ABSTRACT
Iraq is the third most populous Arab state after Egypt and Algeria and it is located at the head of the Persian/Arabian Gulf and occupies most of what was Mesopotamia, the flood plains of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Geopolitically, the situation is exacerbated by the fact that Iraq has about 10 per cent of the global petroleum reserves, placing it with Iran, Kuwait and the UAE, second to Saudi Arabia. Iraq emerged in 1920 as an artificial construct from parts of the former Ottoman Empire, with the UK as mandatory power. The revolution of 1958 ended the monarchy and saw the establishment of a military government which began reforms. However, unrest continued as other political groupings, in particular the communists, the Kurds and the Pan-Arab nationalists, became increasingly important. In 1979, Saddam Hussein became president, concentrated power in his own hands and immediately launched the war against Iran.
