Background Resources: Iraq (Grades 9-12)

Background Resources: Iraq
(Grades 9-12)

To correspond with the cover story Closing Time: Is the Case Against Saddam Hussein a Case for War? (America's Challenge, Europe Is Coming Undone, Reshaping the Region) in the April 2003 issue of World Press Review (VOL. 50, No. 3)

General Reference

Maps and Country Profiles
World Press Review
Includes for each country: map, flag, country statistics from the CIA world factbook, list of newspapers and links to those available online, and links to all related articles on Worldpress.org.

Israel/Occupied Territories
Iran
Iraq
Kuwait
Saudi Arabia
Syria
Turkey

Coalition of the Willing
Trevor Stanley, Editor
A list of members of the “coalition of the willing” using news sources up to March 26, 2003. This resource also provides a map of Europe showing coalition members and opponents of the war, links to the articles used as sources, and whether a member committed troops or not. “Anonymous” members of the coalition are not listed.
Created by Perspectives on World History and Current Events

Press Release: Coalition of the Willing
United States Embassy in Mexico
This press release lists acknowledged members of the coalition of the willing as of 5pm March 20, 2003.

Who's who in Iraqi Kurdistan?
BBC (news agency), London, England, Jan. 13, 2003
This backgrounder on the politics of Iraqi Kurdistan features profiles, historical context, and key players of the main political parties of this semi-autonomous region.

Global Voices on Iraq
BBC (news agency), London, England, Jan. 13, 2003
This clickable map offers viewpoints from ordinary citizens around the world, interviewed by the BBC for their perspectives on the questions that have arisen about the war in Iraq.

Articles

Liberal Imperialism
Michael Lüders, Frankfurter Rundschau (liberal), Frankfurt, Germany, March 9, 2003
One of the Bush administration's stated goals in a war on Iraq is to bring peace and democracy to the Middle East. Lüders discusses the likelihood of such an outcome, and examines the reasons why democracy has not yet taken root in this region.

Cruelty and Strength
Mona Naggar, Neue Zürcher Zeitung (conservative), Zurich, Switzerland, Feb. 4, 2003
Naggar assesses the first work of Arabic literature to be centered on Saddam Hussein: The World of Saddam Hussein by unknown author Mahdi Haidar. She gives a synopsis of the Iraqi dictator's life and times and examines the growth under his rule of an arts scene that largely adheres to the government line.

'Are They Going To Attack Us Again?'
Andrew Hammond, World Press Review correspondent, Reporting from Baghdad, Iraq, Jan. 28, 2003
Hammond asks ordinary Iraqis what they think about the impending U.S. invasion and tries to gauge their feelings about Saddam Hussein, the leader who has brought them once again to the brink of war.

Stinking Brew in Saddam City
Hans-Christian Rößler, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (conservative), Frankfurt, Germany, Oct. 29, 2002
A look at the conditions in Saddam City, a suburb north of Baghdad, after twelve years of U.N. sanctions have taken their toll.

The View from Baghdad
Andrew Hammond, World Press Review correspondent, Reporting from Baghdad, Iraq, May 10, 2002
A snapshot of Baghdad's political and cultural life following decades of dictatorial rule and years of economic isolation.

Background Resources: Iraq(Grades 9-12)

Background Resources: Iraq
(Grades 9-12)