Dictatorship, Imperialism and Chaos: Iraq since 1989 (Global History of the Present) - Hardcover

Abdullah, Thabit A J

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1842777866 ISBN 13: 9781842777862

Publisher: Zed Books, 2006

Synopsis

This is a concise, readable, yet rigorous history of Iraq since the end of the Iran-Iraq War and the Cold War to the present day by a well-regarded and serious Iraqi intellectual. Abdullah takes the reader through a chronological journey, exploring how Hussein came to power, the consequences of the Iran-Iraq war; how Hussein's regime developed; the war in Kuwait; the devastation of Iraqi society under international sanctions; the US and allies' invasion; the future implications for Iraqi society. Abdullah undercuts the widespread view that Iraq as a nation state is an artificial construct. Finally, the book also explores the relationship between Iraq's economy and the 'globalized' economy of the post-1989 period.

About this title

About the Author:

Thabit Abdullah is an Associate Professor in the Department of History at the University of York, Toronto, Canada.

Review:

'Rather than looking at Iraqi society as a blank slate on which an invading American army wrote its will, Thabit Abdullah shows how internal and external dynamics shaped Iraq in the decade and a half before Bush invaded. The US did not invent Iraq, the rich and complicated history of which defeated all the glib plans of the Coalition Provisional Authority. Abdullah sheds great illumination on why things turned out as they did.' Juan Cole, University of Michigan 'Amidst the current chaos and tragedy, Abdullah provides a rich and illuminating study of Iraq's cultural and historical development. Impressive in its breadth, coverage and scope, concise but comprehensive, this book is an excellent read for experts and non-experts alike.' Tareq Ismael, University of Calgary

About this edition

• Publisher: Zed Books
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1842777866
• ISBN 13: 9781842777862
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 144