Situating recent events within a longer historical timeframe, this book is a mustread for anyone wanting to understand the deep histories that underpin the. The best books on the history of iraq five books expert. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of iraq government 2020 information contained here. Your first is the occupation of iraq, an insiders account of the iraqi government following the american. In addition to the journal, the book contains an informative appendix. A history of the coalition provisional authority siddharth mohandas isbn. Anyone who thinks that iraq has no history of democratic government needs to read this book immediately. In addition to the analysis provided by each months feature, origins will also include images, maps, graphs and other material to complement the essay.
Its varied peoples have had to contend with externally imposed statebuilding at the end of the first. The emphasis here should be on political history this book provides a good account of iraq s national level politics in the 20th century, but contains very little coverage of the rest of the country during the period. From revolution to dictatorship, by marion farouksluglett and peter sluglett. The politics of iraq take place in a framework of a federal parliamentary representative democratic republic. List of books and articles about iraqi history online.
These rivers flow into the persian gulf, through the state of iraq. The iraq war did have an oil agenda underlying it, one that vogler had previously denied. The highest authority is exercised by the revolutionary command council, whose members include the president, who is the head of state and government. Iraq s abundant oil revenues were used to develop the economy and to build new schools, hospitals, and other facilities. The first third is on the history of iran and iraq dating back to the ottoman and persian period which argues that the sectarian divide between sunnis and shiites and the dispute over the shatt alarab waterway contributed to the iraniraq war. Government iraq is a parliamentary democracy governed under a constitution that was ratified in 2005.
The federal government of iraq is defined under the current constitution, approved in 2005, as an islamic, democratic, federal parliamentary republic. The president is elected by the revolutionary command council. Yet as adeed dawisha shows in this superb political history, the story of a fragile and socially fractured iraq did not begin with the americanled. Lets have a look at the five books you have chosen about iraq. The sdf has expanded its territorial hold over much of the northeast since 2014 as it.
But the government dealt harshly with its internal enemies and pursued an aggressive foreign policy. The emphasis here should be on political history this book provides a good account of iraqs national level politics in the 20th century, but contains very little coverage of the rest of the country during the period. A catalogue record for this book is available from the british library isbn 0 521 55404 7 hardback isbn 0 521 55633 3 paperback. Tripp argues that the history of iraq throughout the twentieth century has shaped where it is today. Under a provisional constitution adopted by the party in 1970, iraq was confirmed as a republic, with legislative power theoretically vested in an elected legislature but also in the partyrun revolutionary command council rcc, without whose approval no law could be. The land now known as iraq has been called the cradle of civilization. The disintegration of the iraqi state has its roots in. Additionally, iraqis approved a constitution in a national referendum, thus making the transition to iraqs first constitutional government in half a century. Iraq is located in asia, surrounding the mesopotamian alluvial plain, the zagros mountain range and part of the syrian desert. These are books on my mind about iraq and the wider middle east.
A history of iraq kindle edition by tripp, charles. The current government is made up of an interim governing council, made up of 25 iraqi leaders, under the supervision of the chief u. The next half of the book is hugely disappointing as it. A chronology of key events in the history of iraq, from the time it formed part of the ottoman empire to the present.
The hashemite kingdom of iraq, also known as mandatory iraq in its early phase, was established by the angloiraqi treaty of 1922. This agreement states the government of iraq requests us forces to temporarily remain in iraq to maintain security and stability and that iraq has jurisdiction over military contractors, and us personnel when not on us bases or onduty. The oldestknown system of writing was developed around 3200 b. Iraq is the name of the state that currently partially encompasses the territory of the civilization of ancient mesopotamia. A political history from independence to occupation. Top 10 books about the iraq war books the guardian. Paul bremer iii, with the goal of turning over all government functions to the iraqis at the earliest possible date. Finalist for the pulitzer prizewinner of the council on foreign relations arthur ross book awardone of the new york times ten best books of the yearalmost a decade in the making, this much. It is a multiparty system whereby the executive power is exercised by the prime minister of the council of ministers as the head of government, as well as the president of iraq, and legislative power is vested in the council of representatives and the federation council. For over 3000 years the sumerian civilization flourished in the tigriseuphrates river valley. Gareth r v stansfield few countries can claim to have endured such a difficult and tortuous history as that of iraq.
