The period of 1960-1990 in Iraq represents a volatile interlude of internal strife illustrated by demographic shifting, new cultural and political policies, and the rise of ethno-nationalism. The traditionalist view that this period of Iraqi history is comprised of an Iraqi Arab versus its ethnic Kurdish enclave is an oversimplification at best. This work is concerned with whether or not this period can be marked solely by a Kurdish verses Arab struggle, or, was it indeed a more intricate situation of major power politics affecting a much larger area, with greater implications for all Iraqi's including its various ethnic and religious minority groups. A closer examination of the region affected (according to military campaigns) in northern Iraq demonstrates that the Kurds were but one ethno-religious group to suffer in the wake of this period marked by military activity. Primary estimates numbered 183 Yezidi and Christian Assyrian villages destroyed from 1963 to 1988. Later estimates saw a significantly higher number between 1974 and 1989, citing 220 villages destroyed and their people killed or forcibly resettled. In the case of Turkoman and Shabaks much less has been published (with the exception of the Kirkuk region) but it is the hypothesis of this study that further research will show that they too experienced major demographic shifting during the period in question. Thus this work will focus on the periods of the 1960s concentrating on the Kurdish Uprising of 1961; the border clearings of 1977-1978 in the Barwari Bala region; and finally the Anfal campaign in 1988 and its immediate aftermath. This study contributes to a greater understanding of power politics in the Middle East and specifically Iraq. More importantly it examines such political struggles between minorities and majorities as it relates to sectarian strife in post 2003 Iraq highlighting not only common internal struggles, but also external forces which have contributed to the current situation.