Imagine you’re in a sandbox, but the sand is really valuable oil. That’s the Middle East. Iraq sits right on top of some of the world’s largest oil reserves, which is like having a winning lottery ticket taped to your forehead in a room full of hungry wolves.
Then there’s the whole “who’s in charge?” question. Iraq has three big groups: Shia Muslims, Sunni Muslims, and Kurds. They’re like three siblings who really disagree on who gets the last slice of pizza—except the pizza is the entire country.
For decades, a strongman (Saddam Hussein) kept a lid on things by being terrifying. But when you’re a bully who plays favorites with the Sunnis, you’re just storing up problems for the “after-party.” Spoiler: the party wasn’t fun.
