Compare And Contrast Iraq And Saudi Arabia

Imperialism Both Iraq and Saudi Arabia were parts of larger empires during the heyday of global Imperialism. Imperial rule was a very formative time for both countries but the end of that rule was even more important.
The Ottoman Empire Both Iraq and Saudi Arabia were part of the early of the Ottoman Empire by the early 16th century. The Ottomans were Islamic and their culture fit in quite well with their subjects. Under Ottoman rule, the various tribes, cultures and religious sects across the Arab peninsula were unified and a common culture developed over the next several centuries. Both Iraq and Saudi Arabia prospered during this time and had little in the way of international or internal instability until Ottoman rule ended.
Western Imperialism Western Imperialism had a more significant impact on Iraq and Saudi Arabia’s stability. As early as 1911, the British Empire had been eyeing Iraq’s oil reserves in order to fuel of its growing navy. Iraq was also strategically located between other British holding in Egypt and India as well as a major grain trading partner. As a result the British where constantly looking for an excuse to launch an invasion of Iraq. The British found their excuse when the First World War broke out and the Ottoman Empire found itself on the opposing side of the war. When the war ended Britain had conquered most of Iraq and negotiated the breakup of the Ottoman Empire. Most of the former Ottoman Empire was divided amongst the British and their French allies based on the economic value of its regions rather than the nationality, ethnicity, culture or religion of the people living within them. When
Order and stability are generally regarded as the most popular aspects of authoritarianism, so it is logical to assume that Iraq and Saudi Arabia’s difference in stability is related to their authoritarian regimes. Iraq under Saddam