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for their own independent state in this region. However, all of the governments that would be affected oppose giving up some of their territory for a Kurdish state. After the 1991 Gulf War, the United States and Great Britain imposed a no-fly zone over northern Iraq to protect the Kurds from Saddam Hussein’s armies. With this protection, Iraqi Kurdistan became a de facto democratic state during the 1990s; its people elected a lawmaking parliament, developed a system of govern- ment, and established an army and police force. Yet the Kurdistan model proved far from perfect. Two rival groups, the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, battled for control. Their political fighting at times turned violent. Kurds have also attempted to terrorize and control the Assyrian Christian pop- ulation living in the northern provinces of Iraq. The Assyrians make up about 1 percent of Iraq’s total popula- tion. Other ethnic groups living in the country include Turkomen, a nomadic Turkic people who live along the northern border of Iraq and make up about 1.4 percent of the total population. Armenians, Persians, and smaller groups together make up less than 2 percent

Words to Understand in This Chapter

calligraphy—artistic, elegant handwriting or lettering. dialects—regional varieties of a language that are distinguished by differences in pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary. geometric—consisting of, or based on, shapes such as circles, squares, or straight lines. patriarchal—relating to a social group in which the father is the supreme head, and wives and chil- dren are legally dependent upon him. polygon—a closed figure on a sphere bounded by arcs of great circles. plaintive—expressing suffering or woe.