Iraq: New Iraq

For hundreds of years, Iraq has been at the crossroads of global concerns regarding religion, economics, and politics. The tangle of these issues propels events yet confounds those who wish to understand this most complex nation. Its centrality continues today as the world begins the new millennia with armed conflict, religious strife, economic disruption and the promise of democracy all centering upon Iraq. The world watches as these forces are unleashed and the reality of sectarian violence results in a chaotic state where no one seems safe. The maps and articles in this issue shine light on the historical, religious, regional and economic background of this most pressing current event.

Source:

maps.bpl.org

Cholera outbreaks in Iraq in the last year have been the worst in forty years, resulting in widespread death and adding to the suffering of the overwhelming majority of Iraqis without basic sanitation and sewage. While the extremely low temperatures this winter in many parts of Iraq have largely contained the spread of new cases, Iraqi doctors are anticipating renewed outbreaks as the temperature warms in the next few months. And the situation likely won't be improving any time soon.

Source:

electroniciraq.net

Aside from petroleum production and refining, Iraq has a small, diversified industrial sector, including food processing and the production of chemicals, textiles, leather goods, construction materials, and metals. New industries have been started in electronics products, fertilizers, and refined sugar. Agricultural production, which employs about a third of the workforce, is not sufficient to meet the country's food requirements. Iraq's chief crops include wheat, barley, rice, vegetables, dates (Iraq is one of the world's largest producers), and cotton. Cattle and sheep are ... raised. Oil is the main export and food, medicine, and manufactures the main imports.

Source:

answers.com

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) worked with MLB and the Ad Council in the development of www.welcomebackveterans.org. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans under the age of 24 have an unemployment rate that is three times the national average. Thousands of younger veterans begin their military service after high school. Following their service, many express the desire to go back to school, but have difficulty accomplishing their goals. Additionally, according to the New England Journal of Medicine (July 2004), one in three Iraq veterans and one in nine Afghanistan veterans will suffer from a mental health problem, ranging from depression to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, upon their return home.

Source:

desertlocalnews.com

In December 2007, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreed to renew a Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) for Iraq, which provides a credit line to the Iraqi government of up to $744 million if needed. The SBA ... requires Iraq to undertake some economic policy reforms. If Iraq fulfills the terms of the SBA, the country will receive the final stage of Paris Club debt reduction. At that point, a total of 80 percent of Iraq's international debt will have been forgiven. The new SBA lasts for 15 months, through March 2009; the previous SBA began December 2005 and ended December 2007.

Source:

state.gov

Economy - overview: Iraq's economy is dominated by the oil sector, which has traditionally provided about 95% of foreign exchange earnings. In the 1980s, financial problems caused by massive expenditures in the eight-year war with Iran and damage to oil export facilities by Iran led the government to implement austerity measures, borrow heavily, and later reschedule foreign debt payments; Iraq suffered economic losses of at least $100 billion from the war. After the end of hostilities in 1988, oil exports gradually increased with the construction of new pipelines and restoration of damaged facilities. Iraq's seizure of Kuwait in August 1990, subsequent international economic sanctions, and damage from military action by an international coalition beginning in January 1991 drastically reduced economic activity. The government's policies of supporting large military and internal security forces and of allocating resources to key supporters of the regime have exacerbated shortages. The implementation of the UN's oil-for-food program in December 1996 has helped improve economic conditions.

Source:

jewishvirtuallibrary.org