Iraq

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.

Introduction: Artificiality, Identity, Dictatorship, and State-Building

Chapter 1: Legacies of Civilizations and Empires

Chapter 2: State Formation, Monarchy, and Mandate, 1918-1932

Chapter 3: Conceptualizing Iraqi Society

Chapter 4: From Authoritarian to Totalitarian State, 1933-1979

Chapter 5: Iraq at War, 1979-1989

Chapter 6: The Pariah State, 1989-2003

Chapter 7: Regime Change, 2003-

Chapter 8: From the Brink, to the Brink

Chapter 9: The Disintegration of Iraq

Chapter 10: The Rise of the Islamic State

Conclusion

�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

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