▁large ▁port ions ▁of ▁Ira q ' s ▁Sun ni ▁population ) ▁held ▁in ▁January ▁ 2 0 0 5 , ▁much ▁of ▁Ira q ▁had ▁all ▁but ▁dis integr ated , ▁due ▁to ▁a ▁post - war ▁ins ur gency ▁which ▁morph ed ▁into ▁persistent ▁eth nic ▁violence ▁that ▁the ▁American ▁army ▁was ▁initially ▁unable ▁to ▁qu ell . ▁Many ▁of ▁Ira q ' s ▁intellectual ▁and ▁business ▁el ite ▁fled ▁the ▁country , ▁and ▁many ▁Ira qi ▁refuge es ▁left ▁as ▁a ▁result ▁of ▁the ▁ins ur gency , ▁further ▁dest abil izing ▁the ▁region . ▁A ▁respons ive ▁sur ge ▁in ▁U . S . ▁forces ▁in ▁Ira q ▁was ▁largely ▁successful ▁in ▁cont rolling ▁the ▁ins ur gency ▁and ▁stabil izing ▁the ▁country . ▁U . S . ▁forces ▁with d rew ▁from ▁Ira q ▁by ▁December ▁ 2 0 1 1 . ▁ ▁By ▁ 2 0 0 5 , ▁President ▁George ▁W . ▁Bush ' s ▁Road ▁map ▁for ▁peace ▁between ▁Israel ▁and ▁the ▁Palest ini ans ▁was ▁st alled , ▁although ▁this ▁situation ▁had ▁begun ▁to ▁change ▁with ▁Y asser ▁A raf at ' s ▁death ▁in ▁ 2 0 0 4 . ▁In ▁response , ▁Israel ▁moved ▁towards ▁a ▁un il ater al ▁solution , ▁pushing ▁ahead ▁with ▁the ▁Isra eli ▁West ▁Bank ▁bar rier ▁to ▁protect ▁Israel ▁from ▁Palest in ian ▁suic ide ▁bom bers ▁and ▁proposed ▁un il ater al ▁withdraw al ▁from ▁Gaz a . ▁The ▁bar rier ▁if ▁completed ▁would ▁amount