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The Republic of Iraq is a nearly landlocked country in the Middle East whose economy is largely driven by the export of fossil fuels. It is situated on land considered to be the birthplace of civilization and its capital, Baghdad, was for centuries an important cultural and economic center of the Islamic world.

Iraqs modern borders, which it shares with Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Turkey and Iran, were defined by the League of Nations after World War I when it was placed under British control. A monarchy put in place after the country gained its independence was overthrown in a 1958 coup that established parliamentary democracy. The 2003 invasion led by the United States ended the authoritarian regime of Saddam Hussein, who had ruled the country since 1979, and precipitated widespread insurgency and fighting between the Shiite and Sunni populations.

Iraq has been characterized by political instability and sectarian conflict since the withdrawal of American forces in 2011. In 2014, the rise of the Islamic State militant group prompted a coalition of nations led by the United States to intervene, providing military support for the governments of Iraq and Syria.

Learn more about Iraq. Scroll below to view our archive of articles and chronology of latest news.

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Iraq - The New York Times

Libya is literally covered by the Sahara Desert. The only exception is the narrow 1200 mile coastline bordering the Mediterranean Sea, where almost 80% of its population resides. Once part of the Roman province of New Africa, it was subsequently controlled by the Byzantine and Ottoman empires. In modern times it was occupied by the British and French, but since 1969, the country is led by the government of Colonel Muammar Qaddafi.

In total, there are six distinct historical periods of Libya: Ancient Libya, the Roman era, the Islamic era, Ottoman rule, Italian rule, and the Modern era.

Archaeological evidence suggests that Libya's coastal plain was once inhabited by nomadic hunters and herders around the thirtieth millennium BC. This culture prospered until 2000 BC as the desert began expanding, thus forcing the population to migrate into the Sudan.

Eventually the Berbers arrived in North Africa, and settled much of the region from Egypt to the Niger Basin.

Tripoli, the ancient capital city, was designed by the Romans, and remains one of the most exotic destinations on the planet. They conquered the region around Tripoli (Tripolitania) in 106 BC, and unified all three of Libya's provinces into the single Africa proconsularis.

Libya flourished under Roman ruling, and experienced a golden age during the 2nd century AD. Tripoli remained wealthy and prosperous for over 400 years, and grew to be a major exporter of olive oil.

An army of 40,000 Arabs conquered the area in 647 AD, and integrated Libya into the Abbasid dynasty by the year 750.

Although the Abbasid dynasty managed to restore order and bring a measure of prosperity to the region, the economic and political stability of Libya began to slowly collapse.

The beginning of the 16th century marked a period of minimal central authority within Libya, and its waterways grew into a haven for pirates. The Ottomans arrived in the mid-1500s, and Libya was divided into three provinces: Algiers, Tripoli, and Tunis.

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See the article here:
Libya Map / Geography of Libya / Map of Libya - Worldatlas.com

About Libya

The United States Government is committed to working with the Libyan people to build a democratic and prosperous future.

In the aftermath of the Libyan revolution, USAID programs focused on bolstering key political and economic elements of Libyas transition to a stable, prosperous democracy. The programs included emphasis on supporting civil society and media organizations to inform the public about political transition processes; building links between the government and its citizens and promoting justice, reconciliation and economic opportunity. Today despite Libyas political and security instability, USAID maintains its existing programming focused on strengthening the ability of the countrys representative governing bodies, independent institutions and civil society. USAID is helping Libyans as they navigate their transition to build a democratic and prosperous Libya that is a capable of utilizing its human, financial and natural resources for the benefit of all Libyans.

USAID is particularly focused on engaging marginalized populations, including youth, women and minorities, and increasing opportunities for their voices and interests to be heard in critical decision-making processes that will shape Libyas future.

Last updated: April 16, 2016

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Libya | U.S. Agency for International Development

Photo: Carolyn Kaster, Associated Press

Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has surprising arguments against fingerprinting Uber drivers.

Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has surprising arguments against fingerprinting Uber drivers.

FILE-- U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.Holder has come out against proposals in Chicago and New Jersey to require fingerprint background checks of drivers for Uber and Lyft.

FILE-- U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.Holder has come out against proposals in Chicago and New Jersey to require fingerprint background checks of drivers for Uber and Lyft.

Eric Holder: Fingerprinting rules are racist

Former Attorney General Eric Holder has come out against proposals in Chicago and New Jersey to require fingerprint background checks of drivers for ride-hailing platforms such as Uber and Lyft. Why would Obamas onetime top lawman come out against regulation that is supposed to protect the riding public? Credit the intersection of two forces. First, Holders tony corporate law firm, Covington & Burling, represents Uber. Also, as Holder sees it, requiring drivers to submit fingerprints may have a discriminatory impact on communities of color.

I was surprised to read about Holders opposition, as I have trouble seeing Holder as a model for social justice. As deputy attorney general in the Clinton administration, Holder gave a neutral-leaning to positive recommendation for the pardon of billionaire Marc Rich, who fled to Switzerland to evade fraud and tax evasion charges. As President Obamas first attorney general, he was so stingy with the pardon power that political scientist P.S. Ruckman wrote that inmates seeking clemency had a better chance of being struck by lightning.

