Countries of the World/COUNTRYS.BIN/dp/0183/01831.txt

Text File | 1991-06-25 | 7KB | 133 lines

$Unique_ID{COW01831}
$Pretitle{231}
$Title{Iraq
Glossary}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Joseph A. Kechian}
$Affiliation{HQ, Department of the Army}
$Subject{dinar
barrels
shias
word
leader
rate

}
$Date{1989}
$Log{}
Country:     Iraq
Book:        Iraq, A Country Study
Author:      Joseph A. Kechian
Affiliation: HQ, Department of the Army
Date:        1989

Glossary

Autonomous Region--Governorates of As Sulaymaniyah, Dahuk, and Irbil, the
Kurdish majority area. In this region--popularly known as Kurdistan--Kurdish
has status of official language, and residents enjoy limited autonomy from
central government.

atabeg--Turkish word that during the period of the Ottoman Empire meant
governor of a province.

barrels per day--Production of crude oil and petroleum products is frequently
measured in barrels per day, often abbreviated bpd or bd. A barrel is a volume
measure of forty-two United States gallons. Conversion of barrels to metric
tons depends on the density of a specific product. About 7.3 barrels of
average crude oil, or about 7 barrels of heavy crude oil, weigh 1 metric ton.
Light products, such as gasoline and kerosene, average close to eight barrels
per metric ton.

currency--See dinar.

dinar (ID)--Currency unit consisting of 1,000 fils or 20 dirhams. When
officially introduced at the end of the British mandate (1932), the dinar was
equal to, and was linked to, the British pound sterling, which at that time
was equal to US$4.86. Iraqi dinar (ID) equaled US$4.86 between 1932 and 1949
and after devaluation in 1949, equaled US$2.80 between 1949 and 1971. Iraq
officially uncoupled the dinar from the pound sterling as a gesture of
independence in 1959, but the dinar remained at parity with the pound until
the British unit of currency was again devalued in 1967. One Iraqi dinar
remained equal to US$2.80 until December 1971, when major realignments of
world currencies began. Upon the devaluation of the United States dollar in
1973, the Iraqi dinar appreciated to US$3.39. It remained at this level until
the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War in 1980. In 1982 Iraq devalued the dinar by
5 percent, to a value equal to US$3.22, and sustained this official exchange
rate without additional devaluation despite mounting debt. In early 1988, the
official dinar-dollar exchange rate was still ID1 to US$3.22; however, with
estimates of the nation's inflation rate ranging from 25 percent to 50 percent
per year in 1985 and 1986, the dinar's real transaction value, or black market
exchange rate, was far lower- -only about half the 1986 official rate.

Free Officers--Term applied retroactively to the group of young military
officers that planned and carried out the July 14 Revolution in 1958.

GDP (gross domestic product)--A value measure of the flow of domestic goods
and services produced by an economy over a period of time, such as a year.
Only output values of goods for final consumption and for intermediate
production are assumed to be included in final prices. GDP is sometimes
aggregated and shown at market prices, meaning that indirect taxes and
subsidies are included; when these have been eliminated, the result is GDP at
factor cost. The word gross indicates that deductions for depreciation of
physical assets have not been made.

GNP (gross national product)--GDP (q.v.) plus the net income or loss stemming
from transactions with foreign countries. GNP is the broadest measurement of
the output of goods and services by an economy. It can be calculated at market
prices, which include indirect taxes and subsidies. Because indirect taxes and
subsidies are only transfer payments, GNP is often calculated at factor cost,
removing indirect taxes and subsidies.

hadith--Tradition based on the precedent of Muhammad's nondivinely revealed
words that serves as one of the sources of Islamic law (sharia).

hijra--Literally to migrate, to sever relations, to leave one's tribe.
Throughout the Muslim world hijra refers to the migration of Muhammad and his
followers to Medina. In this sense the word has come into European languages
as hegira, and it is usually, and somewhat misleadingly, translated as flight.

ID--Iraqi dinar. See dinar.

Imam--A word used in several senses. In general use and in lower case, it
means the leader of congregational prayers; as such it implies no ordination
or special spiritual powers beyond sufficient education to carry out this
function. It is also used figuratively by many Sunni (q.v.) Muslims to mean
the leader of the Islamic community. Among Shias (q.v.) the word takes on many
complex meanings; in general, it indicates that particular descendent of the
House of Ali ibn Abu Talib, who is believed to have been God's designated
repository of the spiritual authority inherent in that line. The identity of
this individual and the means of ascertaining his identity have been major
issues causing divisions among Shias.

International Monetary Fund (IMF)--Established along with the World Bank in
1945, the IMF is a specialized agency affiliated with the United Nations and
is responsible for stabilizing international exchange rates and payments. The
main business of the IMF is the provision of loans to its members (including
industrialized and developing countries) when they experience balance of
payments difficulties. These loans frequently carry conditions that require
substantial internal economic adjustments by the recipients, most of which are
developing countries.

Levant--Historically, the countries along the eastern shores of the
Mediterranean.

shaykh--Leader or chief. Word of Arabic origin used to mean either a political
leader or a learned religious leader. Also used as an honorific.

Shia, from Shiat Ali, the Party of Ali--A member of the smaller of the two
great divisions of Islam. The Shias supported the claims of Ali and his line
to presumptive right to the caliphate and to leadership of the Muslim
community, and on this issue they divided from the Sunni (q.v.) in the great
schism within Islam. Later schisms have produced further divisions among the
Shias over the identity and the number of Imams (q.v.). Shias revere Twelve
Imams, the last of whom is believed to be in hiding.

Shiite--See Shia.

Sunni (from sunna, orthodox)--A member of the larger of the two great
divisions of Islam. The Sunnis supported the traditional method of election to
the caliphate, and they accepted the Umayyad line that began with caliph
Muawiyah in 661. On this issue they divided from the Shias (q.v.) in the great
schism within Islam.