Iraq, with its socialist economy, pays considerable attention
to welfare. This regard for social benefits has been increased
by the war. No statistics were available in early 1988 by which
to judge the scope of benefits paid by the government to its servicemen
and their families. Nonetheless, journalistic reports indicated
that martyrs' benefits--for the families of war dead-- and subsidies
for young men who volunteer for service tended to be extremely
generous. A family that had lost a son in the fighting could expect
to be subsidized for life; in addition, it was likely to receive
loans from the state bank on easy terms and gifts of real estate.
Minimal information was available in early 1988 concerning social
welfare coverage. The most recent published data was that for
1983, when the government listed 824,560 workers covered by social
security. In addition, pensions were paid to retirees and disabled
persons as well as compensation to workers for maternity and sick
leaves.
* * *
Although a number of first rate military analyses of Iraq and
the war have appeared since 1980, there has been little useful
research on the social changes that were occurring. Much of the
information that would make up such studies has been withheld
by the government because of wartime censorship, and in some cases
material that has been made available appears to be untrustworthy.
A number of classics therefore continue to be required reading
for those interested in the society of Iraq. Wilfred Thesiger's
Marsh Arabs graphically depicts life among the southern
Shias in the mid- and late 1950s. Robert Fernea's Shaikh and
Effendi describes social conditions in the central Euphrates
valley and Elizabeth Fernea's Guests of the Sheik deals
with the role of women particularly. Classic historical treatments
of the Kurdish question are found in Edmond Ghareeb's The
Kurdish Question in Iraq and W. Jwaideh's The Kurdish
National Movement. The latest work on the subject is The
Kurds: An Unstable Element in the Gulf by Stephen Pelletiere.
For an excellent treatment of the Baathist elite see The Old
Social and the Revolutionary Movements of Iraq by Hanna Batatu.
Also on the same topic is Iraq: Eaastern Flank of the Arab
World by Christine Helm. For the best all around treatment
of Iraq in the recent period, see Phebe Marr's The Modern
History of Iraq. (For further information and complete citations,
see Bibliography.)
Country
name Iraq conventional long form Republic of Iraq conventional
short form Iraq local long form Al Jumhuriyah al Iraqiyah local short form Al Iraq
Area
- total: 437,072 sq km land: 432,162 sq km water: 4,910 sq km
Geographic
Location - Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iran and Kuwait
Terrain
- Mostly broad plains; reedy marshes along Iranian border in south with large
flooded areas; mountains along borders with Iran and Turkey
Climate- Mostly desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless summers; northern
mountainous regions along Iranian and Turkish borders experience cold winters
with occasionally heavy snows that melt in early spring, sometimes causing extensive
flooding in central and southern Iraq
Geography
- Strategic location on Shatt al Arab waterway and at the head of the Persian
Gulf
Waterways
- 1,015 km note: Shatt al Arab is usually navigable by maritime traffic
for about 130 km; channel has been dredged to 3 m and is in use; Tigris and Euphrates
Rivers have navigable sections for shallow-draft boats; Shatt al Basrah canal
was navigable by shallow-draft craft before closing in 1991 because of the Gulf
war
Information
Courtesy: The Library of Congress - Country Studies
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