Iraq is the country of Mesopotamia or Land Between the Rivers in classical times.
The modern Iraq was created in the aftermath of World War I and gained independence in 1932.
Since then there was war on Iran, Syria, and most recently the invasion of Kuwait that led to the Gulf War. Internally the country has known violent uprising of Kurdish minorities answered by bloody suppression. After the monarchy was overthrown in 1958 there was a period of political instability with coups and countercoups until Saddam Hussein seized power in the 70s.