Iraqs politics and government system
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| Assignment Type | Research Paper |
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| Subject | Law |
| Academic Level | Undergraduate |
| Citation Style | APA |
| Length | 2 pages |
| Word Count | 781 |
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Iraq: Political System and Government
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Iraq: Political System and Government
Iraq, bordered by Syria, Turkey, Iran, Jordan, and Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, is one of the Persian Gulf nations. Iraq was historically considered the cradle of civilization, and the area where the wheel, law, and a system of writing developed, in the area where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers meet. At one point or another, the country which was known as Mesopotamia was part of many of the historic empires (Randall, 2003). The modern history of the nation began after World War I, when Great Britain acquired control of the region under a mandate from the United Nations’ precursor, the League of Nations (Randall, 2003). Iraq remained under the control of Great Britain until 1932, when the League of Nations mandate took away Great Britain’s control. During the ten years from 1958 to 1968 the Ba’ath Party attempted to gain power (again through the use of coups) and in 1968, they succeeded. This set the stage for Saddam Hussein’s rise to power in 1979. He remained in power until 2003.
Saddam Hussein
Hussein’s reign was characterised by a series of violent actions and inhumane treatment of citizens of Iraq. The CIA stated that “it is noted that Saddam had built a powerful, centralized political machine with only himself and a few trusted family members and lieutenants making virtually all policy decisions (CIA, 1991, Abstract). Hussein was reported to be responsible for large-scale human rights violations, including the gassing of hundreds of Kurds in Halabja and the massacre of 143 Shiites in Dujail as well as the deaths of an undetermined number of Shiites in the south (Richelson, 2005). In 2003, a multinational force led by the US and Great Britain attacked and toppled the Hussein government.
Post Hussein
The multinational force established in Interim government and transferred sovereignty to it in June of 2004. Various members of the peacekeeping force remained in Iraq, with the US finally leaving the nation in December of 2011. The US Department of State reports that a Constitution had been established in 2005 (USDOS, 2012) which established Iraq as an Islamic parliamentary democracy. The first elections were held in 2006 and the new government took over. In 2010 election of a Council of Representatives and the Executive branch was held. The government is arranged with three branches: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial.
The Executive Branch is comprised of a president and [up to] three vice presidents, as well as the Council of Ministers, comprised of a prime minister, three deputy prime ministers, and 30 cabinet ministers (USDOS, 2012). The Legislative Branch is comprised of 325 members of the Council of Representatives (COR), 25% of which must be female. The Judicial Branch is the Supreme Court, which is appointed by the prime minister and confirmed by the COR (USDOS, 2012) and a number of other courts, including a federal court system, a High Judicial Council, a public prosecutor, and a Court of Cassation (appeals court) (Traveldocs, 2012). Finally, there are 18 governates (similar to states) and a federal region (similar to Washington, DC).
Comparison and Conclusions
Although the three branches of the government are similar there are nonetheless differences between the US and Iraq. The Executive Branch in the US is smaller; there are no prime minister or cabinet ministers. Instead, these positions are roughly equivalent to the US’s “Secretaries”. In the US, there are two groups in the Legislative Branch (the House of Representatives and the Senate). There is no requirement for female participation and the government is not Islamic. The Judicial branch is very similar, with the Cassation Court similar to our Appeals Courts.
If we were to adapt something from the Iraq system, it should be to require a certain number of seats to be held by women. The Council of Ministers might also be a good idea, for it would give the “Secretaries” the public significance they already privately have in the US government.
