Country Profile:  Iraq

Executive Summary

    Still in the process of fleshing out its newly created government, Iraq is experiencing ongoing sectarian violence. The extensive oil reserves in the state have kept Iraq’s financials healthily afloat. Yet, headway in actually developing the laws and institutions that execute economic policy is stagnant. While corruption has permeated the Iraqi government and the state has been unable to provide basic services, the most pressing issue to the Shia government is that of security. An epidemic of terror attacks is swiping through most regions of Iraq. These acts of aggression are proving to be a massive burden to those who seek to create a solidified federal government.  

Brief History

    The territory that Iraq consists of once belonged to the Ottoman Empire. After British occupation during the First World War, the region was placed under its control by the League of Nations. Achieving full independence as a kingdom in 1932, Iraq declared itself a republic in 1958. The use of this nomenclature was merely a guise. In reality, for nearly the next five decades a succession of leaders who ruled by the exercise of threats and violence controlled the state, ending with Saddam Hussein in 2003. An invasion of neighboring Kuwait was conducted in 1990. In response, U.N. coalition forces led by the United States removed Iraqi troops. Stipulations of Iraq’s defeat included the directive to dismantle programs that focused on building weapons of mass destruction and long-range missiles. Disallowing U.N. weapons inspections and general noncompliance with the U.N. Security Council provoked an invasion of Iraq in 2003 led by the United States. During the occupation, which lasted until the end of 2011, Iraq developed its own constitution via a national referendum and set in place a representative government.

Political Structure

  1. Political Parties: Badr Organization, Da'wa Party (Islamic), Da'wa Tanzim, Da-wa Tanzim, Fadilah Party, Goran (Change) List (also known as the Movement for Change), Iraqi Covenant Gathering, Iraqi Constitutional Party, Iraqi Front for National Dialogue, Iraqi Islamic Party (IIP), Iraqi Justice and Reform Movement, Iraqi National Accord (INA), Iraqi National Alliance, Iraqi National Congress (INC), Iraqi National Movement (Iraqi National Accord), Iraqi Unity Alliance, Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI), Kurdistan Alliance, Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Kurdistan Islamic Group (Islamic Group of Kurdistan), Kurdistan Islamic Union, Future National Gathering, National Iraqiyun Gathering, National Movement for Reform and Development, National Reform Trend (part of the National Iraqi Alliance), Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), Renewal List, Sadrist Trend, Sahawa al-Iraq, State of Law Coalition, Tawafuq Front (also known as the Iraqi Accord Front)                           *note: there exist numerous smaller local, tribal, and minority parties

  2. Political System: Iraq now operates as a parliamentary democracy. As the head of government, the Prime Minister leads the unicameral legislature, known as the Council of Representatives. Members of this body serve four-year terms. The creation of an upper house, the Federation Council, as mandated in Iraq’s new constitution, is still pending. The Council of Representatives elects the President every four years, who acts as chief of state.

  3. Political Conflicts: The Iraqi Kurdistan Region's (IKR) autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) passed legislation in 2007 regarding the extraction of its oil. The KRG has since directly signed about 50 contracts to develop its energy reserves. However, the federal government has disputed the legal authority of the KRG to conclude most of these contracts, some of which are also in areas with unresolved administrative boundaries in dispute between the federal and regional government. As tensions rose between Erbil, the capital of the IKR, and Baghdad, in November 2012, Kurdish and Iraqi forces became locked in a military standoff in the Kirkuk province.
Economic Structure

  1. Economic System: The economy in Iraq is run primarily by the state. The oil sector is responsible for roughly 90% of government income. Under the Iraqi Constitution, certain authority over the overall investment climate is either shared by the federal government and the regions or is delegated entirely to the regions. Investment in the IKR operates within the framework of the Kurdistan Region Investment Law and the Kurdistan Board of Investment, which is designed to provide incentives to help economic development in areas under the authority of the KRG.

  2. Economic Trends: Iraq is considering a package of laws to establish a modern legal framework for the oil sector and a mechanism to equitably divide oil revenues within the nation. These reforms are still under contentious and sporadic negotiation. Iraq's contracts with major oil companies have the potential to further expand oil exports and revenues, but Iraq will need to make significant upgrades to its oil processing, pipeline, and export infrastructure to enable these deals to reach their economic potential. Broader economic development, long-term fiscal health, and sustained improvements in the overall standard of living still depend on the central government passing major policy reforms.

