Monday, October 27, 2014

21st Century Iraq

Now that we are starting to divulge Iraq's contemporary issues, it is only fitting to travel to its capital Baghdad, one of the hottest spots during the war.

Baghdad 1965 
Baghdad 1991
Baghdad 2008

Forward Progress

Some important dates:

March 23, 2003: U.S troops deploy to Iraq

December 30, 2006: Saddam Hussein sentenced to death

December 15, 2011: Last U.S troop leaves Iraq



After US forces returned Iraq to its native governance, the world held many concerns and doubts about the future of Iraq. As we walked familiar roads, many significant changes were visibly noticeable:

Baghdad Today:


Saddam Hussein executed and the former Ba'ath party overthrew

U.S. forces shifting security responsibilities to the Iraqi armed forces.

Iraq attempts to rebuild after so many years of war.

(http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/iraq-then-and-now/)

Tourism in Iraq even caught up:



New Dilema:
At this point in late 2011, U.S. forces had been training and resourcing the Iraqi "friendlies" for years. Nonetheless, the constant issues of insurgency and accountability still exist to restrict the new generation of Iraqis to bring their country to its full potential.  Sure enough, no more than three years later, new problems brought Iraq back to the headlines once again. 

ISIS/ISIL: Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant


ISIL/ISIS declared their establishment on April 8, 2013 with extremist goals of Islamic conquest and expansion.  

June 16, 2014: Two and a half years after our departure, we returned to Iraq like General MacArthur returning to the Philippines, expect much less applauded, planned, anticipated or desired.. 




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