Frankenstein in Baghdad

Al-Qaeda is an extremist Sunni organization whose goal is to create a broad caliphate or Islamic state. In the various countries in which it operates, it seeks to crush both foreign powers and moderate Muslims… read analysis of Al-Qaeda

Assyrians are a Middle Eastern ethnic group. Elishva belongs to this group and, in particular, to the sub-group of Syriac Christians. The language she speaks with her family bears the same name as her ethnic… read analysis of Assyrians

The Arab Socialist Baath Party exists in a variety of Arab countries. In Frankenstein in Baghdad, the party is mentioned in the context of its decades-longs rule of Iraq (from 1968 to 2003) and… read analysis of Baath Party

The Coalition Provisional Authority was a transitional government set up by a U.S.-led coalition after the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Administered primarily by members of the U.S. military, it ordered the de-Baathification of Iraqi… read analysis of Coalition Provisional Authority

Sectarian violence is a conflict that opposes different sects of a certain religion. More specifically, sectarian violence in Iraq refers to the conflict between two strands of Islam: Shiite Muslims (a majority in Iraq) and… read analysis of Sectarian Violence

Sharia law or Islamic law is a religious law that applies Muslim precepts to the political sphere. The particulars of its application are widely debated in a global, contemporary setting. In particular, the relationship of… read analysis of Sharia Law

Shiism is one of the two primary branches of Islam, along with Sunni Islam. The division between Shiite and Sunni Islam derives from centuries-old theological disagreements concerning the succession to the prophet Muhammad, the founder… read analysis of Shiite

Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. The division between Shiite and Sunni Islam derives from centuries-long theological disagreements concerning the succession to the prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam. Although the majority of… read analysis of Sunni