-of-the-most-popular-card-games-in-the-arab-world/

RULES VARY 👇
https://www.coololdgames.com/card-games/rummy/conquian/

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Card games are widely popular around the world, and the Middle East is no exception to that. Although gambling is prohibited in many parts of the region, social card games with friends and family are relatively present.

It's estimated that in fact, Arabs have started playing card games more than 700 years ago. Taught by Chinese and Middle Eastern traders, until it spread into the western world. This article is going to take a look at a number of card games that you'll often see played when you visit Middle Eastern countries.

Tarneeb

This is arguably the most popular card in the Middle East. It's a trick-taking game played with a standard 52-card deck and four players - in two teams of two. In essence, it's a memory and strategy game. Each player gets 13 cards, and then they bid on how many tricks they believe they will win. The team with the highest bid is called the 'declarer'. Their objective is to take as many tricks as the bid while their opponents try to prevent this.

The players take it in turns to lay one card down. They must follow the suit of the lead card, if possible. Those who don't have a card from the lead suit can lay any card down. The winner of the trick is the player who puts down the highest trump card or the highest card from the led suit if no trumps are put down.

Conquian

Mostly played in Egypt, Conquian is usually called Konkan by locals. The game shares several similarities with rummy and 3 card poker in that you must forge a hand into flush draws. A game consists of two players, each with 14 cards. The players then take turns drawing a card from the pile as they build hands with cards of the same face value or the same suit. Each mini hand must contain at least three cards.

Although there are many regional variants of this game, the fundamentals described above will stand you in good stead if you ever sit down for a game.

Baloot

Baloot is a trick-taking game. It's played with 32 cards, which are all the 7s, 8s, 9s, 10s, Js, Qs, Ks, and Aces. There are four players involved - once again in two teams of two. There are two systems to Baloot - San and Hokum. The order of the cards (strongest to weakest) differs between these systems. This makes Baloot a little more complicated than Tarneeb, but no less fun. As a testament to its popularity, the Baloot mobile game is one of the most downloaded apps in the Gulf region.

Trex

Trex is a four-player compendium game which is widely popular in the Middle East. There are four rounds (one for each player), and each round is made up of five games. A complete round of five games is known as a cycle, where, one-by-one, the players take it in turns to be the 'King' and decide which contracts to play.

Whereas most trick-taking games reward players for taking the trick, Trex effectively works in an opposite manner. The player who loses the trick is given a minus score. To add to the interest, there are some danger cards which carry a hefty deduction of points if you're the unlucky player forced to take those tricks.

We have only introduced four games. Hand, Ashok (Cheating), Estimation, and Kent are a few more that deserve to be talked about, as each has a loyal band of players. One thing is for certain, this region adores its card games, particularly, the strategy-based trick-taking variety.

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Four of The Most Popular Card Games in The Arab World - Scoop Empire

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Card games are widely popular around the world, and the Middle East is no exception to that. Although gambling is prohibited in many parts of the region, social card games with friends and family are relatively present. It's estimated that in fact, Arabs have started playing card games more than 700 years ago.

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https://www.sadiasteaparty.com/around-the-world-in-tea-iraq/

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This month's 'Around the World in Tea' takes us to Iraq. Iraqi-style tea; chai is found on the streets of Baghdad, in Iraqi restaurants, cafes and households worldwide.

Iraqi tea is not far from Turkish or Persian tea in preparation, this ultimately derives from the Russian empire with the use of the samovar. Tea is mostly drunk black in Iraq and drunk throughout the day, wherever you go you will find tea stalls and vendors serving up Iraqi-style tea.

Our feature this month coincides with an insightful exhibition entitled 'Welcome to Iraq' at the South London Gallery in Peckham. It is a restaging of a group exhibition that was originally shown as part of the Venice Biennale in 2013. It was a lucky coincidence for us! The exhibition features works by eleven contemporary Iraqi artists all exploring the everyday nature of life in Iraq. As a visitor you are invited to relax and reflect on the works shown in the comfort of recreated spaces, it is much like stepping into a traditional Iraqi home. Sofas are strewn with traditional Iraqi throws and coffee tables are laden with books about Iraq, there is even a salon-like space set up with Iraqi tea and kletcha biscuits that you can enjoy. The added details give a lovely sense of welcome, as is in the title of the exhibition and speaks of the hospitality that one receives entering an Iraqi family's home.

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and recommend that you see the exhibition and taste the tea whilst it's still open, a lovely introduction to a taste and a feel of Iraq in Peckham, London.

Here's the recipe for Iraqi tea:
Iraqi Tea Ingredients/Equipment:

Samovar with teapot

Loose black tea

Water

Sugar (optional)

Tea glass and saucer.

