Iraq : From Sumer to Saddam

This book presents a broad history of Iraq, from the earliest times to the present, with particular attention to the emergence of modern Iraq in the twentieth century, the power struggles that led to the rise of Saddam Hussein, and such recent events as the Iran-Iraq war, the 1990-91 Gulf crisis, and the continuing depiction of Iraq as a 'pariah' nation.
Some indication is given of the sufferings of the Iraqi people, not only as victims of a brutal regime but also at the hands of US-led Western governments more concerned with perceived strategic interests than with human welfare. Such crucial factors as the historical Western influence in the Middle East, the prolonged Western support for Saddam and the US manipulation of the United Nations are profiled.
Detailed information is included, much of it unsympathetic to Western propaganda, to encourage a deeper understanding and a deeper ethical perception of the 'Iraq Question'.

Simons's contention that the primary purpose of the 1990-1991 Gulf War was not to expel the Iraqis from Kuwait but to protect U.S. hegemony over oil is familiar, as is his argument that Washington seemed to give Saddam Hussein a green light for the invasion. He quotes ambassador April Glaspie's pre-invasion statement to Saddam, ``we have no opinion on Arab-Arab conflicts like your border disagreement with Kuwait'' and assistant secretary of state John Kelly's declaration a few days later that the U.S. had no commitment to help Kuwait in the event of an Iraqi invasion. The book's principal value is as a short history of the Mesopotamia region from earliest recorded history to the present day, focusing on the emergence of Iraq, the origins of the Iran-Iraq War, the Gulf War and the methods by which Saddam Hussein consolidated his postwar political power. Simons ( Libya: The Struggle for Survival ) writes of the recent sufferings of the Iraqi people, not only under Saddam's regime but as victims of a decade of war. His shrill eruptions, however, weaken his credibility. He compares Americans with Nazis, characterizes Thomas Jefferson as a man who ``regarded blacks as hybrids between white men and apes'' and accuses Christianity of being ``happy for almost two millenia to tolerate marital rape.''

Copyright 1994 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

This is a broad political history of Iraq from the earliest times through 1993. Unlike many of the recently published books on this subject, this is not another Iraq-bashing book. Rather, Simons ( Libya: The Struggle for Survival , LJ 5/15/93) has done a fine job of presenting both lay readers and specialists with an eminently readable and objective picture of Iraqi politics and the West's tortuous relationship with modern Iraq. The chapters dealing with the 1980s and the Persian Gulf War are especially important as Simons demonstrates U.S. policies that bolstered Saddam Hussein in a cynical attempt to manipulate geopolitical developments in the region. This lucid and jargon-free account is highly recommended for academic and larger public libraries.
- Nader Entessar, Spring Hill Coll., Mobile, Ala.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.