Iran, Iraq, & TurkeyMiddle Eastern Studies

Iran

a.k.a. PERSIAShia State

636 CE

Arab invasion brought the end of the Sasanian dynasty and the start of Islamic rule

Ethinicities

50% Persian 25% Turkic Azeri 25% Kurds, Turkmen, Arabs, etc. History – has been controlled by

Aryans Greeks Arabs Mongols Turkics

Turkic Safavid Dynasty

Last dynasty – ended in the mid 1700s

1795 Russia and Great Britain wanted to divide Persia Turkic Qajar tribe moved the capital to

Tehran to save it from division The Qajar Dynasty was established and

ruled for the next 130 years

Qajar Dynasty

1901: Gave Great Britain a 60 year

dispensation for their oil reserves Traded customs proceeds to Russia for a

large loan 1906:

Gave London concessions over Persian tobacco industry

Nationalists

Got worried about the funds Great Britain and Russia were getting from Iran Formed a Constitutional Government Formed a National Assembly called the

Majlis Russia and Great Britain got ticked

off so they divided Persia into two kingdoms based on economics

Majlis

Did not give up Hired an American banker named

Morgan Shuster to set things straight Gave him total control of Persian finanances Russia forced the Majlis to fire Shuster

WWI breaks out Persia declares neutrality Not invited to the Paris Peace Conference at

the end of the war

Great Britain went behind Persia’s back and wrote/submitted the Anglo-Iranian Treaty Turned Iran into a British protectorate

Majlis got FURIOUS Great Britain backed off 1921 Reza Khan overthrew the Qajars Qajar Dynasty ended and Reza Khan is

the new Persian Shah

Reza Khan•Aryan•Worked to nationalize Persia•Changed the country’s name to Iran to associate it with his Aryan roots•Made religion an individual, private matter•By mid 1930s all citizens were encouraged to wear western clothes•Built factories, roads, railways•Developed European-style education system•Negotiated to get British and Russian troops out of Iran•Negotiated to get back the rights to the oil, tobacco, and customs rights

Reza’s downfall…

Things were rocking along well in Iran until Reza became friends with… Hitler Sided with the Germans in WWII Great Britain and Russia invaded Iran in

1941 Reza resigned and turned control of

Iran over to his son, Muhammed Reza Pahlavi who sided with the allies

Muhammed Reza Pahlavi Got in good with

the Allies by hosting the Tehran Conference in 1943 FDR, Stalin,

Churchill Promised

independence and financial aid to Iran after the war

Post WWII

U.S. pressured USSR to leave Iran Great Britain was too hard hit by the

war to care about Iranian control U.S. wanted Iran for its strategic

location and oil.

1951 – Majlis nationalized the oil production. Great Britain left Iran Oil production dropped▪ Iranians were not educated in how to operate the

wells and refineries Mid-1950s – Iranian oil production was back

in the hands of Europeans and Americans Iran was receiving ½ the profits U.S. firmly established Shah Pahlavi as the

leader of Iran

1953-67 – Iran received $600 million in U.S. aid Eisenhower Administration (most of the money) Kennedy Administration Johnson Administration

JFK saw social troubles in Iran, urged Shah to fix the problem. White Revolution▪ Rich sold their land t the gov’t▪ Gov’t gave the land to the poor as small farms▪ Improved education and women’s rights

Shah tried to modernize Iran Moved too quickly and sent the people into

culture shock! He formed the Savak (secret police) to seek

out and get rid of all opposition White Revolution and U.S. involvement

made the mullahs made. They began to speak out 1964 the Shah deported their main leader▪ Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomenini▪ Inspired a revolution!

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini

Khomeini was exiled from Iran Fled to Iraq Developed a doctrine

known as THE RULE OF THE JURIST▪ Secular gov’ts should be

replaced by theocracies▪ Laws would be

administered by mujtahids (Islamic law experts)

1978 – Saddam Hussein kicked Ayatollah Khomeini out of Iraq so he fled to France

Due to the civil unrest in Iran, Khomeini developed a plan Video tape his sermons Smuggle tapes into Iran Copy and distribute the tapes

His plan worked! Strong national movement began Those who didn’t like him thought he’d at least

be better than the Shah

January 1979 – unrest in Iran is really bad! Shah fled the country Khomeini returned to Iran Savak are executed Islamic Revolution had begun!