Method:
1. Boil the water in the samovar.
2. Fill the teapot with some of the boiled water and add one or more teaspoons
of tea.
3. Return the teapot to the samovar and leave it brewing for 10-15 minutes.
It is most important that the tea doesn't boil.
4. Pour tea into the glass and mix with hot water from the samovar according
to your taste. It can be very light, medium or dark. Add sugar. Enjoy.

Enjoy! And do come back next month when we feature another tea from a different part of the world.

Posted in Around the World in Tea, Iraq Map Permalink

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Sadia's Tea Party | Around the World in Tea: Iraq

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This month's 'Around the World in Tea' takes us to Iraq. Iraqi-style tea; chai is found on the streets of Baghdad, in Iraqi restaurants, cafes and households worldwide. Iraqi tea is not far from Turkish or Persian tea in preparation, this ultimately derives from the Russian empire with the use of the samovar.

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"Young men are required to register with the system within 30 days before or after their 18th birthday. If the draft were to be reactivated, young men age 18 through 26 would be subject to induction (up to age 35 if deferred when initially called)." https://sgp.fas.org/crs/natsec/RL31682.pdf

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https://www.usip.org/iraq-timeline-2003-war

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After Saddam Hussein’s ouster in 2003, Iraq’s new leaders struggled to chart a democratic course after decades of dictatorship. It suffered through a civil war, political turmoil, widespread economic corruption, sectarian tensions and an extremist insurgency, led by the Islamic State, that seized a…

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http://www.irfad.org/iraq-education/

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Iraqi Education is strictly controlled by the national Iraqi government, through the Iraqi Ministry of Education. This public state education is provided free, from Primary School, all the way to Doctoral degrees. Private education institutes exist; however, the contrasted expense of these schools make them unattractive to most Iraqi citizens. The main attraction to them is their freedom, or lack of control by the Iraqi government, allowing students to decide which study and career path they would like, based on individual preference.

Iraqi education is known to be of extremely high caliber throughout the Middle East, taught in both Arabic and English. Iraqi graduates have an advanced knowledge of complex subjects such as chemistry, math (algebra, calculus), biology and other scientific fields of study.

The official educational cycle in Iraq extends to 12 years, including 6 years of mandatory primary education, which starts from the age of six years, followed by 3 years of intermediate school, then 3 years of secondary education, which is divided into general secondary of scientific and literary and secondary vocational industrial, agricultural or commercial.

Students who finish high school and get the minimum qualifications for post-graduation study join universities or technical institutes, which extend study for four years at a minimum. The students of teachers institute as well as students of secondary vocational types who get excellent grades in the final examinations can join colleges and universities to pursue higher education.

Pre-primary Education

Preschools serve children of age 4 to 5 years.

Primary School

Students are eligible for enrollment at age 6. Primary School consists of 6 grades. The passing of a national examination and receipt of Primary School Certificate makes them eligible to attend Intermediate School.

Primary education is suffering due to the difficult economic conditions, which leads to parents either not sending their children to school or children dropping out of school at an early age. Moreover, there is frustration among teachers because of low salaries, severe shortage of textbooks and teaching aids, and miscommunication between teachers and parents.

One of the most prominent problems of primary education is the high rates of failed students. Causes of failed students include: the lack of qualified teachers, poor conditions of schools, lack of textbooks and teaching materials, child labor to increase family income and increment of student density in classrooms.

Intermediate School

Students then attend Intermediate Schooling, grades 7-9. Upon completion of the 9th grade, students take the National Intermediate Baccalaureate Examination. Upon passing, students can then enter a secondary general or vocational school.

Some schools in Iraq include only intermediate stage and therefore the students have to complete the preparatory education (secondary level II) at another school. Most schools have intermediate and secondary stages; the student chooses after the first year in the preparatory stage either literary or scientific study.

There is a need to bring experts from abroad to train secondary teachers, because the local trainers have been isolated from international developments and are in need for modernizing.

Intermediate school students take 34 classes per week including subjects of Islamic education, Arabic language, English, Science (Physics, Chemistry and Biology), history, geography, social studies, mathematics, fine art education, and military physical education. The female students take additional lessons in household education. Some elective courses are added to the preparatory stage, such as Kurdish, sociology, economics, and patriotism education. Evening classes are exempted from physical education and military training, organizing some out-of-curriculum activities.