Keegan collated a welldetailed look into iraqi history, from its origins in the. In his forthcoming book glass combines reportage, analysis and history to. It is a multiparty system whereby the executive power is exercised by the prime minister of the council of ministers as the head of government, as well as the president of. World war ii, vietnam, and iraq is a thoughtful and provocative analysis of what any army confronts in war the need to gather intelligence from prisoners, the most effective way to do that, and the ineffectiveness of harsh methods in delivering useful information. History of iraq great britain gained control of iraq, previously known as mesopotamia, after the first world war. Brief overview of the history of iraq the land of iraq is often called the cradle of civilization because the oldest civilization in the world, the sumerians, was formed here. The disintegration of the iraqi state has its roots in world war i created by european powers, the nation of iraq may be buckling under the pressure of. The government lacks territorial control over much of the northeastern part of the country, which is dominated by the predominantly kurdish syrian democratic forces sdf. The us military has written a book on the iraq war but. Four years later, the british colonial government helped set up the hashemite monarchy2 in iraq. How the us military transformed combat casualty care in iraq and afghanistan. First, it was inordinately protracted, lasting longer than either world war, essentially because iran did not want to end it, while iraq could not. It takes the reader away from the superficial and onesided way in which the u.
Artificiality, identity, dictatorship, and statebuilding four key debates analytical theme book outline 1. This civilization came into being between the tigris and euphrates rivers. The sumerians invented writing and started the first recorded history. Iraq s largely staterun economy is dominated by the oil sector, which provides roughly 85% of government. Under its provisional constitution, iraq is a republic based on socialism. The us military has written a book on the iraq war but its too late. Robert todd sloan brown, a company commander in the war in iraq, as described in his journal.
These iraq war books recount, analyze, and revisit the effects and experiences of a. The federal government is composed of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, as well as numerous independent commissions. By then there was already unambiguous evidence indicating the urgency of defusing the imminent danger posed by iraq and its primary allies in the growing terrorist conspiracy. This book examines the political development of iraq from the inception of the state in 1921 to the post2003 years of political and societal turmoil. Damascus eventually became the capital of the islamic world, but was replaced by baghdad in iraq around 750 a. His books include arab nationalism in the twentieth century princeton. Iraq borders turky, iran, jordan, saudi arabia, syria and kuwait. Iraqs abundant oil revenues were used to develop the economy and to build new schools, hospitals, and other facilities. History of oil in iraq lord curzon, the british foreign secretary, denied that oil interests influenced policy in iraq, but the archives show that the british government rushed troops to mosul in 1918 to gain control of the northern oil fields. This book presents a clear, succinct and balanced appraisal of how the current iraqi crisis has developed acknowledgements list of abbreviations and glossary map introduction. Adeed dawisha is distinguished professor of political science at miami university in ohio.
People, history, politics provides a comprehensive analysis of the political, societal, and economic dynamics that have governed iraq s modern development. A i dawisha with each day that passed after the 2003 invasion, the united states seemed to sink deeper in the treacherous quicksand of iraqs social discord, floundering in the face of deep ethnosectarian. Experience the history, from the sumerians to modernday iraq through this interactive timeline. This is an outstanding work marked by objectivity and concern for the truth. What makes it unique is that instead of the alphabet, it used around 600 signs with each sign denoting a particular syllable or word. The overall standard of living depends on global oil prices, the central government passage of major policy reforms, a stable security environment postisis, and the resolution of civil discord with the kurdish regional government krg. In each issue of origins, an academic expert will analyze a particular current issue political, cultural, or social in a larger, deeper context. This book is his attempt to set the record straight. Military or civilian, it represents the finest in how the federal government serves its warriors at a most critical time in their lives.
Iraqs largely staterun economy is dominated by the oil sector, which provides roughly 85% of government. A history of iraq charles tripp school of oriental and african studies, university of london. The updated book includes the recent american invasion, the fall of saddam hussein and the subsequent descent into civil strife. The website is updated daily and visitors can view the previous days history as well as whatever documents, pictures, or outside information is available for each historical event. The 2003 invasion and its aftermath iraqs history general. On 12 february 2009, iraq officially became the 186th state party to the chemical weapons convention. To understand iraq, charles tripps history is the book to read.
Online shopping for iraq history books in the books store. You can read the book here or get a copy from gpo here. The government of iraq has evolved over millennia, with thousands of years of tyranny turning into a newly formed federal parliamentary representative democratic republic. Journal of a company commander the experiences of capt. Iraq and the politics of oil is a fascinating behindthescenes account of the role of the us government in the iraqi oil sector since 2003. Vogler describes the prewar oil planning and the important.
Compared to other books on iraq published today, tripp merely provides a historical narrative without political histrionics or polemics. Back then, to my mind, the word iraq evoked a place. The american history section of the library of congress is separated by time period or subject and offers an indepth look at the history of the united states. Iraq and the politics of oil university press of kansas. Review adeed dawisha has written a deeply informed study of the history of the iraqi state.