arab one in the south, a sunni arab one in the middle, and ethnic kurds in the north. it was never a happy or stable union. it saw coup after coup until saddam hussein, a sunni muslim and a military dictator, came to power. he forced the sects to live together whether they liked it or not. and for years saddam had american support. washington was happy to let him keep the lid on iraq s fractured melting pot. but that all ended when saddam invaded kuwait in 1990. the first president bush crushed his army. and the second drove him from power and occupied iraq. for the first time in decades, iraqis got to participate in a free election, and the shiites, who are the majority sect, one by a landslide. backed by the americans, the shiites were now in power for
who are the majority sect, one by a landslide. backed by the americans, the shiites were now in power for the first time in 1,400 years. the sunnis rose up, and the religious war that followed cost tens of thousands of iraqi lives and around 4,500 american ones. then the americans left. the shiites kept most government positions but lost control of large parts of the country to isis. now the americans are back and empowering a third sect the kurds, who have proven themselves to be our most reliable allies. but u.s. support means the kurds feel strong enough to make a land grab and hope to break away from the rest of iraq, potentially tearing apart the old colonially constructed and badly managed country for good. and the kurds plan to make their move soon. they re holding a referendum on independence, a vote to leave
secretary mark sykes sat down with his french counterpart to carve up the middle east. the country they drew up, the one we call modern iraq, includes what were previously three separate provinces, a shia arab one in the south, a sunni arab one in the middle, and ethnic kurds in the north. it was never a happy or stable union. it saw coup after coup until saddam hussein, a sunni muslim and a military dictator, came to power. he forced the sects to live together whether they liked it or not. and for years saddam had american support. washington was happy to let him keep the lid on iraq s fractured melting pot. but that all ended when saddam invaded kuwait in 1990. the first president bush crushed his army. and the second drove him from power and occupied iraq. for the first time in decades, iraqis got to participate in a free election, and the shiites, who are the majority sect, one