美国有线新闻 CNN 大规模抗议致伊拉克再次陷入动荡（在线收听）

In the Middle East, there have been a series of demonstrations as well for very different reasons. Teachers in Jordan have been on the longest strike in the nation's history. Protesters in Egypt and Lebanon have been calling attention to difficult economic conditions, government corruption and unemployment.

And those same issues are the reasons for widespread protests in the nation of Iraq. At least 34 people there have been killed in three days of demonstrations and a human rights official says more than 1,500 have been injured, including over 400 Iraqi security workers. These are the largest protests Iraq has seen in decades. In?? addition to corruption and the lack of jobs, people are upset about long power outages.

The demonstrators have stormed governors' offices, setting fires in the buildings. They've blocked roads and fought with police. Security forces have used teargas, water cannons and some live ammunition to break up the crowds. And the government has established a curfew in the capital city of Baghdad and several other places.

It's also shut down the Internet in many parts of Iraq. Iraqi leaders say they're trying to meet the demands of the demonstrators, including working to find jobs for young Iraqis. The National Security Council also says it's doing what it can to protect people and property.

But the country continues to struggle from decades of war. Iraq fought with Iran for eight years in the 1980s. It tried to take over neighboring Kuwait in 1990, but was pushed out by a U.S.-led group in 1991. Its long time dictator Saddam Hussein was overthrown by a U.S.-led coalition in another war in 2003. And the nation's democratic government has battled the ISIS terrorist group between 2014 and 2017.

So, Iraq's struggles, which include high poverty and unemployment, continue to challenge the Middle Eastern nation.