April 1, 1979 – Islamic Constitution is adopted Council of Guardians from Khomeini became the faqih – expert jurist

Social changes Mandatory dress codes Prohibition Capital punishment for adultery and prostitution, etc. Partnerships with the West and non-Muslim gov’ts ended

November 1979 Shah entered the US for cancer treatment Khomeini followers stored the U.S. Embassy

and took 70 hostages Said they would exchange the hostages for the

Shah President Carter said “NO WAY!”

November 1979 – December 1980 Negotiations were held UN tried to help Military tried and failed Shah died

Khomeini call the U.S. “the Great Satan”

U.S. thinks Iran is full of Muslim madmen!

Hostages were released in 1981 after the 1980 Presidential Election U.S. paid Iran in cash

and weapons

USSR

U.S. is tied up with hostages in Iran USSR invades Afghanistan

US issues the Carter doctrine▪ Don’t try to control the Persian Gulf – we

won’t have it

Iran-Iraq War 1980s

Iran released the hostages and said We’re not worried about the U.S. We’re not worried about the USSR in

Afghanistan We’re worried about Iraq

50% of Iraqis were Shia Muslims who got very excited about the Islamic Revolution Hussein got a little nervous Khomeini called the Sunni Iraqis infidels

Tensions mount Iraq deports all Iranian Shias back to Iran Iranian counterrevolutionaries move to Iraq to fight

against Iran September 21, 1980

Iraq invaded Iran Secular Iraq vs. Religious Revivalist Iran The West backs Iraq

Khomeini got himself elected president of Iran War rages Oil platforms and fields are threatened Oil production is interrupted

1988 – Iran is in ruins The people

convince the leaders to make peace with Iraq

June 4, 1989 – Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini died

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei took over

Open to the West again?

July 1989 – Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani became Iran’s president.

He wanted to open trade with the West again because Iran’s economy needed it

Things rocked along a little on the shaky side until 1995

1995 – Clinton cut all ties with Iran when rumors began to fly about nuclear weapons in Iran

1996 – U.S. led a world trade embargo against Iran for developing Weapons of Mass Destruction

Russia refused to jump on the embargo bandwagon so they helped Iran build a nuclear power plant in southern Iran

1997 – Muhammed Khatami became the new president of Iran Wanted to improve relations with the

U.S. His moderation gave Iranian citizens

hope Khamenei began to lose followers

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad 2005 – Mahmoud

Ahmadinejad took over as the Iranian President. Holds the office to the present Very controversial 2009 re-election was

highly protested Believes he is the chosen

one to prepare the way for the 12th Imam to rule the world

Still calls the U.S. ‘the Great Satan’

Iraq

Sunni State

Facts

Iraq was formed from several provinces into a nation by the British after WWI

From 1921-2003 Iraq was politically controlled by people who were Arab and Sunni. This is unusual because only 20% of Iraq’s population is both Arab and Sunni.

Kurds make up 20% of Iraq’s total population, but most are located in NE Iraq.

Ba’th Party

July of 1968 - The Ba’th Party took over the government Ahmad Hassan al-Bakr and his cousin

Saddam Hussein al-Tikriti led the coupe Bakr became the leader of the new Ba’th

Republic Saddam formed Iraq’s secret police and

brutally scared people into loyally following Bakr and the Ba’th Party

Fear became the glue that kept Iraq together.

Late 1960s-early 1970s – Ethnic Kurds, Turkomans, Assyrian Christians, Arab Shias, conservative Sunnis and communists were Arrested Tortured Deported ExecutedFor being disloyal to the Ba’th Party

Saddam Hussein He began running the country in the late 1970s,

but the aging Bakr was still the ‘leader’ July 1979, Bakr retired and transferred power to

Saddam Saddam’s first meeting with Iraq’s top leaders

He accused these people of conspiring with Syria to overthrow him

He executed most of these men himself in the next 7 days

He had approximately 450 more ‘conspirators’ killed

He aligned Iraq with the USSR He constantly harassed, tortured,

and executed Shia leaders and their followers

Saddam invaded Shia led Iran in 1980

Iran-Iraq War

The main fight was supposed to be over their shared control of the Shatt al-Arab River This is where the Tigris and Euphrates

