Factors Shaping the Iraqi Culture

Understanding the Characteristics of the Iraqi Culture
Culture refers to a set of shared behavioral patterns and interactions, effective understanding as well as cognitive construct among a group of people passed on from one member of the group to the other through socialization. Such cultural patterns are unique to each cultural group and serve to distinguish them because of their uniqueness.
Cultures are made up of various characteristics chief among them being the concept of sharing. In such a case, members of a given culture share the beliefs and practices that unite them. Moreover, culture is socially constructed and hence shared among the people. Secondly, culture is learned. People learn their culture through social interactions among the members of the culture as well as through formal teaching and the media. Thirdly, culture is symbolic. Different cultures use different symbols to communicate different messages that are understood within the confines of that culture. Language is a set of symbols where people belonging to a particular culture have agreed to use as a form of communication. Moreover, culture is dynamic because the beliefs and practices keep changing with time. Lastly, the concepts of globalization and immigration in the contemporary world have contributed in modifying cultures because people across the globe are interacting every day (Apel, 2009).
Iraq is a country located in the western part of the Asia bordering Turkey, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Syria. The country has an approximate 58KMs of coastline on the Persian Gulf and covers Mesopotamian Alluvial Plains. River Euphrates and River Tigris are the major rivers in Iraq that flow towards the south (Gibson, Campbell & Zipper, 2015). Apart from the alluvial plains, the rest of the country is mainly a desert.
A coalition organized by the United States invaded Iraq in 2003 because it had allegedly refused to abandon the project of creating weapons of mass destruction as had been agreed upon by the UN Resolution 687 (Al-Rawi & Jiwani, 2017). Consequently, the United States successfully replaced the ruling regime in Iraq with a Coalition Provisional Authority under the leadership of Paul Bremer. The coalition’s provisional authority disbanded the existing Iraq army and prohibited former government officials from taking part in the governance of the country. In 2003, the members of the former Iraq military regrouped to rebel against the rule of the Coalition Provisional Authority that was primarily guided by the United States. The period witnessed the great development of Jihadist groups such as Jama’at al-Tawhid Wal-Jihad among other Sunni militia. It led to a great ethnic conflict between the Shias and the Sunni. The Jama’at al-Tawhid Wal-Jihad grew a renowned jihadist and terrorist group that came to be known as Al-Qaeda in 2004 (Al-Rawi & Jiwani, 2017).
In 2006, the interethnic clashes, terrorist activities and violence greatly increased. During that year, Saddam Hussein was found guilty of a crime against humanity and sentenced to death by hanging. In 2008, the Iraq army intensified the war against militia groups, and also signed an agreement with the American government to withdraw their troops from Iraq completely by 2011. After the withdrawal of the US troops from Iraq, the country’s army intensified the war against militia groups and saw a great decline in the death toll of civilians in 2012 since this insurgency started in 2002 (Al-Rawi & Jiwani, 2017).
The major urban areas in Iraq include Bagdad, Mosul, Arbil, Basra, Sulaymaniyah, Karbala, Al Nasiriyah, Najaf, and Kirkuk. The capital city of Iraq is Bagdad. This city has a total population of around 8,700,000. It is the largest city in the entire of Iraq and carries the largest urban population in the country. The urban area of Bagdad lies between the lower and the upper parts of Mesopotamia. This area is referred to as the Bagdad belt and is mainly plain. The major airports in Iraq include Bagdad International Airport, Mosul International Airport, and Basra International Airport among others. The country has an approximate 45,000 KM of the road network (Gibson, Campbell, & Zipper, 2015). The major cell phone communication provider in the country is Orascom Telecom. The country is connected internationally using different satellite stations. The climate of the country is mainly hot and arid. The country experiences a daily average temperature of 400C (Gibson, Campbell, & Zipper, 2015). With this climate, the settlement of the vast majority of the Iraq population is mainly along rivers as well as irrigation channels where they can practice agriculture.
Iraq’s petroleum production makes the country one of the richest. However, the country has suffered several economic sanctions by the united nation owing to its civil war with Iran. The Iraq leadership has for a long time been under the influence of dictatorial and oppressive leaders such as Saddam Hussein. The Sunni ethnic group ethnic population constitutes the vast majority of the elite leadership of the country that controls power and authority within the country (Apel, 2009). The social structure in Iraq is one that values tribal and family connections. Despite the effect of globalization, the Iraqis still emphasize the importance of their family and tribal connections. The main Language spoken in Iraq is Mesopotamian Arabic. Other languages include Kurdish and Turkmen. The culture in the country is famous for their great heritage in painting and music (Apel, 2009).
In summary, Iraq has undergone a tremendous transformation in leadership and governance through civil wars and rebellion. Consequently, the country has undergone social restructuring in the sent past. The climatic conditions of the country are mainly arid, and hence agriculture is mainly practiced along the major rivers and irrigation channels in the country. The major social structure of the country people relates along tribal and family lines. The country has a rich cultural heritage of music, painting and architectural designs.

References
Al-Rawi, A., & Jiwani, Y. (2017). Mediated Conflict: Shiite Heroes Combating ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Communication, Culture & Critique. 2(2) 112-123
Apel, D. (2009). Iraq, Trauma, and Dissent in Visual Culture. What is Radical Politics Today? 1(2), 92-102.
Gibson, G. R., Campbell, J. B., & Zipper, C. E. (2015). Sociopolitical influences on cropland area change in Iraq, 2001–2012. Applied Geography, 62, 339-346.