Questions tagged [iraq]
Questions relating to the government or politics of the Republic of Iraq
67
questions
41
votes
3
answers
6k
views
Who was General Qasem Soleimani, and why was he targeted by the US?
Early on Friday morning, the US carried out an air strike on Baghdad airport which killed General Soleimani, along with members of local militia.
Who was General Soleimani, why is he so important, ...
CDJB♦
- 105k
40
votes
2
answers
10k
views
What are the differences among ISIS, Al-Qaeda and the Taliban?
Seeing as how Afghanistan is being taken over by the Taliban and remembering how easy it was for ISIS to just roll over the Iraqi Army, plus the role of Al-Qaeda in starting these two wars, it got me ...
- 1,159
38
votes
4
answers
7k
views
Did the US and allies ever apologize for their invasion of Iraq?
In reference to Did Soviet Union ever apologize for its alliance with Germany before 1941?
We all know that the US and its coalition has invaded Iraq in 2003. They have toppled a government which was ...
- 13.9k
33
votes
4
answers
9k
views
Why was Qasem Soleimani in Iraq?
Earlier this week, Qasem Soleimani was killed by the US. The news media is brimming to capacity with news stories about this. However, not one - that I've seen at least - mentions why Qasem Soleimani ...
- 1,813
25
votes
8
answers
7k
views
Why did the US invade Iraq for weapons of mass destruction but not North Korea [duplicate]
Why can the US invade Iraq for weapons of mass destruction but not North Korea who have confirmed nuclear weapons? Are they more scared of NK?
- 389
24
votes
2
answers
5k
views
Why is Iraq's decision to expel US troops non-binding?
In response to the United States' killing of an important Iranian military commander on Iraqi soil on 3 January 2020, the Iraqi parliament voted to expel US troops from the country. According to ...
- 666
24
votes
6
answers
7k
views
What are the (good) arguments in favour of ISIS?
Every dispute has two sides and it has been really hard to analyze the questions involving ISIS with the information we get by the media in the west. I am quite sure there some good arguments in favor ...
- 381
21
votes
2
answers
8k
views
Have US anti-ballistic-missile capabilities been used and were they effective in countering the recent Iranian missile strike on US bases in Iraq?
This is breaking news, so it may not be answerable right away but probably will be in a reasonably short term...
Iran has launched (from its own territory) ballistic missile strikes against US bases ...
- 145k
21
votes
2
answers
2k
views
What enables ~30k ISIS fighters to compete with ~190k peshmerga, & others?
I was reading this article which includes the following estimates for the numbers of fighters involved in ISIS-related regions:
Between 7,000 and 30,000 ISIS fighters. Mixed levels of training and ...
- 1,584
16
votes
6
answers
2k
views
What evidence did the Bush administration have that Iraq stored WMD in 2002?
The U.S. and its allies have justified the Iraq war, among other things, by citing the danger of weapons of mass destruction. According to wikipedia (emphasis mine)
the U.S. stated that the intent ...
- 1,682
16
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Did Iraq declare outright support for Hamas after Oct 7?
According to Le Monde they did:
But a quick search didn't find any statements. So who in Iraq declared support for Hamas, and in what terms?
- 145k
14
votes
5
answers
16k
views
Why is US supporting ISIS in Syria while opposing it in Iraq?
US is supporting the rebels in Syria who are trying to bring down Assad's govt. ISIS is one of the rebels. So directly or indirectly, US is supporting ISIS in Syria.
But the same US is opposing the ...
- 1,897
13
votes
3
answers
939
views
Why are the Syria and Iraq wars viewed differently among Democrats?
Currently, the Iraq war seems to be viewed very negatively by the US "establishment" of the Democratic Party—for example, in both the 2016 and 2020 primaries, people have been attacked for past ...
- 4,719
12
votes
2
answers
779
views
What threat does the establishment of an Islamic State by ISIS pose in the region and the world?
What threat does the establishment of an Islamic State by ISIS pose in the region and the world?
As far as i know they took control of a large portion of land in Iraq and Syria, however, they are ...
- 221
10
votes
1
answer
683
views
What exactly differentiates Ba'athism?
Wikipedia defines Ba'athism as such:
An Arab nationalist ideology that promotes the development and
creation of a unified Arab state through the leadership of a vanguard
party over a ...
user3025
10
votes
1
answer
339
views
Does Saudi Arabia support Baathist resistance in Iraq?
Does Saudi Arabia support Baathist resistance in Iraq, currently led by Ad-Douri? Do they want to install a similar regime as in Egypt to counter the Qatari influence?
- 10k
9
votes
2
answers
773
views
Would killing ISIS journalists be considered a war crime? If so, could ISIS use the ICC?
