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Few countries can claim to have endured such a difficult and tortuous history as that of Iraq. Its varied peoples have had to contend with externally imposed state-building at the end of the First World War, through to the rise of authoritarian military regimes, to the all-encompassing power of Saddam Hussein's dictatorship. They have endured destructive wars, internationally-imposed sanctions, and a further bout of destabilizing regime change and subsequent state-building from 2003. The recent rise of the Islamic State, the consolidation of the Kurdistan Region, and the response of the Shi'i populace have brought the country to a de facto partition that may bring about Iraq's final demise.
The second edition of Iraq: People, History, Politics provides a comprehensive analysis of the political, societal, and economic dynamics that have governed Iraq's modern development. Situating recent events within a longer historical timeframe, this book is a must-read for anyone wanting to understand the deep histories that underpin the contemporary politics of this war-torn and troubled state.
About the author
Gareth Stansfield is Al-Qasimi Professor of Arab Gulf Studies at the University of Exeter and a Senior Associate Fellow of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), London. He is also a Global Fellow of the Wilson Center, Washington DC
Summary
Few countries can claim to have endured such a difficult and tortuous history as that of Iraq. Its varied peoples have had to contend with externally imposed state-building at the end of the First World War, through to the rise of authoritarian military regimes, to the all-encompassing power of Saddam Hussein's dictatorship. They have endured destructive wars, internationally-imposed sanctions, and a further bout of destabilizing regime change and subsequent state-building from 2003. The recent rise of the Islamic State, the consolidation of the Kurdistan Region, and the response of the Shi'i populace have brought the country to a de facto partition that may bring about Iraq's final demise.
The second edition of Iraq: People, History, Politics provides a comprehensive analysis of the political, societal, and economic dynamics that have governed Iraq's modern development. Situating recent events within a longer historical timeframe, this book is a must-read for anyone wanting to understand the deep histories that underpin the contemporary politics of this war-torn and troubled state.
Report
'Gareth Stansfield's Iraq is a unique piece of research, meticulous, profound and, more importantly, timely and cool. Such multidimensional examination from objective scholars is a must.'
Faleh A. Jabar, Iraq Institute for Strategic Studies
'An essential reference, providing the most up-to-date account of the political history of Iraq from Saddam Hussein's dictatorship to the emergence of ISIS. An outstanding analysis of contemporary Iraq and the forces leading to its fragmentation.'
Eugene Rogan, Oxford University, and author of The Arabs: A History and The Fall of the Ottomans: The Great War in the Middle East
