Daily Quiz for December 14, 2008

Iraq. Iraq withdrew from the Baghdad Pact in March 1959, after the United States signed bilateral cooperation agreements with Turkey, Iran and Pakistan. The Baghdad Pact, a mutual defense agreement, was formed in 1955 at the prompting of the U.S. in an effort to block Soviet pressures on the northern tier of Middle Eastern states. Its members included Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Pakistan and Britain. The U.S. provided military and economic aid to the pact members. The Baghdad Pact was officially changed to Central Treaty Organization (CENTO) on August 18, 1959.