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Iraq
Index
In early 1988, the Baath Party continued to stress
parallelism focused on "regional" (qutri) and "national"
(qawmi) goals, following the Baath doctrine that the
territorially and politically divided Arab countries were merely
"regions" of a collective entity called "The Arab Nation." Hence
the Baath movement in one country was considered merely an aspect
of, or a phase leading to, "a unified democratic socialist Arab
nation." That nation, when it materialized, would be under a
single, unified Arab national leadership. Theoretically,
therefore, success or failure at the regional level would have a
corresponding effect on the movement toward that Arab nation.
Moreover, the critical test of legitimacy for any Baath regime
would necessarily be whether or not the regime's policies and
actions were compatible with the basic aims of the revolution--
aims epitomized in the principles of "unity, freedom, and
socialism."
The Baath Party in Iraq, like its counterparts in other Arab
regions (states), derived from the official founding congress in
Damascus in 1947. This conclave of pan-Arab intellectuals was
inspired by the ideas of two Syrians, Michel Aflaq and Salah ad
Din al Bitar, who are generally regarded as the fathers of the
Baath movement. Several Iraqis, including Abd ar Rahman ad Damin
and Abd al Khaliq al Khudayri, attended this congress and became
members of the party. Upon their return to Baghdad, they formed
the Iraqi branch of the Baath. Damin became the first secretary
general of the Iraqi Baath.
From its early years, the Iraqi Baath recruited converts from
a small number of college and high school students,
intellectuals, and professionals--virtually all of whom were
urban Sunni Arabs. A number of Baath high school members entered
the Military College, where they influenced several classmates to
join the party. Important military officers who became Baath
members in the early 1950s included Ahmad Hasan al Bakr, Salih
Mahdi Ammash, and Abd Allah Sultan, all of whom figured
prominently in Iraqi political affairs in later years.
During the 1950s, the Baath was a clandestine party, and its
members were subject to arrest if their identities were
discovered. The Baath Party joined with other opposition parties
to form the underground United National Front and participated in
the activities that led to the 1958 revolution. The Baathists
hoped that the new, republican government would favor pan-Arab
causes, especially a union with Egypt, but instead the regime was
dominated by non-Baathist military officers who did not support
Arab unity or other Baath principles. Some younger members of the
party, including Saddam Husayn, became convinced that Iraqi
leader Abd al Karim Qasim had to be removed, and they plotted his
assassination. The October 1959 attempt on Qasim's life, however,
was bungled; Saddam Husayn fled Iraq, while other party members
were arrested and tried for treason. The Baath was forced
underground again, and it experienced a period of internal
dissension as members debated over which tactics were appropriate
to achieve their political objectives. The party's second attempt
to overthrow Qasim, in February 1963, was successful, and it
resulted in the formation of the country's first Baath
government. The party, however, was more divided than ever
between ideologues and more pragmatic members. Because of this
lack of unity, the Baath's coup partners were able to outmaneuver
it and, within nine months, to expel all Baathists from the
government. It was not until 1965 that the Baath overcame the
debilitating effects of ideological and of personal rivalries.
The party then reorganized under the direction of General Bakr as
secretary general with Saddam Husayn as his deputy. Both men were
determined to return the Baath to power. In July 1968, the Baath
finally staged a successful coup.
After the Baath takeover, Bakr became president of the
regime, and he initiated programs aimed at the establishment of a
"socialist, unionist, and democratic" Iraq. This was done,
according to the National Action Charter, with scrupulous care
for balancing the revolutionary requirements of Iraq on the one
hand and the needs of the "Arab nation" on the other. According
to a Baath Party pronouncement in January 1974, "Putting the
regional above the national may lead to statism, and placing the
national over the regional may lead to rash and childish action."
This protestation notwithstanding, the government's primary
concerns since 1968 have been domestic issues rather than pan-
Arab ones.
In 1968 the Baath regime confronted a wide range of problems,
such as ethnic and sectarian tensions, the stagnant condition of
agriculture, commerce, and industry, the inefficiency and the
corruption of government, and the lack of political consensus
among the three main sociopolitical groups--the Shia Arabs, the
Sunni Arabs, and the Kurds. The difficulties of consensus
building were compounded by the pervasive apathy and mistrust at
the grass-roots levels of all sects, by the shortage of qualified
party cadres to serve as the standard-bearers of the Baath
regime, and by the Kurdish armed insurgency. Rivalry with Syria
and with Egypt for influence within the Arab world and the
frontier dispute with Iran also complicated the regime's efforts
to build the nation.
Since 1968 the Baath has attempted to create a strong and
unified Iraq, through formal government channels and through
political campaigns designed to eradicate what it called "harmful
prerevolutionary values and practices," such as exploitation,
social inequities, sectarian loyalties, apathy, and lack of civil
spirit. Official statements called for abandonment of traditional
ways in favor of a new life-style fashioned on the principles of
patriotism, national loyalty, collectivism, participation,
selflessness, love of labor, and civic responsibility. These
"socialist principles and practices" would be instilled by the
party's own example, through the state educational system, and
through youth and other popular organizations. The Baath
particularly emphasized "military training" for youth; such
training was considered essential for creating "new men in the
new society" and for defending the republic from the hostile
forces of Zionism, imperialism, anti-Arab chauvinism (e.g., from
Iran), rightists, opportunists, and reactionaries
(see Paramilitary Forces;
Internal Security
, ch. 5).