  3. Economic Resources: Output from the industrial sector includes petroleum, chemicals, textiles, leather, construction materials, food processing, fertilizer, and metal fabrication/processing. Exports are dominated by crude oil (which consists of 84% of all exports), with crude materials excluding fuels, food, and live animals comprising the remainder.

Social Structure

Religion:
  • Muslim: 22,386,765 adherents (96.85% of population)
  • Christian: 358,281 adherents (1.55% of population)
  • Other: 254,264 adherents (1.10% of population)
  • Non-religious: 115,574 adherents (0.50% of population)
Churches:
  • Catholic (129,730 members)
  • Assyrian Church of the East (32,967 members)
  • Syrian Orthodox (14,371 members)
  • Armenian Apostolic (9,341 members)
  • Arab Evangelical (2,400 members)
  • Other denominations (5,756 members)

Ethnicity:
  • Arab 75%-80%
  • Kurdish 15%-20%
  • Turkoman
  • Assyrian
  • Other 5%
Gender:
  • Overall male population: 16,134,978 (50.6%)
  • Overall female population: 15,723,503 (49.4%)
  • 0-14 years: 37.2% (male 6,029,869/female 5,818,752)
  • 15-24 years: 19.6% (male 3,175,754/female 3,082,880)
  • 25-54 years: 35.8% (male 5,823,608/female 5,585,217)
  • 55-64 years: 4.2% (male 637,889/female 698,691)
  • 65 years and over: 3.2% (male 467,858/female 537,963) (2013 est.)

Urbanization:
  • Urban population: 66% of total population (2010)
  • Rate of urbanization: 2.6% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
  • Children under the age of 5 underweight: 7.1% (2006)
Operating Organizations

  • Political Groups: Sunni militias; Shia militias, some associated with political parties

  • Terrorist Groups: Major terrorist organizations in Iraq include Al-Qa’ida in Iraq (AIQ), al-Ahwal Brigades, al-Bara bin Malek Brigades, and the Mujahideen Shura Council

Allies and Enemies

Country Trajectory

    Divisions between the Sunni, Shia, and Kurdish populations of Iraq have left the state bombarded with a chronic cycle of bombings. The capability of Iraqi security forces has been regularly tested by these attacks on Iraqi citizens. Deteriorating security in the state has left it vulnerable to strikes from multinational terror organizations. Al-Qa’ida in Iraq, a Sunni fundamentalist group, is overwhelmingly targeting Shias. The presence of al-Qa’ida cells only adds to the chaos of sectarian conflicts in Iraq. With repeated attempts to destabilize the national government, confronting terrorism in the state has become tantamount to ensuring a stable, democratic future. The frayed alliance between Shias and Kurds severely weakens the power of the federal government during this pivotal juncture. Since the start of 2013, regular demonstrations by Sunnis who feel they have been disenfranchised by the Iraqi government have taken place. Protests by Sunnis in neighboring Syria have clearly bled into Iraq. Sunni uprisings, coupled with perpetual attacks on Sunnis and Shias alike, demonstrate a bellicose environment that Iraq has not witnessed since the sectarian civil war in 2006 and 2007.

Current Events

  • April 17th, 2013: Dozens of attacks across Iraq, including a car bombing on the way to Baghdad airport, have killed 50 people, just days before the country's first elections since US troops withdrew. The violence also wounded nearly 300 people.

        http://www.news.com.au/world-news/iraq-bombings-kill-46-ahead-of-vote/story-fndir2ev-1226621188756

  • May 2nd, 2013: Iraqi leaders fear that the country is sliding rapidly into a new civil war which “will be worse than Syria”. This is borne out by the sharp rise in the number of people killed in political violence in Iraq in April, with the UN claiming more than 700 people were killed last month, the highest monthly total for five years.

        http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/the-civil-war-in-iraq-has-already-begun-politician-claims-conflict-has-started-and-warns-it-will-be-worse-than-syria-8601732.html

  • May 18th, 2013: Bombs ripped through Sunni areas in Baghdad and surrounding areas, killing at least 76 people in the deadliest day in Iraq in more than eight months. The major spike in sectarian bloodshed heightened fears the country could again be veering toward civil war.

        http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Blasts-targeting-Sunnis-kill-76-in-Iraq/articleshow/20115612.cms

  • June 1st, 2013: Iraqi authorities say they have uncovered an al-Qaeda plot to use chemical weapons, as well as to smuggle them to Europe and North America. Three workshops for manufacturing the chemical agents, including sarin and mustard gas, were discovered.

        http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22742201
Sources