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Iraq

architect2004

By architect2004
in The Middle East

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satalac Burg

satalac

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Jewel of the Middle East? Come on. It looks nice and all but underneath the exterior is also death, poverty, .... I don't really think of Iraq as a cultural center. Sorry for hijacking this thread :)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

it was when it was called babylon. now, eh, not so much. haha. if it weren't for the wars there, i think it could reclaim its glory.

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orulz City

orulz

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I've heard/read that Iraq was one of the more prosperous and developed countries in the middle east before the wars of the 80's, 90's, and 00's. Hussein's government, while totalitarian and brutal, was secular and effective, and did a pretty good job at promoting things like infrastructure and education. Oil money helped a lot, too.

The wars took their toll, but the embargos were the proverbial nail in the coffin. Some hoped that with Saddam gone, the country could go back to being prosperous, minus the brutal totalitarian regime. However, with the continuing daily suicide bombings you have to wonder if things will ever get better.

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mercuex Whistle-Stop

mercuex

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I've heard/read that Iraq was one of the more prosperous and developed countries in the middle east before the wars of the 80's, 90's, and 00's. Hussein's government, while totalitarian and brutal, was secular and effective, and did a pretty good job at promoting things like infrastructure and education. Oil money helped a lot, too.

The wars took their toll, but the embargos were the proverbial nail in the coffin. Some hoped that with Saddam gone, the country could go back to being prosperous, minus the brutal totalitarian regime. However, with the continuing daily suicide bombings you have to wonder if things will ever get better.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Actually Baathist management was notoriously awful. If you don't believe me look at the fellow Baathists next door in Syria. If it weren't for the fact that Iraq was sitting on unbelievably huge energy reserves there would be none of that modernish veneer. It's all cosmetics really, hiding a society that was basically tormented by a minority of power-hungry Sunnis. And it was almost exclusively Sunnis - how's that for your secularist state, eh?

(Not to mention Saddam, especially in his later years, used to pull an Arafat - who was once a marxist pan-arab nationalist - by invoking Islam in some random way to justify his cruelty and meglomania. The 'Allahu Akbar' on the Iraqi flag was originally put there by Saddam.)

Another good example of a similar system might be Egypt (though as far as being a danger to its own people, Saddam Hussein committed far worse and frequent atrocities) where there was basically no growth and employment was basically kept down by hiring unimaginably large amounts of people to work for the civil service. Sort of like France actually, hahaha.

Things there are a mess now but if it ever gets resolved (And that remains to be seen, of course), I'm confident Iraq will basically be the economic engine for the region - alongside Israel and an increasingly assertive and confident Lebanon (Which, being the arab world's first halfway decent version of democracy, is starting to really take steps towards real self determination).

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Ruso Hamlet

Ruso

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Iraq could not be compared with other third world nations because of its historical culture. Many might see it as an underdeveloped nation, nevertheless they forget about the incredible heritage they give to the world. :ph34r:

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dpbaker Hamlet

dpbaker

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being pessimistic (and off topic) about this whole ordeal, I don't think things will get better soon. UNLESS we provided a full pullout of Isreal. I think that is the root of violence.

Not gonna happen, and that shouldn't at all matter, though I understand why it does.

iraq has potential... rebuilding of babylon

Indeed. I don't know about rebuilding Babylon, but Iraq really could be something. In fact, the entireity of the Middle East has such overwhelming potential, at least the UAE seems to have figured that out. Let's hope it spreads. I honestly think the situation in Iraq will get better, but perhaps not before getting even worse than it is now. Let's hope and pray for the best for ALL in that region...

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