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1. Geography and Economy Iraq’s population is mostly Arabs, with about 23 percent Kurds. The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers create favorable conditions for agriculture, which is but poorly developed. Oil is the most important economic factor. It brought in 26 billion dollars in 1980 and is the basis of a large-scale development program. As a result of the Gulf Wars and the economic boycott imposed by the United Nations since 1990, however, this program largely came to a standstill. 2. Political Development With the fall of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I, Iraq came under British mandate and then achieved independence in 1932. The 1958 revolution put an end to the monarchy and eliminated British influence. The Arab Socialist Ba‘th Party took over in 1968. The party, which promotes an ideology of Arab socialism, is attempting a comprehensive transformation of the economy and the society. It views itself as a progressive…

1. Geography and Economy The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is poor in resou…

1. Geography and Economy The economy of the State of Kuwait is based on oil, which in 2000 accounted for nearly 75 percent of government income. In the same year Kuwait maintained ¶ an average production of 2.1 million barrels of crude oil per day and had 10 percent of the world’s oil reserves. In 2000 Kuwaiti Arabs constituted only 37 percent of the total pop…

1. General Situation The State of Qatar lies along the peninsula of the same name on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. East Arab Bedouin tribes began to settle there in the 18th century. Among them the Al Thani family played a leading role from the end of the 19th century. In 1872 the territory came under Ottoman rule with a Turkish garrison in Doha, the capital. When the Turks left at the beginning of World War I, Qatar became a British protectorate. By a treaty concluded in 1916, Britain took over responsibility for its defense and foreign policy (Colonialism). 1.1. Britain left the gulf in 1970, and Qatar achieved full independence in September 1971. By the provisional constitution of 1970 the emir is the executive, ruling through a cabinet that he appoints, which i…