The Baath's major goal since 1968 has been to socialize the
economy. By the late 1980s, the party had succeeded in
socializing a significant part of the national economy
(see The Role of Government
, ch. 3), including agriculture, commerce,
industry, and oil. Programs to collectivize agriculture were
reversed in 1981, but government investment in industrial
production remained important in the late 1980s. Large-scale
industries such as iron, steel, and petrochemicals were fully
owned and managed by the government, as were many medium-sized
factories that manufactured textiles, processed food, and turned
out construction materials.
The Baath's efforts to create a unified Arab nation have been
more problematic. The party has not abandoned its goal of Arab
unity. This goal, however, has become a long-term ideal rather
than a short-term objective. President Saddam Husayn proclaimed
the new view in 1982 by stating that Baathists now "believe that
Arab unity must not take place through the elimination of the
local and national characteristics of any Arab country. . . . but
must be achieved through common fraternal opinion." In practice
this meant that the Iraqi Baath Party had accepted unity of
purpose among Arab leaders, rather than unification of Arab
countries, as more important for the present.
As of early 1988, the Baath Party claimed about 10 percent of
the population, a total of 1.5 million supporters and
sympathizers; of this total, full party members, or cadres, were
estimated at only 30,000, or 0.2 percent. The cadres were the
nucleus of party organization, and they functioned as leaders,
motivators, teachers, administrators, and watchdogs. Generally,
party recruitment procedures emphasized selectivity rather than
quantity, and those who desired to join the party had to pass
successfully through several apprentice-like stages before being
accepted into full membership. The Baath's elitist approach
derived from the principle that the party's effectiveness could
only be measured by its demonstrable ability to mobilize and to
lead the people, and not by "size, number, or form."
Participation in the party was virtually a requisite for social
mobility.
The basic organizational unit of the Baath was the party cell
or circle (halaqah). Composed of between three and seven
members, cells functioned at the neighborhood or the village
level, where members met to discuss and to carry out party
directives. A minimum of two and a maximum of seven cells formed
a party division (firqah). Divisions operated in urban
quarters, larger villages, offices, factories, schools, and other
organizations. Division units were spread throughout the
bureaucracy and the military, where they functioned as the ears
and eyes of the party. Two to five divisions formed a section
(shabah). A section operated at the level of a large city
quarter, a town, or a rural district. Above the section was the
branch (fira), which was composed of at least two sections
and which operated at the provincial level. There were twenty-one
Baath Party branches in Iraq, one in each of the eighteen
provinces and three in Baghdad. The union of all the branches
formed the party's congress, which elected the Regional Command.
The Regional Command was both the core of party leadership
and the top decision-making body. It had nine members, who were
elected for five-year terms at regional congresses of the party.
Its secretary general (also called the regional secretary) was
the party's leader, and its deputy secretary general was second
in rank and in power within the party hierarchy. The members of
the command theoretically were responsible to the Regional
Congress that, as a rule, was to convene annually to debate and
to approve the party's policies and programs; actually, the
members were chosen by Saddam Husayn and other senior party
leaders to be "elected" by the Regional Congress, a formality
seen as essential to the legitimation of party leadership.
Above the Regional Command was the National Command of the
Baath Party, the highest policy-making and coordinating council
for the Baath movement throughout the Arab world. The National
Command consisted of representatives from all regional commands
and was responsible to the National Congress, which convened
periodically. It was vested with broad powers to guide, to
coordinate, and to supervise the general direction of the
movement, especially with respect to relationships among the
regional Baath parties and with the outside world. These powers
were to be exercised through a national secretariat that would
direct policy-formulating bureaus.
In reality, the National Command did not oversee the Baath
movement as a whole in 1988 because there continued to be no
single command. In 1966 a major schism within the Baath movement
had resulted in the creation of two rival National Commands, one
based in Damascus and the other in Baghdad. Both commands claim
to be the legitimate authority for the Baath, but since 1966 they
have been mutually antagonistic. Michel Aflaq, one of the
original cofounders of the Baath Party, was the secretary general
of the Baghdad-based National Command, and Saddam Husayn was the
vice-chairman. In practice, the Syrian Regional Command, under
Hafiz al Assad, controlled the Damascus-based National Command of
the Baath Party, while the Iraqi Regional Command controlled the
Baghdad-based National Command.
Theoretically, the Iraqi Regional Command made decisions
about Baath Party policy based on consensus. In practice, all
decisions were made by the party's secretary general, Saddam
Husayn, who since 1979 had also been chairman of the RCC and
president of the republic. He worked closely with a small group
of supporters, especially members of the Talfah family from the
town of Tikrit
(see The Emergence of Saddam Husayn, 1968-79
, ch.
1); he also dealt ruthlessly with suspected opposition to his
rule from within the party. In 1979 several high-ranking
Baathists were tried and were executed for allegedly planning a
coup; other prominent party members were forcibly retired in
1982. Saddam Husayn's detractors accused him of monopolizing
power and of promoting a cult of personality.
Data as of May 1988
Tahrir Square, Baghdad, showing the Monument of Liberty
Courtesy United Nations
The Baath Party
In early 1988, the Baath Party continued to stress
parallelism focused on "regional" (qutri) and "national"
(qawmi) goals, following the Baath doctrine that the
territorially and politically divided Arab countries were merely
"regions" of a collective entity called "The Arab Nation." Hence
the Baath movement in one country was considered merely an aspect
of, or a phase leading to, "a unified democratic socialist Arab
nation." That nation, when it materialized, would be under a
single, unified Arab national leadership. Theoretically,
therefore, success or failure at the regional level would have a
corresponding effect on the movement toward that Arab nation.
