Iraq - past, present and future civilizations

With continuing insurgence and the hand over of power to the Iraqi interim government on June 30th, eyes remain focused on Iraq hoping that a bright future can be carved out of the fragile, uncertain state. Iraq now sits at an unhealthy crossroads, unsafe, lacking strong leadership and without the first world infrastructure that existed before the invasion. What will the future hold for the country? Iraq certainly has the capability for greatness. Taking a moment to look back in ancient history, the land now known as Iraq was the blossom in a barren world, with inspirational development and civilization that the rest of the world would not contemplate until thousands of years later. Mesopotamia. Can such greatness inspire the ancestors again? This article briefly considers the past, present and future civilizations of Iraq.

Ancient Iraq - Mesopotamia

Over 6,000 years ago, in the southeast section of Iraq, in an area known as Sumer, the world's first civilization grew. It was known as Mesopotamia. The initial migrants arrived from Turkey and Iran, settling the lands, and developing an array of inventive techniques to further their society. The created the largest cities of their time, which were spread across a vast empire. They embraced intricate systems of law, administration and taxation, employed advanced agricultural techniques and invented the first written language. The society of Mesopotamia consisted of 3 main cultures who over thousands of years made principal contributions to the civilizations. They were the Sumerians, Babylonians, and the Assyrians.

In Sumer, southern Mesopotamia, the land was initially attractive to settlers because of its rich fertile soil, courtesy of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers which dissected the region. The rich land meant the creation of food surpluses which allowed some settlers to move away from agriculture and into trade. The population was able to grow and thus the process of urbanization began. There was a problem being next to the rivers however. Each year they would erratically flood wiping out a percentage of the people on the land. It was the attempt to find solutions to this problem that furthered the organization of society.

From this beginning and for several thousand years after, Mesopotamia flourished and its achievements multiplied. Below is a list of some of the distinguished accomplishments of the society.

• Architecture - developed vast extensive buildings and structures with decorations such as arches in doorways, and on bridges. Also created the ziggurat, a pyramid-shaped tower.
• Government - created administrative force, governed by King and protected by armies. Mesopotamia had laws, taxes, and a legal system.
• Religion - developed concepts of religion which formed the basis of much of the society.
• Inventions :
  
  * Cuneiform/Writing - earliest writing ever recorded (3200BC), based on pictographs, and utilized for record keeping.
  
  * Irrigation - providing a regular water supply for crops
  
  * Mathematics - invented the calendar, division of labor into 60 minutes/seconds
  
  * Medicine - used plants and minerals for healing purposes
  
  * Metalworking - used metals such as gold, silver, lead, copper, and bronze to create weapons, tools as well as decorative pieces.
  
  * Music - undertaken in efforts to please the gods.
  
  * Plow - allowed farmers to cultivate more land, more efficiently.
  
  * Sailboat - important for trade, enforcing laws, sharing culture, unifying empire.
  
  * Wheel - first used for pottery, then adapted for transportation
  
  

Over the years the nature of Mesopotamia changed and armies attempted to conquer further and greater lands which eventually led to its downfall, alongside poor taxation usage and ignoring the needs of those within the empire. Present day Iraq still contains a number of ancient sites of Mesopotamia including, Ur of the Chaldees where it is possible to view a ziggurat and ancient tombs dating back to at least 2000 BC. The ruins of the ancient cities of Ninevah, Nimrud, Babylon also remain in existence.

Present and future Iraq

With the hand over of power imminent, the Iraqi interim government faces a mirage of issues to comprehend. Firstly, the violence and insurgency abundant in Iraq must be resolved. Many argue that the root cause of the attacks lie in the opportunity for anti-US demonstrators to fight against US forces and that many of the attacks are insurgents who have converged on Iraq from outside nations. If so, it would seem plausible that removal of coalition forces in the short term future will have to be an option for consideration by the new government. Others place all blame on Saddam loyalists, avenging the removal of their leader. Regardless of the roots, the new government certainly has to show some control over all the outside forces who have shown so much interest in their land. The latest UN Security Council resolution ultimately gives Iraq the right to ask coalition forces to leave the country but this is unlikely to happen immediately. It also stipulates that the US-led coalition must work in partnership with Iraq over security issues including those of a sensitive nature. This increased power should assist the Iraqis gain greater stability. Ultimately the goal must be a peaceful land and such a vision will need to be realized rapidly if progress is to be made elsewhere.

Secondly the interim government faces the difficult challenge of peacefully unifying its many different ethnic and cultural factions, a task which has so often been the downfall of recently emerging nations. Under Saddam Hussein, the Shia majority (60%) in Iraq were harshly oppressed, often forced to live in shanty-like towns. Since his removal, the Shia majority are now keen to ensure a better future and want a significant share of political power. There have been calls to for the creation of an Islamic state, such as that exists in neighbouring Iran. One only has to look back at the history of Iraq over the last few centuries to understand why a strongly religious nation, closed to western influence or interference, might appear an appealing option to some.

Economically, Iraq must restore its infrastructure, supervise its foreign contractors, improve its service such as restoring health provision to at least its former state, protect and restore its oil industry, and manage its new freer economy and structure. And these are just the initial challenges.

Coupled with these factors, there is the prospect of embracing democratic concepts in a traditional and highly religious land which has just stepped out from 30 years of dictatorship under Saddam Hussein.

On the other side, there are positive events happening in Iraq. Children have in the most part returned to schools, wages have in instances increased ten-fold in comparison to life in the dictatorship, rebuilding has begun and even the Iraq soccer team is back in international competition.

There are undoubtedly a multitude of issues that have to be dealt with and these will take time to address, develop and improve. Bar the need to halt the violence, change cannot be expected too rapidly else it is doomed for failure with misunderstanding and fear leading the rebellion against change. Openness, education and information will be key alongside strong leadership and appropriate representation of all groups. Minimizing corruption, and investing in long term development of services will also be vital. The journey is just beginning for Iraq, it might just take a look back to ancient times to inspire and lead a light for the future.