Rivers join together and flow into the Persian Gulf

Saddam and Khomeini hated each other

Saddam knew the U.S. would help because of the Iranian Hostage Crisis

Saddam wanted Iran’s province of Khuzestan because of it’s oil fields

This conflict became known as the 1st Gulf War because it spread into the Persian Gulf 1983-86▪ Iraq controlled the Shatt al-Arab River▪ Iran controlled parts of northern Iraq where

the Kurds joined them against Iraqi forces▪ U.S. secretly sold weapons to Iran to get the

hostages▪ Once discovered the US openly backed Iraq

1987▪ France and USSR and US supply Iraq▪ US navy went to Persian Gulf to ‘protect’ oil

supply 1988▪ War ended – both countries returned to

prewar boundaries▪ 5 days later, Saddam attacked the Kurds in

Iraq ▪ and killed 5000 with deadly gasses in Halabjah▪ 180,000 Kurds disappeared▪ 4000 Kurdish villages were totally destroyed

2nd Gulf War

1990 Iraq invaded Kuwait to get their oil

economy Operation Desert Shield▪ US moved into Saudi Arabia and the Persian

Gulf to protect Saudi oil supplies 1991

January, US launched Operation Desert Storm▪ Invaded Kuwait▪ 6 weeks later, Kuwait is free from Iraqi

soldiers

Coalition forces (US, Great Britain, France, Italy, etc.) Dropped leaflets into Iraq urging groups

to rise up against Saddam Kurds in the North did Shias in the South did Tons of Kurds were killed in this uprising▪ US, British, and French troops moved in to

establish a safe zone

1992 To get even with the Shias, Saddam began to

drain the marshes which provided their economic livelihood.

1994 Marshes were totally drained▪ Iraqi soldiers marched in and killed the Shias in

Southern Iraq 2001

Ten years of UN sanctions had hurt Iraq UN began a ‘food for oil’ program

2002 The UN embargo had been reduced to

only military related items 2003▪ March – US and Great Britain launched

Operation Iraqi Freedom▪ Bombed Baghdad

▪ April – US got control of Baghdad and Tikrit▪ May – Major fighting was over, rebuilding

began▪ July – first Governing Council met

2004 Saddam was captured

2005 Saddam was executed

The Present US troops are beginning to withdraw

after establishing a ‘democratic’ style of government in Iraq.

Iraqi faces to recognize

Saddam HusseinAfter his capture

Jallal TalibaniIraqi President

Nuri al-MalikiIraqi Prime Minister

Iraq’s Grand AyatollahAli Sistani

Turkey

Very westernized.

Turkey in the 20th Century San Remo Conference of 1920

Treaty of Sevres – divided Turkey Mustafa led a revolt▪ Treaty of Lausanne 1923 – formed modern-

day Turkey Mustafa became a political leader

and began many reforms

Mustafa’s reforms Freedoms for

women Moved capital

from Istanbul to Ankara

Set up a republic Was

unanimously elected president!

More reforms… Separated church and state Had the fez outlawed Got rid of the veil Businessmen had to wear suits Introduced the Christian calendar Introduced the 24-hour day Divorces were not easily granted Polygamy was outlawed Women could inherit an equal share with their brothers Women could get an education and even educate men!!! Muslim women could marry non-Muslim men Freedom of religion was granted Changed the alphabet Changed the day of rest from Friday to Sunday All Turks had to have a last name by 1935

Mustafa Kemel Ataturk

Mustafa chose Ataturk for his last name Means ‘Father Turk’

1935 Hitler invaded parts of Europe Ataturk’s health began to decline

1938 – Ataturk died Ismet Inonu became president

Ismet Inonu Believed in a strong

government Got education going in

rural Turkey Began a state ballet Formed Opera companies

Was an excellent diplomat Allied Turkey with Britain 7

France Signed a non-aggression

treaty with Germany Toward the end of WWII,

ended Turkish neutrality and sided with the Allies

Post WWII Turkey

Turkish businesses profited from the war

Turkey joined the United Nations Turkey allowed another political

party to form Only forbid Communist and religious

parties New democratic party won

Celal Bayar became the new president

Celal Bayar

Bayar reinstated religious education and rebuilt Mosques

By 1958, Democrats were trying to control more and squash the opposition

General Cemal Gursel

By 1960, General Cemal Gursel and the military overthrew the Democrats

Military became the National Unity Party

Senate, with a new Constitution was set up

1961 – Military stepped down to let civilians control again

General Gursel was elected president

Justice Party formed and won votes to get the Prime Minister spot

Military Intervention

The military continued to intervene when they thought the country was straying from Ataturk’s dream for Turkey 1971 1980 1998

More, smaller parties formed Difficult to get majority to get stuff done

Civil War – 1980s to the Present Kurds want

independence Civil war rages off

and on

1993 – Turkey got it’s first female Prime Minister, Tansu Ciller

Turkish Leaders 2012

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan

PresidentAbdullah Gul