Moreover, the critical test of legitimacy for any Baath regime
would necessarily be whether or not the regime's policies and
actions were compatible with the basic aims of the revolution--
aims epitomized in the principles of "unity, freedom, and
socialism."
The Baath Party in Iraq, like its counterparts in other Arab
regions (states), derived from the official founding congress in
Damascus in 1947. This conclave of pan-Arab intellectuals was
inspired by the ideas of two Syrians, Michel Aflaq and Salah ad
Din al Bitar, who are generally regarded as the fathers of the
Baath movement. Several Iraqis, including Abd ar Rahman ad Damin
and Abd al Khaliq al Khudayri, attended this congress and became
members of the party. Upon their return to Baghdad, they formed
the Iraqi branch of the Baath. Damin became the first secretary
general of the Iraqi Baath.
From its early years, the Iraqi Baath recruited converts from
a small number of college and high school students,
intellectuals, and professionals--virtually all of whom were
urban Sunni Arabs. A number of Baath high school members entered
the Military College, where they influenced several classmates to
join the party. Important military officers who became Baath
members in the early 1950s included Ahmad Hasan al Bakr, Salih
Mahdi Ammash, and Abd Allah Sultan, all of whom figured
prominently in Iraqi political affairs in later years.
During the 1950s, the Baath was a clandestine party, and its
members were subject to arrest if their identities were
discovered. The Baath Party joined with other opposition parties
to form the underground United National Front and participated in
the activities that led to the 1958 revolution. The Baathists
hoped that the new, republican government would favor pan-Arab
causes, especially a union with Egypt, but instead the regime was
dominated by non-Baathist military officers who did not support
Arab unity or other Baath principles. Some younger members of the
party, including Saddam Husayn, became convinced that Iraqi
leader Abd al Karim Qasim had to be removed, and they plotted his
assassination. The October 1959 attempt on Qasim's life, however,
was bungled; Saddam Husayn fled Iraq, while other party members
were arrested and tried for treason. The Baath was forced
underground again, and it experienced a period of internal
dissension as members debated over which tactics were appropriate
to achieve their political objectives. The party's second attempt
to overthrow Qasim, in February 1963, was successful, and it
resulted in the formation of the country's first Baath
government. The party, however, was more divided than ever
between ideologues and more pragmatic members. Because of this
lack of unity, the Baath's coup partners were able to outmaneuver
it and, within nine months, to expel all Baathists from the
government. It was not until 1965 that the Baath overcame the
debilitating effects of ideological and of personal rivalries.
The party then reorganized under the direction of General Bakr as
secretary general with Saddam Husayn as his deputy. Both men were
determined to return the Baath to power. In July 1968, the Baath
finally staged a successful coup.
After the Baath takeover, Bakr became president of the
regime, and he initiated programs aimed at the establishment of a
"socialist, unionist, and democratic" Iraq. This was done,
according to the National Action Charter, with scrupulous care
for balancing the revolutionary requirements of Iraq on the one
hand and the needs of the "Arab nation" on the other. According
to a Baath Party pronouncement in January 1974, "Putting the
regional above the national may lead to statism, and placing the
national over the regional may lead to rash and childish action."
This protestation notwithstanding, the government's primary
concerns since 1968 have been domestic issues rather than pan-
Arab ones.
In 1968 the Baath regime confronted a wide range of problems,
such as ethnic and sectarian tensions, the stagnant condition of
agriculture, commerce, and industry, the inefficiency and the
corruption of government, and the lack of political consensus
among the three main sociopolitical groups--the Shia Arabs, the
Sunni Arabs, and the Kurds. The difficulties of consensus
building were compounded by the pervasive apathy and mistrust at
the grass-roots levels of all sects, by the shortage of qualified
party cadres to serve as the standard-bearers of the Baath
regime, and by the Kurdish armed insurgency. Rivalry with Syria
and with Egypt for influence within the Arab world and the
frontier dispute with Iran also complicated the regime's efforts
to build the nation.
Since 1968 the Baath has attempted to create a strong and
unified Iraq, through formal government channels and through
political campaigns designed to eradicate what it called "harmful
prerevolutionary values and practices," such as exploitation,
social inequities, sectarian loyalties, apathy, and lack of civil
spirit. Official statements called for abandonment of traditional
ways in favor of a new life-style fashioned on the principles of
patriotism, national loyalty, collectivism, participation,
selflessness, love of labor, and civic responsibility. These
"socialist principles and practices" would be instilled by the
party's own example, through the state educational system, and
through youth and other popular organizations. The Baath
particularly emphasized "military training" for youth; such
training was considered essential for creating "new men in the
new society" and for defending the republic from the hostile
forces of Zionism, imperialism, anti-Arab chauvinism (e.g., from
Iran), rightists, opportunists, and reactionaries
(see Paramilitary Forces;
Internal Security
, ch. 5).
The Baath's major goal since 1968 has been to socialize the
economy. By the late 1980s, the party had succeeded in
socializing a significant part of the national economy
(see The Role of Government
, ch. 3), including agriculture, commerce,
industry, and oil. Programs to collectivize agriculture were
reversed in 1981, but government investment in industrial
production remained important in the late 1980s. Large-scale
industries such as iron, steel, and petrochemicals were fully
owned and managed by the government, as were many medium-sized
factories that manufactured textiles, processed food, and turned
out construction materials.