Besides, law enforcement relies on fingerprinting because it works. According to the National Rifle Association, gun buyers must undergo fingerprint checks in some states. California teachers submit fingerprints for criminal background checks. California drivers are fingerprinted. I get into my gym thanks to a fingerprint scanner and swipe my index finger to open my phone. Dont tell me, I said to myself, Holder has joined gadflies who question the validity of fingerprints the way others oppose vaccinations.

Black mens burden

Holder is no such animal. In a letter to Chicago Alderman Anthony Beale, Holder explained that while fingerprint checks are a valuable law enforcement tool, they often do not indicate whether a person who was arrested was even charged or ultimately convicted. Thus, mandatory checks can prevent people from getting a job even if they were never found guilty of a crime. Because black men are arrested more than white men, the policy affects men of color disproportionately.

Pro-fingerprint politicians frame their stance as a matter of fairness. New Jersey limousine drivers must undergo fingerprint background checks. Ergo, the Limousine Association of New Jersey favors the same for ride-hailing service drivers to adequately protect the riding public.

Uber contends it can check drivers backgrounds more thoroughly with databases that probe applicants driving records, criminal history and more. According to a fact sheet, Uber does not contract with drivers who have three or more moving violations in the past three years, have been cited for driving with a suspended or revoked license or without insurance in the past seven years, or were convicted of drunken driving or reckless driving in the past seven years.

Also, the market provides protections that regulation cannot deliver. Because technology identifies passengers and drivers, there is no anonymity. Riders rate drivers; drivers rate riders an incentive for good behavior. Theres no place to hide, said Matthew Feeney of the libertarian-leaning Cato Institute. No transportation model is risk-free, Feeney noted, but: You would have to want to be caught to commit a crime in an Uber car. It is a detectives dream.

On television, fingerprinting is the gold standard for identifying suspects, but, Feeney noted, its an incomplete tool for screening for criminal convictions. Feeney said he believes politicians who push for more regulations for ride-hailing operations care about public safety, but there is also the chance that theyre motivated in part by protectionist or anticompetitive feelings about taxis.

Ubers blog notes that Alderman Beale says he wants to level the playing field, but the answer is to introduce new commonsense rules for taxis, NOT to impose the same bureaucratic regulations on ride-sharing apps like Uber.

Focusing on Houston

Uber and Lyft left Austin, Texas, last month after voters rejected a measure (greased liberally with ride-hailing company capital) to end taxi-style regulations that included fingerprinting. The next battleground is Houston. Lyft left Houston in 2014 when it passed similar regulations. Uber Houston now offers provisional permits for drivers for 30 days, after which they must get fingerprinted. An Uber executive who did not want to be named told me fingerprinting is expensive and time-consuming.

San Francisco has seen sharing-economy startups operate outside the law, then try to work with local lawmakers. Compromise gets startups only so far. See how Airbnb worked to license and tax short-term rentals to get in the good graces of City Hall. Now the Board of Supervisors is threatening large fines and even criminal charges. Trusting City Hall is like thinking you can deal with the Mob.

Debra J. Saunders is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dsaunders@sfchronicle.com Twitter: DebraJSaunders

Excerpt from:
Eric Holder: Fingerprinting rules are racist - SFGate

It comes from a very ancient democracy, you see..." "You mean, it comes from a world of lizards?" "No," said Ford, who by this time was a little more rational and coherent than he had been, having finally had the coffee forced down him, "nothing so simple. Nothing anything like so straightforward. On its world, the people are people. The leaders are lizards. The people hate the lizards and the lizards rule the people." "Odd," said Arthur, "I thought you said it was a democracy." "I did," said Ford. "It is." "So," said Arthur, hoping he wasn't sounding ridiculously obtuse, "why don't people get rid of the lizards?" "It honestly doesn't occur to them," said Ford. "They've all got the vote, so they all pretty much assume that the government they've voted in more or less approximates to the government they want." "You mean they actually vote for the lizards?" "Oh yes," said Ford with a shrug, "of course." "But," said Arthur, going for the big one again, "why?" "Because if they didn't vote for a lizard," said Ford, "the wrong lizard might get in. Got any gin?" "What?" "I said," said Ford, with an increasing air of urgency creeping into his voice, "have you got any gin?" "I'll look. Tell me about the lizards." Ford shrugged again. "Some people say that the lizards are the best thing that ever happenned to them," he said. "They're completely wrong of course, completely and utterly wrong, but someone's got to say it." "But that's terrible," said Arthur. "Listen, bud," said Ford, "if I had one Altairian dollar for every time I heard one bit of the Universe look at another bit of the Universe and say 'That's terrible' I wouldn't be sitting here like a lemon looking for a gin. Douglas Adams, So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish

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Quotes About Democracy (811 quotes)