Iraq country profile

• Increase image
• View all images

Iraq became independent from the UK in 1932 and was a monarchy until the overthrow of the king in 1958.

A coup in 1968 brought the Baath Party to power, and Saddam Hussain, who played a central role in the coup, became president in 1979. He presided over a brutal dictatorship for more than two decades. In 1980 Saddam invaded Iran, precipitating an eight-year war, and in 1990 he annexed Kuwait, precipitating the 1990-91 Gulf War with an international coalition.

The president was allowed to remain in power by the US-led coalition, but UN sanctions were imposed, a no-fly zone imposed on the Kurdish north and Shiite south of the country, and the Kurdish north granted a substantial degree of autonomy. Following the 11 September terrorist attacks in the US, Washington increasingly accused Iraq of links to terrorism and seeking weapons of mass destruction.

In March 2003, a coalition of the US and the UK went to war to topple Saddam Hussain and have taken charge of the country, under authority provided by UN Resolution 1483, until a representative Iraqi government is formed.

Table: Iraq at a glance

Government

Government officials (appointed 8 May 2005)

• President: Jalal Talabani 

• Premier: Ibrahim Jaafari

• Deputy Premier: Ahmad Chalabi

• Deputy Premier: Abid Mutlaq Hamud al-Jabburi

• Deputy Premier: Rowsch Shaways

• Agriculture: Ali al-Bahadili

• Communications: Juwan Masum

• Culture: Nuri Farhan al-Rawi

• Defence: Saadoun al-Dulaimi

• Displacement & Migration: Suhaylah Abid Jafar

• Education: Abdul Falah Hasan

• Electricity: Abdul Muhsin Shalash

• Environment and (acting) Human Rights: Nermin Othman

• Finance: Ali Allawi

• Foreign Affairs: Hoshyar Zebari

• Health: Abdul Mutalib Muhammad Ali

• Higher Education: Sami al-Mudhafar

• Housing & Construction: Jasim Muhammad Jafar

• Industry & Minerals: Usama al-Najafi

• Interior: Bayan Baqir Jabr Sulagh al-Zubaydi

• Justice: Abdul Husayn Shandal

• Labour & Social Affairs: Idris Hadi

• Municipalities & Public Works: Nesreen Berwari

• Oil: Ibrahim Bahr al-Uloum

• Planning: Barham Saleh

• Science & Technology: Basimah Yusuf Butros

• Trade: Abdul Basit Karim Mawlud

• Transportation: Salam al-Maliki

• Water Resources: Latif Rashid

• Youth & Sports: Talib Aziz Zayni

• State for Civil Society Affairs: Ala Habib Kadhim

• State for Governorates: Saad al-Hardan

• State for National Assembly: Safa al-Din al-Safi

• State for National Security: Abdul Karim al-Anzi

• State for Tourism & Antiquities: Hashim al-Hashimi

• State for Women: Azhar Abdul Karim al-Shaikhali

• Increase image
• View all images

Economy

Iraq's economy has been devastated by a decade of UN sanctions, under which oil could only be legally exported through the UN in exchange for humanitarian goods, and many "dual-use" items, which could potentially have a military use, were prohibited.

This ban meant that many items needed for the upkeep of Iraq's infrastructure could not be imported. The sanctions also made the population more dependent on the government: about 60 per cent of people relied on food hand-outs. Sanctions were lifted after the 2003 war.

Iraq has the world's second largest proven oil reserves at 112.5 million barrels, and a lack of exploration means that actual reserves could be more than double this amount. However, sanctions prevented investment and pre-war production was only about 2.5 million barrels a day (b/d).

Instability in Iraq output has long been an obstacle to OPEC's efforts to maintain price stability, but the potential for production to be raised to much higher levels through renewed investment looks set to pose a much more serious challenge in the longer-term (MEED 25:4:03).

The need for the country's reconstruction after both the war and the sanctions mean that Iraq is at the moment the focus of intense attention from contractors. The US' Bechtel was awarded the US Agency for International Development (USAID) capital construction contract and is subcontracting most of the work.

Table: Economic indicators

($ million, unless stated)