Iraq

Flag of Iraq

**Iraq,** also known as the **Republic of Iraq,** is a rich republic in the Middle east. It is a Unitary Representative Democracy with one party in charge of the state but the people do hold representation over it. It is not a monarchy despite attempts by Egypt and Persia to place personal unions over it. Iraq was mostly able to free itself during the Arab Revolution and with limited Persian help the Iraqis were able to push and liberate most of the Tigris-Euphrates valley. Iraq was declared only 5 days after the revolution of the Syrians in hopes of pulling off a similar feat. However the Iraqis did it with some organization before hand. Iraq did not participate during the Second Weltkrieg like the entirety of the Cairo Pact, but Iraq did have to deal with the Kurdish Insurgency witch in Iraq has been dealt with but not in neighboring Syria. Iraq is the beating agricultural heart of the Cairo Pact and thus provides a lot of economic power over other members of the alliance.

## History

Iraq in 1936 was one of the more obedient areas to the Ottoman Hegemony at the time given its distance from the Arab Revolt and the greater presence of Turks in the area. However the presence of Assyrians and Kurds did cause a lot of tension in the region as ethnic violence would tear much of the extremities of the region into near open insurgency. However the core of Iraq was relatively peaceful until the oncoming of the Black Monday Crisis witch sent the Ottoman Empire into a deep spiral especially after Enver Pasha died in 1936. This would send the central government into even more turmoil and a suppressive new minister was put in power in Konstantinyye who would immediately roll back some of the more liberal reforms of Enver Pasha. Iraq like Syria was hit hard by this as Turkification attempts were forced upon the Arabic populations in Iraq and Syria, not to mention the other ethnic groups like Jews, Kurds, and Assyrians. Tensions continued to boil but little oppurunity was there for revolution until on the 15th of April 1939 neighboring Syria declared independence from the Ottoman Empire. Five days later a council of Iraqi and Assyrian delegates would form the Republic of Iraq with a provisional capital in Kuwait. The rebellion of these areas and the seizing of Hejaz by Arabia would spur the Cairo Pact to declare war on the Ottoman Empire as the Arab Revolution began in its full ernest. Iraq would end up abandoning much of the north to Ottoman forces rallying with Arabian troops and Persian forces in the area as they would hold out in Kuwait for several months as advances where made in Syria. However soon the Ottomans would divert much of their forces over to Syria and Iraq would launch its own offensive and after a decisive battle at Kut, in witch ironically the Ottomans would be encircled, and the fall of Baghdad the Ottoman lines completely collapsed. The next month the Iraqis were reaching Anatolia in witch the largest battle of the war would take place in the ruins of Antioch as almost every nation in the Cairo Pact would have troops stationed against the Ottoman defensive lines. Unsurprisingly the Ottomans broke and with little hope for victory the Ottoman state signed a conditional surrender. The Treaty of Cairo would strip the Ottomans of all land not recognized as Anatolian but the Ottomans left behind large ammo storages on purpose this time. The Kurds and other Islamic extremists would be funded by the Ottomans to take these Ammo stores and launch an insurgency in order to prevent the Entry of the Cairo Pact into the Second Weltkrieg. This would work as the entire Cairo Pact focused on crushing an internal security threat then launching its supposed goal of liberating the Arab would from the French and other colonialists. This insurgency would last for nearly a decade only being suppressed at the Battle of Mosul in 1947. However by that point the Second Weltkrieg was essentially over with the Treaty of Singapore being signed and the Union of Britain cracking under the pressure of bombardment from the Entente and Reichspakt. But the Cairo Pact began to scheme for its entry into the Post-War world as the Cairo Pact begins to align with the Reichspakt and has embargoed the Entente. Iraq has made a lot of money on Oil meanwhile and now along with Persia and Arabia it is one of the richest nations in terms of GDP. But not in terms of GDP per capita. Despite this the new social democratic prime minister should make a bright future for the citizens of Iraq.

## Military

The Iraqi military like most in the Post-War would is geared towards the defense of its own territory and specifically against insurgencies. The Iraqi army is one of the strongest anti-insurgency forces in the entirety of Asia being stronger than even Syria or Egypt in this regard. However its army is woefully unprepared for a frontal war. The Iraqi navy is small but large enough to defend its oil fields witch is what it is mostly used for. The Iraqi air force is being developed and is close to beginning production. In only a few years Iraq in terms of air power could rival Egypt.