The Baath's efforts to create a unified Arab nation have been
more problematic. The party has not abandoned its goal of Arab
unity. This goal, however, has become a long-term ideal rather
than a short-term objective. President Saddam Husayn proclaimed
the new view in 1982 by stating that Baathists now "believe that
Arab unity must not take place through the elimination of the
local and national characteristics of any Arab country. . . . but
must be achieved through common fraternal opinion." In practice
this meant that the Iraqi Baath Party had accepted unity of
purpose among Arab leaders, rather than unification of Arab
countries, as more important for the present.
As of early 1988, the Baath Party claimed about 10 percent of
the population, a total of 1.5 million supporters and
sympathizers; of this total, full party members, or cadres, were
estimated at only 30,000, or 0.2 percent. The cadres were the
nucleus of party organization, and they functioned as leaders,
motivators, teachers, administrators, and watchdogs. Generally,
party recruitment procedures emphasized selectivity rather than
quantity, and those who desired to join the party had to pass
successfully through several apprentice-like stages before being
accepted into full membership. The Baath's elitist approach
derived from the principle that the party's effectiveness could
only be measured by its demonstrable ability to mobilize and to
lead the people, and not by "size, number, or form."
Participation in the party was virtually a requisite for social
mobility.
The basic organizational unit of the Baath was the party cell
or circle (halaqah). Composed of between three and seven
members, cells functioned at the neighborhood or the village
level, where members met to discuss and to carry out party
directives. A minimum of two and a maximum of seven cells formed
a party division (firqah). Divisions operated in urban
quarters, larger villages, offices, factories, schools, and other
organizations. Division units were spread throughout the
bureaucracy and the military, where they functioned as the ears
and eyes of the party. Two to five divisions formed a section
(shabah). A section operated at the level of a large city
quarter, a town, or a rural district. Above the section was the
branch (fira), which was composed of at least two sections
and which operated at the provincial level. There were twenty-one
Baath Party branches in Iraq, one in each of the eighteen
provinces and three in Baghdad. The union of all the branches
formed the party's congress, which elected the Regional Command.
The Regional Command was both the core of party leadership
and the top decision-making body. It had nine members, who were
elected for five-year terms at regional congresses of the party.
Its secretary general (also called the regional secretary) was
the party's leader, and its deputy secretary general was second
in rank and in power within the party hierarchy. The members of
the command theoretically were responsible to the Regional
Congress that, as a rule, was to convene annually to debate and
to approve the party's policies and programs; actually, the
members were chosen by Saddam Husayn and other senior party
leaders to be "elected" by the Regional Congress, a formality
seen as essential to the legitimation of party leadership.
Above the Regional Command was the National Command of the
Baath Party, the highest policy-making and coordinating council
for the Baath movement throughout the Arab world. The National
Command consisted of representatives from all regional commands
and was responsible to the National Congress, which convened
periodically. It was vested with broad powers to guide, to
coordinate, and to supervise the general direction of the
movement, especially with respect to relationships among the
regional Baath parties and with the outside world. These powers
were to be exercised through a national secretariat that would
direct policy-formulating bureaus.
In reality, the National Command did not oversee the Baath
movement as a whole in 1988 because there continued to be no
single command. In 1966 a major schism within the Baath movement
had resulted in the creation of two rival National Commands, one
based in Damascus and the other in Baghdad. Both commands claim
to be the legitimate authority for the Baath, but since 1966 they
have been mutually antagonistic. Michel Aflaq, one of the
original cofounders of the Baath Party, was the secretary general
of the Baghdad-based National Command, and Saddam Husayn was the
vice-chairman. In practice, the Syrian Regional Command, under
Hafiz al Assad, controlled the Damascus-based National Command of
the Baath Party, while the Iraqi Regional Command controlled the
Baghdad-based National Command.
Theoretically, the Iraqi Regional Command made decisions
about Baath Party policy based on consensus. In practice, all
decisions were made by the party's secretary general, Saddam
Husayn, who since 1979 had also been chairman of the RCC and
president of the republic. He worked closely with a small group
of supporters, especially members of the Talfah family from the
town of Tikrit
(see The Emergence of Saddam Husayn, 1968-79
, ch.
1); he also dealt ruthlessly with suspected opposition to his
rule from within the party. In 1979 several high-ranking
Baathists were tried and were executed for allegedly planning a
coup; other prominent party members were forcibly retired in
1982. Saddam Husayn's detractors accused him of monopolizing
power and of promoting a cult of personality.
