Few countries have received more of the world's attention during the late twentieth and early twenty-first century than Iraq. During those years, the country was involved in open warfare on three occasions. In the Iran-Iraq War

(MAP BY MARYLAND CARTOGRAPHICS/THE GALE GROUP)

(1980–1988), Iraq, led by its long-time dictator Saddam Hussein (b. 1937), clashed in an extended, brutal, and bitter war with its neighbor to the east, the Islamic Republic of Iran, that took many thousands of lives on both sides.

In the Persian Gulf War (1990–1991), Iraq was attacked and defeated by the United States and a sizable coalition of allies after Saddam Hussein had invaded Iraq's southern neighbor, Kuwait. Although his country lost the war and was subjected to significant international sanctions, Saddam Hussein retained dictatorial power and continued to be regarded by many of his neighbors and the United States as a danger to regional and world...