Political Science

Culture  the word has its origins in the idea of the existence of a particular spirit of the people. Edward Tylor defined it in 1958 as -
Culture, or civilization, taken in its broad, ethnographic sense, is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.

What then is Iraqi culture In the modern era Iraq has been a Middle Eastern, Muslim based society, with a relatively short life span  only 3 live longer than 60 years according to the CIA World Book Iraq pages. It shares borders with Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, all countries in which the majority populations are Muslim. 67 of its people live in the large urban areas such as Baghdad. To the south it has a tiny outlet to the Persian Gulf which allows trade by sea.

The name Iraq means two veins, and refers to the rivers which were at one time the countrys main arteries of communication and trading opportunities.

Ethnically its people are in the main Arab, but there are also 15-20 Kurds, who are ethnically Iranian( mainly in the north).Turkomen, Assyrians, and others make up 5. 3 are Christians and almost all the others Muslim with a split of about 23 Shia and 13 Sunni.  Between them they speak several languages Arabic, Kurdish, which is the official language in Kurdish areas, a form of Turkish, Assyrian - an Aramaic language, and Armenian. There is an overall literacy rate of 74.1 , but this is 10 higher in men than women.

At the time of writing the country is a parliamentary democracy with a constitution ratified in 2005, but of course until recently it was a military dictatorship under Saddam Hussein.

Although a majority Muslim country its legal system is based upon both Western European and Muslim law, presumably because of earlier influences. Major differences between the two main groups within the population, both Muslim, are to do with such things as how to pray, marriage and inheritance, and as far as faith itself is concerned there are only minor differences.

The country has a proud history. It was where the very first cities were built. In those days it was known as Mesopotamia - the land between the two rivers of the Tigris and the Euphrates. Writing was used in early times, especially for trade at first. There were schools for boys and many temples for worship of the gods. It has been ruled by many different peoples including the Assyrians, the Persians and the Parthians. From the 16th century it was part of the Ottoman Empire which stretched as far west as Austria. Unfortunately much of this proud history is being destroyed, with many ancient sites being damaged in the wars, or looted by poor people for artifacts which can be sold illegally and smuggled out of the country to be sold on overseas.

After World War 1 the country came under British control, but this only lasted until 1932 when a short-lived kingdom was established. A coup detat in 1958 led to the Republic, which, from 1979-2003 was controlled by Saddam Hussein. During this period the country had a war with Iran and it was also the time of the first Gulf War which had a devastating effect on the country. In 2003 the country was invaded, mainly by America, in the Second Gulf War. Since that time it has been more or less in a state of continuous conflict despite the new Constitution of 2005. Although this received a positive vote of 79 there were a high number of Sunni Muslims (the minority Islamic group), who opposed it, and in three provinces it was rejected by 23 of voters

It is a country of extreme climate and also has little in the way of fresh water supplies. . During the dry season, any traffic causes clouds of dust, especially in the desert regions which are the prevailing landscape. In the wet season, about 90 of the annual rain falls from November to April and flash flooding occurs frequently, especially in the wadis. When these run across roads transport is hindered which make it difficult to maintain supply routes. According to the South Travels web page temperatures for the rest of the year can reach 102F and in the south, where the nomadic marsh Arabs live, under the influence of the Persian Gulf, there is high humidity. In the uplands there is almost no precipitation except for rare showers, though the high mountains in the north and north west get snow on their peaks, which, when it melts, causes flooding. However in the alluvial basin between the two rivers agriculture is possible. In the far south there are marsh lands.

Iraq has always been important in the ArabIslamic world and, in the south, is host to three important Shia Islamic religious sites. These are the mosque of Imam Ali in Najaf, together with the mosques of Imam Hussein and Imam Abbas, both in Karbala, according to Iraq, Canadian Contents.

Despite the many Islamic influences the country was run as a secular state until the Saddam Hussein era, when Islamic ideas were used to defend actions and Sunni Muslins were in authority. Since his overthrow the Shia majority hold more power than previously and the majority feel freer to express their religious ideas than previously.

The years of war have physically devastated the country.  Even the most ancient monuments have been affected. War offensives on cities such as Fallujah and Tal Afar have led to a lack of even basic services such as electricity and a safe water supply. There are still deep rooted political divisions and a general state of disorder. Some blame the occupying armies, but others blame the insurgency that led to the occupation. Either way the countrys infrastructure is disrupted or such things as higher education are very difficult to maintain.

Oil is of course important to the countrys economy having been discovered in 1908 according to History of Oil in Iraq. In 1918 Lord Curzon, then British Foreign Secretary, denied that oil deposits  had any influence  upon British policy in Iraq,  but British troops were nevertheless sent  to Mosul in order to  gain control of the oil wells in the north. The oil, a major source of income and a huge and valuable resource, have attracted foreign interest ever since, often to the countrys detriment. The Gulf Wars, widely promoted as being about such things as civil rights, would not have attracted so much foreign involvement otherwise. There are after all many other, poorer, countries where civil rights are not a priority.

Like many other peoples of the region all Iraqis consider family and honor to be very important. This means that the extended family or tribe remains as a powerful political and social entity. Wrongdoing will bring shame not only on the individual, but upon all his family and family loyalty is high on the Iraqi agenda.  The family is such a strong bond that in rural areas, they may well all live in one house, or at least in a common compound. Even in cities they will live very close to each other, which means it is even more devastating when a bomb goes off many members of one family may be affected.  All the more reason for seeking ways to end the conflicts which are having such negative effects on this historic nation.