The Ultimate Reality Show

Iraq Quiz

By Jim Cox

April 15, 2004

Which nation financially supported Iraq's Baath Party's rise to power in the 1960's?
1. Iran
2. US
3. Soviet Union
Which nation allied itself with Saddam Hussein from 1980 to 1990?
1. Iran
2. US
3. Soviet Union
Which nation's ambassador to Iraq pledged that it would remain on the sidelines when Hussein inquired about the reaction to invading Kuwait in 1990?
1. Iran
2. US
3. France
Which country was the first to gas Iraqis?
1. Iraq itself
2. Great Britain
3. Soviet Union
Who drew the borders of Iraq?
1. Iraqis themselves
2. The British
3. Iranians
Which country opposes the secession of the Kurds from Iraq?
1. Iran
2. US
3. Kuwait
Colin Powell has stated that the intelligence on Iraq's WMD was:
1. accurate
2. flawed
3. never to be questioned
The most secular government in the Middle East in the 1990's was:
1. Iran
2. Iraq
3. Kuwait
Which of these countries has been the most tolerant of Christians during the last 20 years?
1. Iran
2. Iraq
3. Saudi Arabia
Into what country has Iraq never sent troops?
1. Kuwait
2. US
3. Iran
Which of the following countries was not represented among the 19 hijackers of 9-11?
1. Eqypt
2. Iraq
3. Saudi Arabia
Which country supplied Saddam Hussein with chemical weapons during the 1980's?
1. Turkey
2. US
3. Soviet Union
Which country's intelligence operatives helped overthrow the only Islamic democracy in the Middle East in 1953?
1. Iraq
2. US
3. Soviet Union
Who made two trips to meet with Saddam Hussein during the 1980's as a special representative of his country to confirm a renewal of diplomatic relations?

Kim Il Sung
Donald Rumsfeld
Jacques Chirac

Which is the only Middle Eastern/Southwest Asian country not in possession of nuclear weapons?
1. Israel
2. Iraq
3. Pakistan
Which country's intelligence information supplied to the UN weapons inspectors in Iraq was concluded to be "garbage after garbage after garbage."
1. Iraq
2. US
3. France
According to UN estimates, the US-led embargo against Iraq from 1991 until 1996 resulted in:
1. no deaths, only pressure on Saddam Hussein to reform
2. the death of 500,000 Iraqi children
3. the death of 500 Iraqis, total
After the 1991 Gulf War, who encouraged the Kurds to revolt against Saddam Hussein only to withdraw support after the revolt began?
1. Kofi Anon
2. George H. W. Bush
3. Vladimir Putin
Who made the decision for UN weapons inspectors to leave Iraq in 1998?
1. they were evicted by Saddam Hussein
2. UN weapons inspector Richard Butler in anticipation of a US/British military attack
3. UN weapons inspectors did not leave in 1998
The number of American combat deaths during the first 12 months of which conflict was the greatest?
1. Vietnam 1965
2. Iraq War 2003
3. Gulf War 1991

The answer to each question is "b."

