British rule In the centuries after the Mongol disaster, Iraq served mostly as a buffer or battleground between the great empires based in Turkey and Persia. During most of the period from 1538 to 1914, Iraq was dominated by the Ottoman Turks, who divided what is now Iraq into three provinces. During World War I, the tottering Ottoman Empire finally fell apart, and the British took control of Iraq. This was a source of substantial bitterness, since …showed first 75 words of 4438 total…

…showed last 75 words of 4438 total…embraced the most extreme Arab hardline anti-Israel position, including periodically calling for the total elimination of Israel. Iraq belongs to the following international organizations: UN and some of its specialized agencies, including the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Nonaligned Movement; Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC); Arab League; Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC); Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC); INTELSAT; Interpol; World Health Organization (WHO); G-19; G-77.