Middle east back post

http://traveldocs.com/iq/culture.htm In Ancient Iraq they didn't have an all controlling king like they other surrounding countries. Such as Egypt has a pharaoh who was looked at as a living god. The civilization realized that their king was every bit responsible and reactive to his actions. They were among the first who were able to be considered an advanced civilization. They were early to develop the plow and wheel. So what went wrong? why are they behind now? I do know that they have ways to make our technologies work in ways that my first hand source didn't really understand. http://img.slate.com/features/pdf/iraqsmartcard.pdf (Very big file and takes a while to load). There is a pamphlet that all military people must receive before going to Iraq. It tells them of the ways not to insult the people there and to be respectful. It also helps them understand all of the differences that they may need help with. The pamphlet also gives words that the soldiers might need to say such as stop or where. This all fits right in a pocket that is easy to reach.