Data as of May 1988
- Iraq-TELECOMMUNICATIONS
- Iraq-Shias
- Iraq-Internal Security in the 1980s
- Iraq-NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNS
- Iraq-The Sociology of the Military
- Iraq-Iraqi Offensives, 1980-82
- Iraq-Internal Developments and Security INTERNAL SECURITY
- Iraq-Education EDUCATION AND WELFARE
- Iraq-INDUSTRIALIZATION
- Iraq-IRAQ
- Iraq-Criminal Justice System
- Iraq-Oil in the 1980s
- Iraq-The Turkish Petroleum Company
- Iraq-Introduction
- Iraq-The Defense Burden
- Iraq-Water Resources
- Iraq-Impact of the Iranian Revolution on Iraqi Shias
- Iraq-Population
- Iraq-Chapter 3 - The Economy
- Iraq-Political Opposition
- Iraq-The Iraqi Communists and Baathist Iraq
- Iraq-FOREIGN POLICY
- Iraq-The People
- Iraq-Sunni-Shia Relations in Iraq
- Iraq-Welfare
- Iraq-The National Assembly
- Iraq-Military Justice System
- Iraq-MASS MEDIA
- Iraq-CONSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK
- Iraq-Railroads
- Iraq-The Iran-Iraq War and the Quest for New Sources of Arms
- Iraq-Boundaries GEOGRAPHY AND POPULATION
- Iraq-Impact of Agrarian Reform
- Iraq-COUPS, COUP ATTEMPTS, AND FOREIGN POLICY
- Iraq-Treatment of Veterans and Widows
- Iraq-The Search for Nuclear Technology
- Iraq-The Revolutionary Command Council GOVERNMENT
- Iraq-ECONOMY
- Iraq-Preface
- Iraq-Cropping and Livestock
- Iraq-The Judiciary
- Iraq-BANKING AND FINANCE
- Iraq-Conditions of Service and Morale
- Iraq-THE OTTOMAN PERIOD, 1534-1918
- Iraq-Post-World War II Through the 1970s
- Iraq-Participation in International Organizations
- Iraq-PARAMILITARY FORCES
- Iraq-Islam
- Iraq-Chapter 4 - Government and Politics
- Iraq-Iranian and Greek Intrusions
- Iraq-The Baath Party POLITICS
- Iraq-FOREIGN TRADE
- Iraq-The West
- Iraq-Ports
- Iraq-The Tanker War, 1984-87
- Iraq-Arms from France
- Iraq-IRAQ AS AN INDEPENDENT MONARCHY
- Iraq-Developments Through World War II THE OIL SECTOR
- Iraq-The Mongol Invasion
- Iraq-Land Tenure and Agrarian Reform
- Iraq-The Politics of Alliance: The Progressive National Front
- Iraq-Airports
- Iraq-The Abbasid Caliphate, 750-1258
- Iraq-THE IRAN-IRAQ CONFLICT
- Iraq-Roads
- Iraq-Arms from the Soviet Union
- Iraq-Uniforms and Rank Insignia
- Iraq-GEOGRAPHY
- Iraq-SOCIETY
- Iraq-The President and the Council of Ministers
- Iraq-SOCIAL SYSTEMS
- Iraq-The War of Attrition, 1984-87
- Iraq-Local Government
- Iraq-GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
- Iraq-THE ARAB CONQUEST AND THE COMING OF ISLAM
- Iraq-Settlement Patterns
- Iraq-RELIGIOUS LIFE
- Iraq
- Iraq-THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT
- Iraq-Major Geographical Features
- Iraq-Acknowledgments
- Iraq-Chapter 5 - National Security
- Iraq-Climate
- Iraq-TRANSPORTATION
- Iraq
- Iraq-Urban Society
- Iraq-Other Minorities
- Iraq-Sumer, Akkad, Babylon, and Assyria ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA
- Iraq
- Iraq-Status in National Life ARMED FORCES AND SOCIETY
- Iraq-NATIONAL SECURITY
- Iraq
- Iraq-REPUBLICAN IRAQ
- Iraq-Iraqi Retreats, 1982-84
- Iraq-Military Ties Prior to the Iran-Iraq War FOREIGN MILITARY TIES
- Iraq-Iraq and Other Arab Countries
- Iraq-Kurds
- Iraq-Size, Equipment, and Organization THE REGULAR ARMED FORCES
- Iraq
- Iraq-The Kurdish Problem
- Iraq-Incidence of Crime
- Iraq-The Persian Gulf Countries
- Iraq-Chapter 2 - The Society and Its Environment
- Iraq-Manpower and Training
- Iraq
- Iraq-Health
- Iraq-The Sunni-Shia Controversy
- Iraq-Relations with Other Countries
- Iraq-WORLD WAR I AND THE BRITISH MANDATE
- Iraq-GROWTH AND STRUCTURE OF THE ECONOMY
- Iraq-Chapter 1 - Historical Setting
- Iraq-Foreword
- Iraq-Sunnis
- Iraq-The Impact of Casualties on the Armed Forces
- Iraq-ELECTRICITY
- Iraq -Country Profile
- Iraq
- Iraq-TRANSPORTATION
|
Background | | Formerly part of the Ottoman Empire, Iraq was occupied by Britain during the course of World War I; in 1920, it was declared a League of Nations mandate under UK administration. In stages over the next dozen years, Iraq attained its independence as a kingdom in 1932. A "republic" was proclaimed in 1958, but in actuality a series of strongmen ruled the country until 2003. The last was SADDAM Husayn. Territorial disputes with Iran led to an inconclusive and costly eight-year war (1980-88). In August 1990, Iraq seized Kuwait but was expelled by US-led, UN coalition forces during the Gulf War of January-February 1991. Following Kuwait's liberation, the UN Security Council (UNSC) required Iraq to scrap all weapons of mass destruction and long-range missiles and to allow UN verification inspections. Continued Iraqi noncompliance with UNSC resolutions over a period of 12 years led to the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003 and the ouster of the SADDAM Husayn regime. US forces remain in Iraq under a UNSC mandate until 2009 and under a bilateral security agreement thereafter, helping to provide security and to support the freely elected government. In October 2005, Iraqis approved a constitution in a national referendum and, pursuant to this document, elected a 275-member Council of Representatives (CoR) in December 2005. After the election, Ibrahim al-JAAFARI was selected as prime minister; he was replaced by Nuri al-MALIKI in May 2006. The CoR approved most cabinet ministers in May 2006, marking the transition to Iraq's first constitutional government in nearly a half century. On 31 January 2009, Iraq held elections for provincial councils in all provinces except for the three provinces comprising the Kurdistan Regional Government and at-Ta'mim (Kirkuk) province.