Secondary School

Students attend Secondary School from 10-12th grades. In Iraq there are two categories of Secondary Schools: General and Vocational. General schools offer a well-rounded education with a Literary/Humanities track and Scientific track. There are three branches of Vocational schools: Agricultural, Industrial and Commercial. Agricultural schools prepare students for a job in the crops-raising field; Industrial schools prepare students for a job in auto machinery, metal work, or in other industrial sectors; and Commercial prepares students for a job in business administration or accounting. Students are eligible for graduation in the twelfth grade. To complete Secondary School and receive a certificate of completion, each student must take a Baccalaureate exam. If a student does not pass this exam on attempt one, he/she is able to attend school for one more year and try to pass it again. If the student does not pass the exam a second time, he/she is not eligible to attend any other college or school.

This strict education policy is what leads many teenagers to the streets, vulnerable to terrorism groups, as they have no ability to get a job or produce an income.

Secondary education consists of two phases, each 3 years. The first three years constitute intermediate school, leading to the baccalaureate from the third level, and the remaining three years constitute a preparatory stage leading to the baccalaureate level of the sixth.

According to the Ministry of Education, secondary schooling in Iraq faces severe problems, such as a lack of infrastructure of schools and educational institutions, a lack of qualified teachers, the failure of the curricula to follow the developments of the global academic standards and a lack of textbooks and teaching aids. Some pupils in secondary education have only one textbook available to be used by five or six students.

Technical and Vocational Training

Vocational training is a branch of the secondary education system. The Iraqi students have the right to choose the vocational secondary education immediately after the intermediate stage instead of continuing education in the academic year. The vocational centers aim to provide students with professional and technical skills in order to prepare them to engage in various types of careers after graduation. The vocational training stage extends to three years leading to public examinations. The top 10% with the best scores of the students can continue their studies in technical colleges.

Although the students have the freedom to choose among the main four branches of vocational education, this right does not exist always in practice, either because of lack of containment of all branches at the vocational school, the geographical distribution of schools, or availability in some places and non-existence of them in others.

Teachers Training

In 1984 / 1985, the Ministry of Education began to upgrade the role of teachers to Teacher Training Institutes. These institutes accept graduates of intermediate stage and its study extends for a period of 5 years divided into 3 years of general education and two years of specialization. Students can choose to be specialized in Islamic studies, Arabic language, English language, Mathematics, Science, Physical education and Fine arts. Students can complete their studies in university colleges afterwards.
In addition to Teacher Training Institutes, a Central Training Teachers Institute was founded in Iraq. These institutes accept graduates of secondary level of secondary schools " Class 12th " where the students receive specialized study for two years.

The Colleges of Education in universities train teachers who are likely to join the teaching field at secondary level. Some of the graduates of these colleges preferred to teach at the primary stage to secondary stage because they preferred to work in a close geographical area to their residences where sometimes there were no secondary schools around.

In northern Iraq, UNESCO has held a number of diverse in-service training courses for teachers in various stages of secondary education and most of the stages of higher education as part of its duties under the Oil for Food program. More than 1,000 teachers, inspectors and headmasters have benefited from these courses in a variety of subjects (teaching methods, management, and basic skills in English and computer ... etc.) during 2001 and 2002. These programs targeted teachers in both urban and rural areas through self-education packages, coupled with direct follow-up for Teachers Training Centers.

The major problems of the teachers include: teachers' low salaries, discouraging vocational participation, a shortage of teachers, especially in the subjects of English, math (often times teachers shift to private sector where there is higher payment rates). Furthermore, there is no time, energy or income source enough to develop teachers professionally. Because of the harsh conditions in Iraq, they neither have the means to communicate with foreign colleagues nor have access to reference books, modern periodicals and computers and Internet that help in professional development.

Higher Education

Iraq is home to the some of the oldest universities in the world. Al-Mustansiriya University was established in 1280. Higher education institutions in Iraq consist of 19 universities (including 3 in the north); 9 technical colleges (in the center and south) and 38 technical colleges (including 11 in the north).

Bachelor's Degree-University

Students who pass the Baccalaureate exam are assigned a degree by the Iraqi national government. Each student's test scores are processed by a computerized data assessment which determines, based on a categorical score, the strengths/ skill set of each student. Colleges require a certain score level for degree seekers. Students attend college for 4 years for most degrees (excluding, Architectural, Veterinary, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical degrees, which take 5 years) before receiving their Undergraduate degree. Each student has the option to either pursue more education, or enter the work force.

Degrees in veterinary, pharmacy, and dentistry need 5 years to complete, while medicine takes six years.

Students are accepted in Iraqi universities on the basis of a high school certificate or equivalent. There is a great demand towards the faculties of medicine, engineering, and science. The humanitarian faculties are not as prolifically considered. Each university consists of colleges of education to train and graduate teachers, especially for secondary schools. Languages of study are Arabic and English in the center and south, but French is used only in the University of Mosul while there are Kurdish and English languages in the north. In some cases, professors from Baghdad are assigned to teach at universities in the North.

