37 lines
1.7 KiB
Markdown
37 lines
1.7 KiB
Markdown
**Ba'athist Iraq** or the **Iraqi Republic** was...complicated. It was
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the state that governed Iraq from 1968 to 2003, and is either seen as a
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shining example of [anti-imperialism](Anti-Colonialism "wikilink"),
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[feminism](feminism "wikilink"),
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[pan-arabism](Arab_Nationalism "wikilink") and
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[socialism](socialism "wikilink")...or an authoritarian dictatorship
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that violently tore apart its environment and own people in the pursuit
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of further power.
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## Negatives
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- It has been estimated that 250,000 people were executed by the
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government for speaking out against authoritarianism and secular
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ideas.\[1\]
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- The famous Mesopotamian Marshes (a historical refuge for escaped
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serfs and slaves) were drained to deny its use as a base for
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anti-government insurgents (including groups as diverse as far-right
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Islamists and far-left communists). Considered one of the [worst
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environmental
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disasters](List_of_Major_Environmental_Disasters "wikilink") of the
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20th century (desertifying 19,000km2 of land), on par with the
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[deforestation of the
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Amazon](deforestation_of_the_Amazon "wikilink") and an estimated
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275,000 people starved to death as a result of declining
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agricultural yields and the loss, between 80,000 and 120,000 fled to
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[Iran](Iran "wikilink") and the Marsh Arab culture had been
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annihilated in a [genocidal](Crimes_Against_Humanity "wikilink") and
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[ecocidal](Ecocide "wikilink") action to increase government
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power.\[2\]
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## References
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<references />
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1. <https://www.hrw.org/news/2004/01/25/war-iraq-not-humanitarian-intervention>
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2. [Wikipedia](Wikipedia "wikilink") -
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<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draining_of_the_Mesopotamian_Marshes> |