Syria and Iraq

1. Syria and Iraq Arab Nations in Civil War

2. Objectives • Identify Syria and Iraq on a blank map of the Middle East. • Discuss Syria’s ethnic problem and how it contributed to their civil war. • Use the term Arab Spring correctly. • Discuss the Iraq-Iran War. • Explain the importance of Iraq’s two rivers. • Describe how ISIS is changing this area.

3. Terms and Places Damascus is the capital of Syria. Our own people did this! civil war is a war within one country Alawitesare a minority in Syria that holds the power. Syria Arab Spring is a movement to reform or overthrow Arab governments. Iraq Tigris and Euphrates are the two rivers of Iraq that give the only fertile land in Iraq. Baghdad is the capital of Iraq. Saddam Hussein was a dictator of Iraq for many years. ISIS is the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

4. To the south of the Middle East lies the Arabian Peninsula. To the west of the Middle East lies Egypt, Israel, and the Mediterranean Sea. Mediterranean Sea The Middle East lies south and west of Turkic and Iranian. The lesson will focus on Syria and Iraq.

5. A group called ISIS is currently trying to unite parts of Iraq and Syria. ISIS isn’t known for respecting human rights. How did war come to this area and allow this group to gain control?

6. The Ottoman Empire (Turkey) controlled the Middle East during World War One. European powers divided up the Middle East after winning World War One. Europeans divided up this area to suit themselves rather than according to where ethnic groups lived.

7. Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq are part of the Arab-speaking world. However, that doesn’t mean unity with either the other Arab-speaking nations or even within the countries themselves.

8. The Kurds don’t speak Arabic. The Kurdish Language is closer to Iran’s languages. Sunni and Shiite are the two major branches of the Muslim religion. The Shiites have controlled Iraq since the US left. Alawites are a minority in Syria, but they have controlled Syria for a long time. They are Shiite.

9. It looks like each of these will have their own nation soon, and the traditional countries of Iraq and Syria will disappear.

10. Examine this physical map. Predict where land will be used and unused in Syria and Lebanon. If you predicted along the rivers and Mediterranean shore, you were correct.

11. This map shows just the major ethnic divisions that make up Syria. In Syria, the Alawitesrepresent only 12% of the people, but they have been in charge of the country for a long time. Moreover, the Alawites are Shiites, while the rest of Syria and northern Iraq are all Sunni. This map is a very simplified one.

12. Kurds Kurds Arabs Syria is in fact a very complex country, full of different ethnic groups that don’t always get along.

14. President Bashar Assad of Syria. Although he is called the “President” of Syria, that is not the same as an American president. His dad was “president” before him, and no one else was allowed on the ballot during his election. When the Arab Spring began, so did the Syrian civil war.

17. These two rivers formed the basis for several of humankind’s earliest civilizations. The population reflects the geography. To the west of these rivers, Iraq is desert.

18. The United States supported Saddam Hussein because he was Iran’s enemy. Saddam Hussein was a ruthless military dictator in the late 1900s. As his troops left, Saddam Hussein set Kuwait’s oil wells on fire. However, in 1990, Saddam Hussein invaded his tiny neighbor, Kuwait. It was feared that he might invade other countries, such as Saudi Arabia. Many nations came together and threw Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait.

20. Please read “Mesopotamia.” World Studies: Asia. Pearson-Prentice-Hall, 2005. pgs. 104. 1/2 page