Discuss and analyze the role of Saddam Hussein in bringing about the ruination of his country, and the attempts of the International Community to contain him. Next, go on to analyze the effects of the US invasion of Iraq in March 2003 and US occupation, which, among other developments, led to the Iraqi Constitution of 2005 and al-Zarkawi establishing a branch of al-Qaeda in Iraq. Your essay, up to this point, should be organized around pivotal points/events, such as the Iran-Iraq War 1980-88 or Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declaring a Caliphate in 2014. Name your events and write a paragraph or two about each. Finally, and briefly, update the situation in Iraq as we did in class and through lecture notes and Power Point. (Use our textbook, William Polk, and Joby Warrick, and lecture notes, any handouts, and Power Point).
