-
1970
Years of coups and counter-coups in iraq, and rise of the Baath party, up to the growth of OPEC -
1980
They have been savaged by Saddam over the years, most famously in chemical gas attacks in the 1980s. -
1990
Saddam invaded Kuwait, and the United States responded with a brief but deadly war. -
Early 1990s
the industry declined and scarcity of food became a serious worry for perhaps half of the country’s population. -
1991
Gulf War left Saddam Hussein in power and punished the Iraquis for that fact by also leaving in place the UN sanctions that had been imposed after the invasion -
1991 War
The 1991 War crippled the electric power system, reducing generating capacity from around 5 gigawatts to 1.8 gigawatts, according to a report in Middle East Economic Survey -
Postwar
Postwar Iraq has seen the formation of gangs inspired by Islamic fundamentalism, that have made a habit of kidnapping women who in their eyes flaunted Islamic law in clothing and behavior -
2004
Crude oil exports for May 2004 averaged 1.6 million barrels a day. -
2004
According to August 2004 reports, some 1,000 Iraqi schools need to be rebuilt as a result of damage and looting, almost 20% of the country's 18,000 school buildings need comprehensive or partial repair -
2004
Even where schools, some parents are afraid to allow their children to attend, not wanting to expose them to the dangers of stray bullets, or rampant kidnappings