|
|
Location | | Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iran and Kuwait
|
|
Area(sq km) | | total: 438,317 sq km land: 437,367 sq km water: 950 sq km
|
|
Geographic coordinates | | 33 00 N, 44 00 E
|
|
Land boundaries(km) | | total: 3,650 km border countries: Iran 1,458 km, Jordan 181 km, Kuwait 240 km, Saudi Arabia 814 km, Syria 605 km, Turkey 352 km
|
|
Coastline(km) | | 58 km
|
|
Climate | | mostly desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless summers; northern mountainous regions along Iranian and Turkish borders experience cold winters with occasionally heavy snows that melt in early spring, sometimes causing extensive flooding in central and southern Iraq
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Elevation extremes(m) | | lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: unnamed peak; 3,611 m; note - this peak is neither Gundah Zhur 3,607 m nor Kuh-e Hajji-Ebrahim 3,595 m
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Natural resources | | petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur
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Land use(%) | | arable land: 13.12% permanent crops: 0.61% other: 86.27% (2005)
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Irrigated land(sq km) | | 35,250 sq km (2003)
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Total renewable water resources(cu km) | | 96.4 cu km (1997)
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Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) | | total: 42.7 cu km/yr (3%/5%/92%) per capita: 1,482 cu m/yr (2000)
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Natural hazards | | dust storms; sandstorms; floods
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Environment - current issues | | government water control projects have drained most of the inhabited marsh areas east of An Nasiriyah by drying up or diverting the feeder streams and rivers; a once sizable population of Marsh Arabs, who inhabited these areas for thousands of years, has been displaced; furthermore, the destruction of the natural habitat poses serious threats to the area's wildlife populations; inadequate supplies of potable water; development of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers system contingent upon agreements with upstream riparian Turkey; air and water pollution; soil degradation (salination) and erosion; desertification
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Environment - international agreements | | party to: Biodiversity, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
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Geography - note | | strategic location on Shatt al Arab waterway and at the head of the Persian Gulf
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Population | | 28,945,657 (July 2009 est.)
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Age structure(%) | | 0-14 years: 38.8% (male 5,709,688/female 5,531,359) 15-64 years: 58.2% (male 8,529,956/female 8,310,164) 65 years and over: 3% (male 408,266/female 456,224) (2009 est.)
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Median age(years) | | total: 20.4 years male: 20.3 years female: 20.5 years (2009 est.)
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Population growth rate(%) | | 2.507% (2009 est.)
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Birth rate(births/1,000 population) | | 30.1 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
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Death rate(deaths/1,000 population) | | 5.03 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
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Net migration rate(migrant(s)/1,000 population) | | NA (2009 est.)
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Urbanization(%) | | urban population: 67% of total population (2008) rate of urbanization: 1.7% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
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Sex ratio(male(s)/female) | | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
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Infant mortality rate(deaths/1,000 live births) | | total: 43.82 deaths/1,000 live births male: 49.38 deaths/1,000 live births female: 37.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth(years) | | total population: 69.94 years male: 68.6 years female: 71.34 years (2009 est.)
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Total fertility rate(children born/woman) | | 3.86 children born/woman (2009 est.)
