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reopened in 1997.
For its part, Iraq has been concerned about Turkey’s use of
water from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Turkish water projects
greatly affect the amount of water that Iraq can draw from those
water resources.
I
RAQ AND THE
A
RAB
W
ORLD
Until the Gulf War, Iraq was a major force in the region mainly
because of its military strength—as of 1991 it had the fourth-
largest army in the entire world, with nearly one million active-duty
soldiers. At various times Iraqi military strength has alarmed its
Arab neighbors—Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Syria—as
some of Iraq’s leaders have clearly indicated their desire to rule over
a united Arab nation.
Historically, Iraqi leaders have considered Kuwait to be part of
their territory. The tiny kingdom of Kuwait was founded in 1756.
Although it was on the fringes of the Ottoman Empire in the 18th
and 19th centuries, it was never really part of the empire. British
influence was more prevalent than Turkish; in 1899 Kuwait became
a British protectorate, and remained under British control until
1961, when it became an independent state.
Long before Iraq’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait, the leaders of Iraq
coveted Kuwait’s oil wealth as well as its long coastline on the
Persian Gulf. As early as 1940, King Ghazi of Iraq talked about
making Kuwait part of his country. Later, when Abd al-Karim
Qasim took over the reins of government in 1961, he claimed
Kuwait for Iraq and threatened to invade—an invasion that was
cancelled only after British warships and troops were rushed to the
Gulf to protect Kuwait. When the Baath Party came to power in Iraq
in 1963, it recognized the independence of Kuwait; a few years later,
however, the Baath Party began to pressure Kuwait to become part
of Iraq.
I
RAQ
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