A History of Iraq’s Borders

A deal to form a new government in Iraq collapsed today. Meanwhile, the Sunni militant group ISIS declared over the weekend that the country is now an Islamic state ruled over by a supreme religious leader. This unrest didn’t happen overnight; its origins trace back hundreds of years, when the modern Middle East borders were drawn. We take a look at those borders, how they came to be and how they laid groundwork for the today’s turmoil.