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Nationality | | noun: Iraqi(s) adjective: Iraqi
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Ethnic groups(%) | | Arab 75%-80%, Kurdish 15%-20%, Turkoman, Assyrian, or other 5%
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Religions(%) | | Muslim 97% (Shia 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%), Christian or other 3%
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Languages(%) | | Arabic, Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions), Turkoman (a Turkish dialect), Assyrian (Neo-Aramaic), Armenian
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Country name | | conventional long form: Republic of Iraq conventional short form: Iraq local long form: Jumhuriyat al-Iraq local short form: Al Iraq
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Government type | | parliamentary democracy
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Capital | | name: Baghdad geographic coordinates: 33 20 N, 44 23 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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Administrative divisions | | 18 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah) and 1 region*; Al Anbar, Al Basrah, Al Muthanna, Al Qadisiyah, An Najaf, Arbil, As Sulaymaniyah, At Ta'mim, Babil, Baghdad, Dahuk, Dhi Qar, Diyala, Karbala', Kurdistan Regional Government*, Maysan, Ninawa, Salah ad Din, Wasit
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Constitution | | ratified on 15 October 2005 (subject to review by the Constitutional Review Committee and a possible public referendum )
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Legal system | | based on European civil and Islamic law under the framework outlined in the Iraqi Constitution; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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Suffrage | | 18 years of age; universal
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Executive branch | | chief of state: President Jalal TALABANI (since 6 April 2005); Vice Presidents Adil ABD AL-MAHDI and Tariq al-HASHIMI (since 22 April 2006); note - the president and vice presidents comprise the Presidency Council) head of government: Prime Minister Nuri al-MALIKI (since 20 May 2006); Rafi al-ISSAWI (since 19 July 2008) cabinet: 36 ministers appointed by the Presidency Council, plus Prime Minister Nuri al-MALIKI and Deputy Prime Ministers Barham SALIH and Rafi al-ISSAWI elections: held 15 December 2005 to elect a 275-member Council of Representatives
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Legislative branch | | unicameral Council of Representatives (consisting of 275 members elected by a closed-list, proportional representation system) elections: last held 15 December 2005 to elect a 275-member Council of Representatives (next to be held on 18 January 2010); the Council of Representatives elected the Presidency Council and approved the prime minister and two deputy prime ministers election results: Council of Representatives - percent of vote by party - Unified Iraqi Alliance 41%, Kurdistan Alliance 22%, Tawafuq Coalition 15%, Iraqi National List 8%, Iraqi Front for National Dialogue 4%, other 10%; number of seats by party (as of November 2007) - Unified Iraqi Alliance (including the Sadrist bloc with 30 and Fadilah with 15) 130, Kurdistan Alliance 53, Tawafuq Front 44, Iraqi National List 25, Fadilah 15, Iraqi Front for National Dialogue 11, other 12
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Judicial branch | | the Iraq Constitution calls for the federal judicial power to be comprised of the Higher Judicial Council, Federal Supreme Court, Federal Court of Cassation, Public Prosecution Department, Judiciary Oversight Commission and other federal courts that are regulated in accordance with the law
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Political pressure groups and leaders | | Sunni militias; Shia militias, some associated with political parties
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International organization participation | | ABEDA, AFESD (suspended), AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
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Flag description | | three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; the Takbir (Arabic expression meaning "God is great") in green Arabic script is centered in the white band; similar to the flag of Syria, which has two stars but no script, Yemen, which has a plain white band, and that of Egypt, which has a gold Eagle of Saladin centered in the white band; design is based upon the Arab Liberation colors; Council of Representatives approved this flag as a compromise temporary replacement for Ba'athist Saddam-era flag
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Economy - overview | | Decreasing insurgent attacks and an improving security environment in many parts of the country are helping to spur economic activity. Iraq's economy is dominated by the oil sector, which has traditionally provided over 90% of foreign exchange earnings. Oil exports are around levels seen before Operation Iraqi Freedom. Total government revenues have benefited from high oil prices in recent years; however, revenues have declined significantly since the oil price drop in fall 2008. Iraq is making some progress in building the institutions needed to implement economic policy. In March 2009 Iraq concluded a Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) with the IMF that details economic reforms. The SBA allows an 80% reduction of the debt owed to Paris Club creditor nations. The International Compact with Iraq was established in May 2007 to integrate Iraq into the regional and global economy, and the Iraqi government is seeking to pass laws to strengthen its economy. This legislation includes a hydrocarbon law to establish a modern legal framework to allow Iraq to develop its resources and a revenue sharing law to equitably divide oil revenues within the nation, although both are still under contentious political negotiation. Some foreign entities have expressed interest in reinvigorating Iraq's industrial sector. The government of Iraq is pursuing a strategy to gain foreign participation in joint ventures with State-owned enterprises. Provincial Councils are also using their own budgets to promote and facilitate investment at the local level. The Central Bank has been successful in controlling inflation through appreciation of the dinar against the US dollar. However, Iraq's challenge will be to use macroeconomic gains to improve the lives of ordinary Iraqis. Reducing corruption and implementing structural reforms, such as bank restructuring and developing the private sector, will be key to Iraq's economic success.
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GDP (purchasing power parity) | | $90.23 billion (2008 est.) $83.7 billion (2007 est.) $82.46 billion (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars
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GDP (official exchange rate) | | $91.45 billion (2008 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate(%) | | 7.8% (2008 est.) 1.5% (2007 est.) 6.2% (2006 est.)
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GDP - per capita (PPP) | | $3,200 (2008 est.) $3,000 (2007 est.) $3,100 (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars
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GDP - composition by sector(%) | | agriculture: 5% industry: 68% services: 27% (2006 est.)
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Labor force | | 7.74 million (2008 est.)
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Labor force - by occupation(%) | | agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%
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Unemployment rate(%) | | 18.2% (2008 est.) 18% (2006 est.) note: official data; unofficial estimates as high as 30%
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Population below poverty line(%) | | NA%
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Household income or consumption by percentage share(%) | | lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
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Budget | | revenues: $42.4 billion expenditures: $49.9 billion (FY08 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices)(%) | | 2.8% (2008 est.) 4.7% (2007 est.)
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Stock of money | | $26.1 billion (31 December 2008) $18.81 billion (31 December 2007)
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Stock of quasi money | | $5.415 billion (31 December 2008) $3.67 billion (31 December 2007)
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Stock of domestic credit | | $NA (31 December 2008) $NA (31 December 2007)
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Market value of publicly traded shares | | $1.878 billion (31 March 2008) $NA (31 December 2007) $NA (31 December 2006)
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Economic aid - recipient | | $21.65 billion (2005)
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Agriculture - products | | wheat, barley, rice, vegetables, dates, cotton; cattle, sheep, poultry
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Industries | | petroleum, chemicals, textiles, leather, construction materials, food processing, fertilizer, metal fabrication/processing
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Industrial production growth rate(%) | | 10.5% (2008 est.)