If ISIS had journalists on the ground in the Battle of Mosul (2016-17) that recently concluded, and they were clearly journalists, and clearly weren't combatants; would their Iraqi enemy be allowed to ...
- 3,493
9
votes
1
answer
538
views
What made Saddam Hussein believe that he could get away with the Kuwait invasion?
What made Saddam Hussein believe that he could get away with invading Kuwait?
How did he assess the political situation before Kuwait invasion?
user4514
9
votes
1
answer
211
views
What influence has the Chilcot report had in the United States?
Since many of the findings of Sir John Chilcot, must apply equally as much to the United States decision to go to war with Iraq as they do to Britain, has the report had much public discussion in ...
- 10.7k
8
votes
2
answers
1k
views
How did ISIS gain control of a stockpile of weapons that did not exist?
Breitbart is reporting:
ISIS took over a military base in northern Iraq last month that
contains Saddam Hussein’s stockpile of chemical weapons, including
hundreds of warheads containing sarin and ...
- 8,859
8
votes
1
answer
791
views
What did the Dutch law commission find about their own military participation in Iraq (2003-2005)?
As I don't speak/read Dutch, the most detailed article I found about this is in Der Spiegel. In summary (from there), the Dutch law commission found
that the 2003 invasion of Iraq was illegal
that ...
- 145k
6
votes
2
answers
1k
views
What triggered the war in Iraq?
This is an issue that I've never understood going back to the early 2000s.
The build-up to the war in Iraq was something that snuck up on me. All of a sudden there was talk about a potential war in ...
6
votes
1
answer
660
views
How much money did the United States spend on the Iraq war, and how much money did US oil companies gain as a result of the new Iraqi constitution?
This is just a cost benefit analysis, any discussion about US motivations in engaging in the Iraq war I would consider out of scope.
Iraq nationalized oil production in 1972 (source). Following the ...
- 10.5k
6
votes
0
answers
380
views
What were the repercussions of Saddam Hussein's Iraq switching from USD to EUR in 2000?
In 2000, Saddam Hussein switched to selling petroleum in Euros. At that time it was considered an financially unwise decision, but later it was reported to have won Iraq handsome profits.
How exactly ...
- 1,259
5
votes
2
answers
710
views
Why don't other nations take action against Islamic State?
Islamic State is clearly a threat to pretty much everyone. They use shock tactics that enrage the citizens of many nations, they've attacked Syria and Iraq, and butchered many in those countries, ...
- 1,937
5
votes
1
answer
426
views
Did Qassim Suleimani have any kind of diplomatic status while he was in Iraq?
If so, what would be the direct consequences?
- 185
5
votes
1
answer
80
views
Did the Iraqi central government explicitly object to (or approve of) any deals by Russian oil & gas companies with the Kurdish Regional Government?
According to al-Jazeera, citing various (alas unnamed Russian and Kurdish diplomats/officials), Russia financially "saved" the KRG at a crucial time, by having its major oil/gas companies ...
- 145k
4
votes
5
answers
3k
views
How does the indignation of the Russo-Ukrainian War compare to the Iraq War?
I was only born in 2001. I know London and DC had enormous protests, but none of the details. So eyewitness accounts are great but I need historical data too.
With the triumph of YouTube I can follow ...
- 367
4
votes
5
answers
3k
views
Why was Saddam Hussein captured but Assad is still spared by America?
There were 2 major reasons for capturing Saddam:
Possessing WMDs (Never proved completely)
Killing Shias by Chemical
Weapons
In the neighbourhood of same Iraq, Bashar Al Assad has been doing ...
- 791
4
votes
2
answers
340
views
How strong was the Western pacifist campaign to not liberate Kuwait by force?
When Iraq invaded Kuwait their invasion was over in a couple of days and only a few hundred people died in those two days.
Iraq was also said to have the 4th or 5th largest army in the world at the ...
- 145k
4
votes
1
answer
270
views
Why don't Iraqi Kurds buy more weapons with their oil?
Iraqi Kurds are sitting on a lot of oil, and apparantly are able to sell it through channels in Iran.
ISIS is obviously a threat to them, and they have called on the International Community to ...
- 1,789
4
votes
1
answer
294
views
How can Iraqi Kurdistan become a sovereign state?
Iraqi Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani wants to hold a referendum in October 2016 in an attempt to gain independence for Iraqi Kurdistan. Will this referendum make Iraqi Kurdistan a sovereign state? If ...
- 1,328
4
votes
1
answer
511
views
Nuremberg defense for common soldiers and war of aggression
Under international law, for example the Hague, Geneva conventions and case law estabilished by various international bodies such as ICC, UNSC, UNGA, International Military Tributal (IMT)...
Are ...
- 385
4
votes
2
answers
663
views
Are oil fields controlled by ISIS being targeted by US or any other forces?
