S8 Ep763: By 2011, Baghdad was physically transformed by concrete blast walls institutionalizing sectarian division. Abdul-Ahad critiques Maliki's government for hollowing out the military through systemic corruption, turning units into "money-making machines." The

By 2011, Baghdad was physically transformed by concrete blast walls institutionalizing sectarian division. Abdul-Ahadcritiques Maliki's government for hollowing out the military through systemic corruption, turning units into "money-making machines." The failure of the 2012 "Friday of Anger" protests and the spillover of the Syrian civil war allowed ISIS to masquerade as "liberators" in Sunni cities like Mosul, exploiting deep-seated grievances against the oppressive central government. (5)
1918 BAGHDAD