Friday, September 4, 2009

Conflict in Iraq Q & A

Directions: Read Part I (Pages 1 - 12) and answer the short answer and extended response questions below. Then, read Part II (Pages 13 - 29) and answer the questions that follow. All answers are due either on your blog (label the post Iraq) or you can submit them in writing on Tuesday. (NOTE: There are two graphic organizers at the end of the readings to help you organize your information for Part II.)

Part I Questions:

Short Response

1. Where do most Kurds, Shi'a, and Sunnis live in Iraq?

Kurds: Most of the Kurds live in the North of Iraq.

Shi'a: Most of the Shi'a live in the east and south east of Iraq

Sunnis: Most of the Sunnis live in Western Iraq.

2. Which ethnic group(s) hold(s) power over the majority of oil reserves in Iraq?
The Shi'a and Kurds hold the majority of Oil reserves in Iraq.

3. What is the main reason Britain become involved in Iraq?
Britain took interest in Iraq because there isn't much oil in Great Britain, and Iraq has a lot of oil.

4. What did pan-Arabists advocate after World War II?
Pan-Arabists advocated independence for the entire Middle East from the West.

5. How was Saddam Hussein able to gain power and popularity in the 1970s?
Sadam Hussein gained power and popularity in the 1970's because he was backed by the CIA, his political party gained power, and the increased price of oil gave him extra money to use for the people of Iraq.

6. Why did the United States become involved in the Iran-Iraq War?
The United States became involved in the Iran-Iraq war because the Government did not want the Islamic government of Iran to win the war. However, the United States did provide Iran with weapons in exchange for prisoners in Lebanon.

7. Why did President George H.W. Bush (1989-93) bring the ground portion of the First Persian Gulf War to a halt? List two reasons.

a. The U.S. didn't want to have to deal with a destabilized Iraq.

b. The U.S. wanted the Iraqi people to topple Hussein's regime, not the U.S. military.

Extended Response:

8. What are the different ethnic and religious groups in Iraq? Why is it important to understand these differences?

There are two different major ethnic groups in Iraq. These two groups are Kurds and Arabs. Most people in each of these groups practice Islam, however they belong to different branches of Islam. The Arabs are split into the Shi'a and Sunni branches of Islam. It is important to understand these differences because if a country with that is dealing with Iraq as closely as the U.S. is, grouping all Iraqis into one group could have disastrous effects. The groups don't agree with each other and are very violent towards the other groups. For example, the Kurds want independence from Iraq. Also, both Shi'a and Kurds hate the Sunnis because they feel the Sunnis are their former oppressors. Therefore, if these differences are ignored, there will be unrest within the country if these groups are forced to do things with the other groups that they don't like.


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Part II Questions:

Short Response

9. What dangers did President George W. Bush (2001-09) say Iraq posed to the region and the world? Name two.

a. The Iraqi weapons program

b. Sponsorship of terrorism

10. What were the U.S. government's declared goals in sending troops to Iraq?

a. End Hussein's regime

b. Find WMD

11. List two reasons violence continues in Iraq.

a. Some people are angry at the U.S.

b. Some people don't like the new government

Extended Response:

12. Describe the different groups involved in the ongoing conflict in Iraq. What are their goals? (Reasons for fighting)

Shi'a: The Shi'a that are fighting are a militia fighting to prevent the Sunnis from regaining control of Iraq. The Shi'a also want regional governments. Furthermore the Shi'a want the U.S. out of Iraq and want more power inside Iraq.

Sunni: The Sunnis seem to be of a divided opinion. Some seem to think that the U.S. should leave Iraq and blame the U.S. for the Shi'a rise to power. However recently the SUnnis have been working with the U.S. military to fight terrorism and Al Qaeda.

Kurd: The Kurds are a militant group that want independence in order to form a Kurd state. They hate the Sunni feeling that the Sunni are their oppressors. Kurds are divided on wether Kurdistan should be fully independent of Iraq or part of a unified Iraq. This struggle is not new and has been going on for decades.

al Qaeda: Al Qaeda is a terrorist group that wants to drive the U.S. out of Iraq and wants Iraqi civil war. They use IEDs, car bombs and other types of terrorism to further their goals. They don't care about the best interest of Iraq, but just want to cause terror and overthrow the Iraqi government in order to form an Islamic state.

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