Iraqi independence

In 1916, before the end of World War I, the Entente powers agreed on the partition of the Ottoman Empire's possessions (the Sykes-Picot Agreement). The territory of Mesopotamia was assigned to the British Empire, which was interested in controlling oil fields and creating a chain of possessions from India to the Mediterranean. At the same time, London promised the Arabs support for the creation of a unified state led by the Hashemite dynasty. During the occupation of Mesopotamia, which began in 1914 with the capture of Basra, the British extended their military administration over the regions of Iraq, fully subordinating the country's internal affairs and attempting to replicate the governance model implemented in India. Before the end of the war, London had promised to support the creation of an independent Kurdistan and Assyria, but after the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), it became clear that Britain harbored different plans.

As a result of the conference, the League of Nations introduced a mandate system for governing the former territories of the Ottoman Empire. Britain received the mandate to govern Iraq. The country was a confessional and ethnic "cocktail": Sunnis, Shiites, Kurds, and Assyrians. As early as the beginning of 1919, protests for independence began in Iraq, intensified by events in Egypt. In 1920, a revolt broke out against the British, in which Shiites and Sunnis formed a united front. By September, the rebels controlled most of the territory. However, due to disagreements and the bribery of sheikhs, by 1921 the revolt subsided. In March 1921, a conference was held in Cairo chaired by Colonial Secretary Winston Churchill. He proposed granting Iraq limited sovereignty, bringing loyal tribal leaders and Ottoman officials into governance. The arrangement amounted to Sunni domination over the Shiites. Churchill insisted on a constitutional monarchy, and the candidate for the throne was King Faisal, a member of the Hashemite dynasty who had fled Syria. In August 1921, the Kingdom of Iraq was established under Faisal. This date is considered the starting point of independent Iraq's history, although true independence was proclaimed on October 3, 1932, and real power largely remained with Britain. Immediately afterward, the Iraqi government proclaimed Kuwait as its own territory.

Saddam Hussein (1937–2006) was born into a poor family. In 1952, a revolution took place in Egypt, and its leader Gamal Abdel Nasser became the teenager's idol. Hussein became involved in underground activities. In 1956, he participated in a failed coup attempt against King Faisal II. In 1957, he became a member of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party. By 1966, Hussein was one of the party's leaders. In 1968, the Ba'athists came to power. In 1969, Hussein became Deputy Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council and Deputy Secretary General of the Ba'ath Party. The nationalization of the oil industry and high oil prices brought Iraq significant revenues. The funds were directed toward social services, the construction of schools, universities, hospitals, and industrial development. Saddam Hussein's popularity in Iraq was very high. In 1979, he became Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council, President, and Prime Minister of Iraq. Hussein dreamed of becoming the leader of the entire Arab world. Iraq offered financial assistance to Arab countries, and Hussein's authority grew. In 1980, Iraq, having territorial disputes and ideological differences with Iran, where the Islamic Revolution had occurred, went to war with it. The conflict lasted eight years, and Iraq received support from the United States. The Iran-Iraq War resulted in enormous material losses and human casualties, ending with a peace agreement on status quo terms. The war damaged Iraq's economy, led to a decline in living standards, and increased foreign debt.

One of Iraq's creditors was Kuwait, but after the war, relations deteriorated. Iraq accused Kuwait of "stealing" oil. In August 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait. This became a turning point. The United States declared Saddam an "aggressor." To a certain extent, Iraq was pushed toward aggression by the United States itself, in order to strengthen its military presence in the region. On January 17, 1991, a multinational force led by the United States launched Operation Desert Storm. After bombardments and a ground operation, Kuwait was liberated. Coalition forces occupied part of Iraqi territory. The Iraqi army lost its combat capability. In the north, the Kurds revolted; in the south, the Shiites. Saddam lost control over 15 of 18 provinces. He was on the verge of falling, but the United States decided to keep him in power, even though the country had entered a phase of disintegration. In the UN assembly hall on February 5, 2003, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell displayed a vial of white powder, claiming it was a sample of Iraq's biological weapons, and demanded an invasion. In March 2003, the United States launched a new war. It was a bluff: there were no chemical weapons in Iraq. In 2002, the Americans forced the resignation of OPCW Director José Bustani. Britain presented a dossier on chemical weapons, authored by David Kelly. Neither Bustani nor UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan believed Iraq possessed such weapons. Annan offered Saddam refuge in Libya, but this did not happen. Already during the war, Kelly admitted: there were no mobile laboratories. In July 2003, he was found dead. The official version was suicide. By May 1, 2003, resistance had been broken. A manhunt was underway for Hussein. In July 2003, his sons were killed. On December 13, 2003, Hussein himself was captured. On December 30, 2006, the former leader was executed. The country, stripped of its government, descended into chaos. The death of Saddam Hussein did not bring peace to Iraq. International terrorism, the fight against which had been declared the purpose of the invasion, flourished on this land.