I've read (on the telegraph website) that ISIS receives £1.8m per day from their oil fields. It seems by targeting the oil fields, ISIS would lose that income.
Are these oil fields being targeted?
If ...
- 141
4
votes
1
answer
124
views
Did any authority of note opine that the 1991-2002 Iraq no-fly zones amounted to occupation?
Regarding the Iraq no-fly zones of pre-invasion time.
This military action was not authorised by the United Nations. The Secretary-General of the UN at the time the resolution was passed, Boutros ...
- 145k
4
votes
1
answer
174
views
Is the PKK and PYD's political outlook unpopular among Iraqi Kurds?
The Kurdistan Democratic Solution Party is active in the Iraqi Kurdish autonomy zone; and it seems to be the counterpart of the PYD in Syria and the PKK in Turkey. The party failed rather miserably in ...
- 7,572
3
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Was Saddam ever a US ally?
Was Saddam Hussain ever a US ally during his presidency?
If YES,
why didn't Iraq had any major US-made weapon?
what caused the alliance to decline?
user4514
3
votes
1
answer
219
views
How many non-combatants have been killed by the Islamic State?
Since IS was formed (including the time it was knows as ISIS), how many non-combatants were killed by IS-affiliated forces or individuals?
I'm interested in the ballpark figure, not splitting hairs ...
- 7,572
3
votes
2
answers
375
views
Is there a huge difference between the Pershmerga and the PKK?
Germany has send to the Kurds in Irak weapons.
Germany will send enough weapons to arm 4,000 Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq battling against Islamic State (IS) insurgents, whose advances ...
- 753
3
votes
1
answer
227
views
What happens if some folks can prove that the election is rigged in Iraq?
As the election of Iraq was held two days ago and initial results are calculated, Muqtada al-Sadr had won the election, but some parties have strongly criticized the election and called it a "...
user39855
3
votes
1
answer
170
views
Has there been a decrease of US aid to Iraq under Trump?
Trump has recently threatened Iraq with sanctions if they decide to expel US troops.
His statement didn't explicitly say anything about [withdrawing] US aid, which appears to still be ongoing, ...
- 145k
3
votes
1
answer
216
views
Does the US have any long-term leases on bases in Iraq?
Breaking news is that the Iraqi parliament has passed a non-binding resolution calling for the withdrawal of foreign troops:
The non-binding resolution was passed by the Iraqi parliament after the ...
- 145k
3
votes
1
answer
208
views
Iran-Iraq War compensations claims
Recently an Iranian MP demanded the Iraqi government to pay Iran more than 1 trillion US dollars as damages for Iran-Iraq War. The MP based his claim on Article 6 of UN Resolution 598. I wonder if ...
- 131
3
votes
0
answers
118
views
What are the consequences for Iraq if it chooses to not repay the amount of war reparation owed?
After the Gulf War, Iraq accepted United Nations Security Council
Resolution 687, which declared Iraq's financial liability for damage
caused in its invasion of Kuwait.[17] The United Nations ...
- 30.7k
3
votes
0
answers
173
views
In the wake of the 2014 Iraqi army disintegration in front of ISIS, did the US make changes to how it trained such forces, esp. in Afghanistan?
Although some are shocked by the disintegration of Afghan army in front of the Taliban, I for one wasn't too surprised given the 2014 precedent provided by the US-trained Iraqi army, which ...
- 145k
3
votes
0
answers
94
views
Why Iraqi embassy websites closed for 1 month already? [closed]
I have recently noticed Iraqi embassy websites throughout the world have been closed out. Their foreign affairs website has pages for these embassies but not fully available websites . Here are some ...
- 31
2
votes
4
answers
998
views
Why didn't the USA invade Iran before they could build up their missile arsenal?
Iran's Ballistic Missile Program
According to the above article, even though Iran started its domestic missile program during the 80s, it achieved its long-range missiles around the 2000s. As of 2021,...
2
votes
2
answers
269
views
What specific consessions did Iraq make to be excluded from Trump's new executive order?
One of the differences between two travel executive orders was the fact that Iraq was omitted in the new one ("Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States (13780)")
I ...
- 91.8k
2
votes
3
answers
434
views
What are the potential benefits of a successfully implemented Islamic State? [closed]
Hypothetically, what positive aspects could come out of the next 50 years of Middle Eastern-US policy if ISIS is successfully able to create and defend territory between Iraq and Syria?
- 151
2
votes
1
answer
543
views
Why is the United States seen as a major supplier of weapons to Saddam-era Iraq?
The United States is sometimes portrayed as a major supplier of weapons to Saddam-era Iraq. For example (slightly edited):
Just look at the history books, Saddam was USA ally during the Iran/Iraq ...
- 13.4k