As an Iraqi, I do ask this question to myself a lot, what the world opinion on modern Iraq. It changed a lot especially after ISIS war, but people here generally don’t value the change that much due to high unemployment rates, drought, and bossy militias.
I LOVE the Epic of Gilgamesh, and the historic city of Uruk (Warka) is in modern day Iraq. In that way, I have a lot of respect for the history. However, I would be too scared to travel there, for example. I hope truly that now after ISIS war, things keep getting better for the people there. I don’t hear many news from there anymore, though I wouldn’t mind hearing.
Lots of tourists come around here, mainly to The marshes, the city of Babylon and Ur, yearly from the month of November to April where the temperature rates are at it’s modest. I recommend you coming here, it’s not that scary really from the tourists perspective.
I’d love to visit Iraq and other parts of the middle east, but the culture surrounding women and their rights prevents me from going. I havent checked out Iraq specifically, but based on my reading of nearby Egypt, it’s so ass backwards that I couldn’t in good conscience take my wife there. The risk of sexual harassment, assault, etc is just too great.
Egypt situation is different and I wouldn’t wanna talk about it here. Speaking about sexual harassments, I don’t imply it’s absence you can search online if you want to confirm that, 2022 was the worst year in that matter it showed an increased at the rates of sexual harassment in public places, but people’s and government efforts to fights it back has showed it’s results, I can’t speak for everyone ofc, so you have to take precautions. In your other comment you mentioned honor killing yeah it was a matter back then when half of Iraq didn’t have electricity, mainly at the rural parts of Iraq. Don’t get me wrong, women and human rights here in general are still at a set back from the rest of the world but we are improving bit by bit hoping to make it even better here.
The Epic of Gilgamesh is really cool, I wish there were more modern reinterpretations of it, though.