References
CIA (1991) Political and personality handbook of Iraq. January 1991, Secret. Retrieved from http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB167/06.pdf
Randall, J. (2003) Iraq: History. Scholastic.com. Retrieved from http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/iraq/iraq_history.htm
Richelson, J. (2005) Saddam's iron grip: Intelligence reports on Saddam Hussein's reign. National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 167. Retrieved from http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB167/index.htm
Traveldocs (2012) Iraq: Government. Travel Document Systems. Retrieved online at http://www.traveldocs.com/index.php?page=about-iraq-2#government
USDOS (2012) Background note: Iraq. Government. US Department of State: Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. Retrieved from http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/6804.htm
Your Name
Your University
Your School of Engineering, Social Sciences, etc
Number and Name of Course
Instructor's Name
Date of Paper
Any author's notes should be entered here, flush left
Iraq: Political System and Government
Iraq, bordered by Syria, Turkey, Iran, Jordan, and Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, is one of the Persian Gulf nations. Iraq was historically considered the cradle of civilization, and the area where the wheel, law, and a system of writing developed, in the area where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers meet. At one point or another, the country which was known as Mesopotamia was part of many of the historic empires (Randall, 2003). The modern history of the nation began after World War I, when Great Britain acquired control of the region under a mandate from the United Nations’ precursor, the League of Nations (Randall, 2003). Iraq remained under the control of Great Britain until 1932, when the League of Nations mandate took away Great Britain’s control. During the ten years from 1958 to 1968 the Ba’ath Party attempted to gain power (again through the use of coups) and in 1968, they succeeded. This set the stage for Saddam Hussein’s rise to power in 1979. He remained in power until 2003.
Saddam Hussein
Hussein’s reign was characterised by a series of violent actions and inhumane treatment of citizens of Iraq. The CIA stated that “it is noted that Saddam had built a powerful, centralized political machine with only himself and a few trusted family members and lieutenants making virtually all policy decisions (CIA, 1991, Abstract). Hussein was reported to be responsible for large-scale human rights violations, including the gassing of hundreds of Kurds in Halabja and the massacre of 143 Shiites in Dujail as well as the deaths of an undetermined number of Shiites in the south (Richelson, 2005). In 2003, a multinational force led by the US and Great Britain attacked and toppled the Hussein government.
Post Hussein
The multinational force established in Interim government and transferred sovereignty to it in June of 2004. Various members of the peacekeeping force remained in Iraq, with the US finally leaving the nation in December of 2011. The US Department of State reports that a Constitution had been established in 2005 (USDOS, 2012) which established Iraq as an Islamic parliamentary democracy. The first elections were held in 2006 and the new government took over. In 2010 election of a Council of Representatives and the Executive branch was held. The government is arranged with three branches: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial.
The Executive Branch is comprised of a president and [up to] three vice presidents, as well as the Council of Ministers, comprised of a prime minister, three deputy prime ministers, and 30 cabinet ministers (USDOS, 2012). The Legislative Branch is comprised of 325 members of the Council of Representatives (COR), 25% of which must be female. The Judicial Branch is the Supreme Court, which is appointed by the prime minister and confirmed by the COR (USDOS, 2012) and a number of other courts, including a federal court system, a High Judicial Council, a public prosecutor, and a Court of Cassation (appeals court) (Traveldocs, 2012). Finally, there are 18 governates (similar to states) and a federal region (similar to Washington, DC).
Comparison and Conclusions
Although the three branches of the government are similar there are nonetheless differences between the US and Iraq. The Executive Branch in the US is smaller; there are no prime minister or cabinet ministers. Instead, these positions are roughly equivalent to the US’s “Secretaries”. In the US, there are two groups in the Legislative Branch (the House of Representatives and the Senate). There is no requirement for female participation and the government is not Islamic. The Judicial branch is very similar, with the Cassation Court similar to our Appeals Courts.
If we were to adapt something from the Iraq system, it should be to require a certain number of seats to be held by women. The Council of Ministers might also be a good idea, for it would give the “Secretaries” the public significance they already privately have in the US government.
References
CIA (1991) Political and personality handbook of Iraq. January 1991, Secret. Retrieved from http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB167/06.pdf
Randall, J. (2003) Iraq: History. Scholastic.com. Retrieved from http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/iraq/iraq_history.htm
Richelson, J. (2005) Saddam's iron grip: Intelligence reports on Saddam Hussein's reign. National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 167. Retrieved from http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB167/index.htm
Traveldocs (2012) Iraq: Government. Travel Document Systems. Retrieved online at http://www.traveldocs.com/index.php?page=about-iraq-2#government
USDOS (2012) Background note: Iraq. Government. US Department of State: Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. Retrieved from http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/6804.htm