The academic year begins in October of each year and continues for thirty weeks. The State funds universities with the exception of private colleges. However, as a result of the difficult conditions that prevailed during the past two years in the center and south, the new student registrees are asked to pay a $12 USD registration fee.

The most important country's universities are the University of Technology (Baghdad), Mustansiriya University, the University of Babylon, Kufa University, the University of Basra, Mosul University, and the University of Dhi Qar. In the Northern provinces, there is Salahaddin University, the University of Dohuk and Sulaimaniyah University.

The problems and major issues for institutions of higher education include:
* Inadequate infrastructure and facilities, such as laboratories and libraries.
* Inadequate equipment in the faculties of engineering, science and technical institutes.
* The need to establish channels of communication between colleges in Iraq and foreign universities.
* There is a very weak link between higher education, its graduates and the labor market.
* The need for a comprehensive review of the management systems of higher education, including adaptation of curricula and contents of courses to keep up with changes in social and economic situation in the country. It must develop a strategic plan to make sure that universities will lead the role of mediator in the process of democratic transition, and to ensure that officials take their roles based on their merit in accordance with the professional basis but not political grounds.
* Reduction in government support for students and encouraging public and private sectors to play their part in supporting higher education and expedite implementation of projects and economic reforms in order to lift the pressures experienced by the community, which affect the scientific development.

Master's Degree

Awarded upon at least one year of higher education after a completed Bachelor's Degree.

Ph.D.

Awarded upon at least three years of higher education after a completed Master's Degree.

Literacy Rate

According to a report published in September 2013 by the Ministry of Planning and Development, the literacy rate among Iraqi youth, 15 years and younger, is 74%. 26% are considered illiterate-have dropped out of school or are unable attend due to familial financial responsibilities.

This is a drastic drop from the 100% enrollment Iraq declared in 1991. According to UNESCO report, Iraq during pre-first Gulf War of 1991 had a system of education which was considered as one of the best education systems in the region. The estimated percentage enrolled in primary education at that time was approximately 100%, as well as high literacy rate:
* Male: 55%
* Female: 23%

However, education has suffered dramatically due to Iraq wars, sanctions and the current lack of security.
In response to the decline in literacy rate, the Iraqi government created the High Commission for Literacy. This Commission is in charge of a National Campaign for Literacy, which seeks to restore literacy, and open special literacy centers in all provinces except Kurdistan (where the lowest literacy rates occur).

Education after the invasion of Iraq in 2003

Post-invasion of Iraq, amendments were written that led to the removal of Baathist identification within Iraqi curricula and also led to the increase the salaries of teachers and trainers who were marginalized during the reign of Dictator Saddam Hussein. Due to the lack of support for education in the pre-2003 period, it appeared that approximately 80% of Iraqi schools (15,000 schools) needed reform and rehab for sanitary facilities.

The status of education in Iraq deteriorated after the first Gulf War because of a lack of government support for the sector as well as a decreasing percentage of eligible students participating in the education. Many Iraqi children went to work instead of school. There were an estimated 240,000 pupils in Iraqi schools and universities before 2003. After the overthrow of the former Iraqi regime, Iraq's education system included approximately 6 Million pupils from nursery level through 12th grade, in addition to approximately 300,000 teachers and administrators. Education is compulsory in Iraq until completion of elementary school. Students are then given the choice to complete their studies according to their results in the final exam. Although there is an option of vocational education in the Iraqi education system, few of the students select it due to the poor quality of education provided therein.

Gender Separation

The Iraqi education system separates between genders starting from the seventh grade.

Public & Private Iraq Universities

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Iraqi Education is strictly controlled by the national Iraqi government, through the Iraqi Ministry of Education. This public state education is provided free, from Primary School, all the way to Doctoral degrees. Private education institutes exist; however, the contrasted expense of these schools make them unattractive to most Iraqi citizens.

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Here's a link to hear actual radio in Iraq from Radio Garden. Click on the word Iraq and you'll find many radio stations across the country.

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Explore live radio by rotating the globe.

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This is a playlist from Radio Sawa in 2002-2003. Though it is an internet station from the US, they are in Iraq and many other countries.

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هذه قائمة لاغاني راديو سووا لعام ٢٠٠٣ والى قبيل الحرب على العراق عام ٢٠٠٣... هذه الاغاني تشدك إلى تلك الفترة.... راديو سوا احلى محتوى

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Here are some of the songs from the play and more. There are some modern and a lot of old Iraqi songs. Alf Leila is from Om Kalthoum (Egypt). I'll be adding more to this playlist.

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https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/16jj8WRtNhw0QyeGfTspC255guVjGRhXw?usp=sharing