Which nation financially supported Iraq's Baath Party's rise to power in the 1960's?
1. Iran
2. US
3. Soviet Union
This is the political party of Saddam Hussein. The US helped bring the Baath Party (a socialist party) to power.
Which nation allied itself with Saddam Hussein from 1980 to 1990?
1. Iran
2. US
3. Soviet Union
The US had no compunctions about allying itself with Hussein even though it was during this period when the majority of the killings of his own people as well as the gassing of the Kurds occurred.
Which nation's ambassador to Iraq pledged that it would remain on the sidelines when Hussein inquired about the reaction to invading Kuwait in 1990?
1. Iran
2. US
3. France
Said U.S. Ambassador Glaspie – "We have no opinion on your Arab-Arab conflicts, such as your dispute with Kuwait. Secretary (of State James) Baker has directed me to emphasize the instruction, first given to Iraq in the 1960’s, that the Kuwait issue is not associated with America."
Which country was the first to gas Iraqis?
1. Iraq itself
2. Great Britain
3. Soviet Union
Great Britain used gas to quell an uprising by the Kurds in 1920.
Who drew the borders of Iraq?
1. Iraqis themselves
2. The British
3. Iranians
The British drew the borders of Iraq after World War I.
Which country opposes the secession of the Kurds from Iraq?
1. Iran
2. US
3. Kuwait
Bush has pledged that the current boundaries of Iraq – no Kurdish independence – will be maintained.
Colin Powell has stated that the intelligence on Iraq's WMD was:
1. accurate
2. flawed
3. never to be questioned
In 2004 Powell acknowledged that the information presented to the UN to justify the invasion of Iraq which he presented in 2003 was "flawed."
The most secular government in the Middle East in the 1990's was:
1. Iran
2. Iraq
3. Kuwait
"Iraq was not controlled by a fundamentalist Muslim government, something that is now a possibility. One could even purchase a drink in Baghdad. The Baath government tolerated both Jews and Christians, something not to be seen in Muslim countries like Indonesia, Turkey, and Iran"
Which of these countries has been the most tolerant of Christians during the last 20 years?
1. Iran
2. Iraq
3. Saudi Arabia
"Unlike any other regime in the Middle East, Saddam has permitted Christians to occupy high public office. This includes the Iraqi Foreign Minister, Tariq Assiz, who is a Roman Catholic. In addition, Saddam's regime has permitted a degree of free practice for Christians that is positively enviable compared to the situations experienced in such U.S. u2018allies' as Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Christmas and Easter decorations always abound, even in Baghdad, and attending church does not require an act of courage."
Into what country has Iraq never sent troops?
1. Kuwait
2. US
3. Iran
Iraq sent troops into Iran during its 1980-1988 war, and into Kuwait in 1990, but never into the US.
Which of the following countries was not represented among the 19 hijackers of 9-11?
1. Eqypt
2. Iraq
3. Saudi Arabia
Of the 19 hijackers, 15 were from Saudi Arabia, and 4 from Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Lebanon.
Which country supplied Saddam Hussein with chemical weapons during the 1980's?
1. Turkey
2. US
3. Soviet Union
The US sold chemical weapons to Saddam Hussein between 1985 and 1990.
Which country's intelligence operatives helped overthrow the only Islamic democracy in the Middle East in 1953?
1. Iraq
2. US
3. Soviet Union
Along with the British, the CIA overthrew the democratically elected Iranian Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh in 1953, ending the only Islamic democracy in the Middle East.
Who made two trips to meet with Saddam Hussein during the 1980's as a special representative of his country to confirm a renewal of diplomatic relations?
1. Kim Il Park
2. Donald Rumsfeld
3. Jacques Chirac
Reagan sent special high level envoy, Donald Rumsfeld to confirm the new relation with Iraq in 1983.
Which is the only Middle Eastern/Southwest Asian country not in possession of nuclear weapons?
1. Israel
2. Iraq
3. Pakistan
Pakistan is known to have nuclear weapons, Israel does not confirm or deny, but it's no secret. Iraq has none.
Which country's intelligence information supplied to the UN weapons inspectors in Iraq was concluded to be "garbage after garbage after garbage."
1. Iraq
2. US
3. France
The US supplied information on where to hunt for weapons in 2002 and 2003, none of which proved to be fruitful.
According to UN estimates, the US-led embargo against Iraq from 1991 until 1996 resulted in:
1. no deaths, only pressure on Saddam Hussein to reform
2. the death of 500,000 Iraqi children
3. the death of 500 Iraqis, total
In 1996, Secretary of State Madeline Albright stated approval of the sanctions even with the estimate of 500,000 children dying as a result. Neither the Clinton nor Bush administration ever disputed these estimates.
After the 1991 Gulf War, who encouraged the Kurds to revolt against Saddam Hussein only to withdraw support after the revolt began?
1. Kofi Anon
2. George H. W. Bush
3. Vladimir Putin
Overly confident that Hussein would be overthrown, G. H. W. Bush reneged on his plans and more than 100,000 Iraqis were killed.
Who made the decision for UN weapons inspectors to leave Iraq in 1998?
1. they were evicted by Saddam Hussein
2. UN weapons inspector Richard Butler in anticipation of a US/British military attack
3. UN weapons inspectors did not leave in 1998
Hussein did not kick out the UN weapons inspectors; they left to avoid being killed in the ensuing attack.
The number of American combat deaths during the first 12 months of which conflict was the greatest?
1. Vietnam 1965
2. Iraq War 2003
3. Gulf War 1991
US losses in Iraq during the first 12 months were 550, March 2003-February 2004; 65 in Vietnam in 1965; 148 during the 1991 Gulf War.

April 15, 2004

Jim Cox is an Associate Professor of Economics and Political Science at the Lawrenceville Campus of Georgia Perimeter College and author of The Concise Guide to Economics. His website is: http://www.gpc.edu/~jcox/.

The Best of Jim Cox

Tags:

$post_author: WP_User Object
(
    [data] => stdClass Object
        (
            [ID] => 163
            [user_login] => jim-cox
            [user_pass] => 43681e2f1a82a50ef1eba9518c3ea580
            [user_nicename] => jim-cox
            [user_email] => [email protected]
            [user_url] => 
            [user_registered] => 2011-12-07 15:12:30
            [user_activation_key] => 
            [user_status] => 0
            [display_name] => Jim Cox
            [type] => wpuser
        )

    [ID] => 163
    [caps] => Array
        (
            [contributor] => 1
        )

    [cap_key] => wp_capabilities
    [roles] => Array
        (
            [0] => contributor
        )

    [allcaps] => Array
        (
            [edit_posts] => 1
            [read] => 1
            [level_1] => 1
            [level_0] => 1
            [delete_posts] => 1
            [email_single_user] => 1
            [contributor] => 1
        )

    [filter] => 
    [site_id:WP_User:private] => 1
)

get_the_author_meta:

$bio: Jim Cox [send him mail] is a retired economics professor and author of The Concise Guide to Economics, The Haiku Economist.

$bios: Array
(
    [0] => Jim Cox [send him mail] is a retired economics professor and author of The Concise Guide to Economics, The Haiku Economist.
)

Jim Cox [send him mail] is a retired economics professor and author of The Concise Guide to Economics, The Haiku Economist.

Iraq Quiz

Political Theatre

LRC Blog

LRC Podcasts