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Balance Key in Iran, Iraq Ties

The history of Iraq and Iran goes back centuries, but looking at their relationship today through just that lens would be a mistake, argues Mustafa al-Kadhimi.
Iraqi Sunni Muslims wave Iraqi national flags during an anti-government demonstration in Falluja, 50 km (30 miles) west of Baghdad, December 28, 2012. Tens of thousands of protesters from Iraq's Sunni Muslim minority poured onto the streets after Friday prayers in a show of force against Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, keeping up a week-old blockade of a highway. Around 60,000 people blocked the main road through the city of Falluja, setting fire to the Iranian flag and shouting "out, out Iran! Baghd

One cannot understand Iraq’s modern relationship with Iran without looking at its historic roots, for its history is at the religious, social and psychological heart of the relationship, and is tied to highly complex geopolitics and demographic realities. However, examining the past alone will not bring one to any logical understanding of today’s reality, for one must always take into consideration the real-time factors of social mobility and advancing private interests that influence the political tack of nations.

The historical roots of the complex dynamics that pervade the relationship between these two countries and peoples run deep, all the way back to the Sassanid era. During this period, Mesopotamia was under the rule of an ancient empire that controlled the known world for a few thousand years. It selected Ctesiphon, not far from Baghdad, as its capital for centuries. However contributing geographic factors created a cultural conflict, stemming from the fact the lands of Iraq gave birth to civilizations and empires that influenced the value systems of that ancient world.

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