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Current account balance | | $14.05 billion (2008 est.) $4.909 billion (2007 est.)
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Exports | | $58.81 billion (2008 est.) $36.08 billion (2007 est.)
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Exports - commodities(%) | | crude oil 84%, crude materials excluding fuels 8%, food and live animals 5%
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Exports - partners(%) | | US 37.3%, India 13.8%, Italy 9.4%, South Korea 6.8% (2008)
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Imports | | $37.22 billion (2008 est.) $25.67 billion (2007 est.)
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Imports - commodities(%) | | food, medicine, manufactures
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Imports - partners(%) | | Syria 26.4%, Turkey 19.7%, US 10.7%, Jordan 6.5%, China 6% (2008)
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | | $49.8 billion (31 December 2008 est.) $30.66 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Debt - external | | $67.74 billion (31 December 2008 est.) $100.9 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Exchange rates | | New Iraqi dinars (NID) per US dollar - 1,176 (2008), 1,255 (2007), 1,466 (2006), 1,475 (2005), 1,890 (second half, 2003)
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Currency (code) | | New Iraqi dinar (NID) as of 22 January 2004
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Telephones - main lines in use | | 1.082 million (2008)
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Telephones - mobile cellular | | 17.529 million (2008)
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Telephone system | | general assessment: the 2003 liberation of Iraq severely disrupted telecommunications throughout Iraq including international connections; widespread government efforts to rebuild domestic and international communications through fiber optic links are in progress; the mobile cellular market has expanded rapidly and its subscribership base approached 18 million in 2008 domestic: repairs to switches and lines destroyed during 2003 continue; additional switching capacity is improving access; cellular service is available and centered on 3 GSM networks which are being expanded beyond their regional roots, improving country-wide connectivity; wireless local loop licenses have been issued with the hope of overcoming the lack of fixed-line infrastructure international: country code - 964; satellite earth stations - 4 (2 Intelsat - 1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean, 1 Intersputnik - Atlantic Ocean region, and 1 Arabsat (inoperative)); local microwave radio relay connects border regions to Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey; planned international fiber-optic connections to Iran (terrestrial) with a link to the Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) submarine fiber-optic cable (2008)
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Internet country code | | .iq
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Internet users | | 300,000 (2008)
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Airports | | 104 (2009)
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Pipelines(km) | | gas 2,501 km; liquid petroleum gas 918 km; oil 5,418 km; refined products 1,637 km (2008)
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Roadways(km) | | total: 44,900 km paved: 37,851 km unpaved: 7,049 km (2002)
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Ports and terminals | | Al Basrah, Khawr az Zubayr, Umm Qasr
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Military branches | | Iraqi Armed Forces: Iraqi Army (includes Iraqi Special Operations Force, Iraqi Intervention Force), Iraqi Navy (former Iraqi Coastal Defense Force), Iraqi Air Force (former Iraqi Army Air Corps) (2005)
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Military service age and obligation(years of age) | | 18-49 years of age for voluntary military service (2008)
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Manpower available for military service | | males age 16-49: 7,086,200 females age 16-49: 6,808,954 (2008 est.)
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Manpower fit for military service | | males age 16-49: 6,203,425 females age 16-49: 6,065,009 (2009 est.)
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Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually | | male: 313,500 female: 304,923 (2009 est.)
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Military expenditures(% of GDP) | | 8.6% of GDP (2006)
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Disputes - international | | coalition forces assist Iraqis in monitoring internal and cross-border security; approximately two million Iraqis have fled the conflict in Iraq, with the majority taking refuge in Syria and Jordan, and lesser numbers to Egypt, Lebanon, Iran, and Turkey; Iraq's lack of a maritime boundary with Iran prompts jurisdiction disputes beyond the mouth of the Shatt al Arab in the Persian Gulf; Turkey has expressed concern over the autonomous status of Kurds in Iraq
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Refugees and internally displaced persons | | refugees (country of origin): 10,000-15,000 (Palestinian Territories); 11,773 (Iran); 16,832 (Turkey) IDPs: 2.4 million (ongoing US-led war and ethno-sectarian violence) (2007)
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Electricity - production(kWh) | | 36.92 billion kWh (2008 est.)
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Electricity - production by source(%) | | fossil fuel: 98.4% hydro: 1.6% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
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Electricity - consumption(kWh) | | 39.88 billion kWh (2008 est.)
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Electricity - exports(kWh) | | 0 kWh (2008 est.)
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Electricity - imports(kWh) | | 2.95 billion kWh (2008 est.)
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Oil - production(bbl/day) | | 2.385 million bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil - consumption(bbl/day) | | 638,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil - exports(bbl/day) | | 1.83 million bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil - imports(bbl/day) | | 116,900 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil - proved reserves(bbl) | | 115 billion bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
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Natural gas - production(cu m) | | 1.88 billion cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural gas - consumption(cu m) | | 9.454 billion cu m note: 1.48 billion cu m were flared (2008 est.)
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Natural gas - exports(cu m) | | 0 cu m (2008)
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Natural gas - proved reserves(cu m) | | 3.17 trillion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate(%) | | less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | | fewer than 500 (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths | | NA
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Major infectious diseases | | degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2009)
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Literacy(%) | | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 74.1% male: 84.1% female: 64.2% (2000 est.)
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School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)(years) | | total: 10 years male: 11 years female: 8 years (2005)
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Education expenditures(% of GDP) | | NA
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