1. A History of Iraq
By Charles Tripp (Author) (Paperback - May 2002)
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Book Description
In response to current events, Charles Tripp has updated his incisive book A History of Iraq to include developments as recent as mid-2002. Since its establishment by the British in the 1920s, Iraq has witnessed the rise and fall of successive authoritarian regimes, competing ruthlessly for power and resources. This struggle culminated in the dictatorship of Saddam Husain, who still maintains his grip over a fragmented and increasingly isolated society. Tripp's book traces Iraq's political history from its nineteenth-century roots in the Ottoman empire, to the development of the state, its transformation from monarchy to republic and the rise of the Ba'th party and the ascendancy and current rule of Saddam Husain. This is a story of social conflict, of power struggles between rival clans, of hostility and wars with neighboring states, as well as of their aftermath, and Iraq's deteriorating relations with the West. A History of Iraq offers incisive analysis of the making of a modern state and how it creates its own distinctive politics. Charles Tripp is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Political Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He is the co-author of Iran-Saudi Arabia Relations and Regional Order (Oxford, 1997) and Iran and Iraq at War (Westview, 1998). Read more...
Book Description
Authors Efraim Karsh and Inari Rautsi, experts on Middle East history and politics, have combined their expertise to write what is largely considered the definitive work of one of the world's most reviled and notorious figures. Drawing on a wealth of Iraqi, Arab, Western and Israeli sources, including interviews with people who have had close contact with Saddam Hussein throughout his career, the authors trace the meteoric transformation of an ardent nationalist and obscure Ba'th party member into an absolute dictator. Skillfully interweaving a realistic analysis of Gulf politics and history, and now including a new introduction and epilogue, this authoritative biography is essential for understanding the mind of a modern tyrant. Read more...
Book Description
This book is a major reinterpretation of the Iran-Iraq War, and is a source for reexamining the U.S. involvement in the Gulf. Pelletiere demonstrates that the war was not a standoff in which Iraq finally won a grinding war of attrition through luck, persistence, and the use of poison gas. Instead, Iraq "planned the last campaign almost two years prior to its unfolding. [The Iraqis] trained intensively and expended enormous sums of money to make it [their effort] succeed. What won for them was their superior fighting prowess and greater commitment. Gas--if it was used at all--played only a minor part in the victory.'' Read more...
Amazon.com - Editorial Review
Dismantled in the aftermath of World War I, Kurdistan is little more than a lingering memory among millions of living Kurds, against whom are pitted the governments of Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Iraq. Susan Meiselas gathers historical documents, maps, charts, and photographs that document the changing fortunes of the Kurdish people in the 20th century; anthropologist Martin Van Bruinessen provides ethnographic commentary on this mountain tribe's way of life. Kurdistan: In the Shadow of History helps bring the memory of Kurdistan and the reality of the present situation to the attention of readers unfamiliar with the region. Read more...
From the Publisher
A delightful, well-written, and vastly informative ethnographic study, this is an account of Fernea's two-year stay in a tiny rural village in Iraq, where she assumed the dress and sheltered life of a harem woman. Read more...
Book Description
One very determined woman uncontestably held her own and more with the great figures of the Middle East in the early twentieth century. That was Gertrude Bell. Highly strung, petulant, aggressive, and gossipy, she occasionally provided tea but rarely sympathy to the extraordinary group of British Imperial administrators whose adventures centered on Basra at the head of the Gulf in 1914-1916. Not enough has been made of this Basra cabal as a group rather than individuals. Nor have the machinations of the 'Basra gang' had the attention given to figures such as Lawrence of Arabia and General Allenby, individuals who when all is said and done were not deeply involved in Gulf and Iraqi affairs.
The Arab of Mesopotamia is a collection of once confidential briefing papers that Bell helped to produce for British army officers new to the Mesopotamia theatre, published in Basra by a military printer. The tone confirms views that Gertrude Bell and her colleagues were interested in the possibility of playing on the world stage and wanted quiet in the sheikhdoms while they pursued notions of a Middle East empire that would rival the Indian empire. Heady plans were made for an Imperial service that would include Arabia, Iraq, the Trans-Jordan, and even the Sudan. While exciting, this 'mega outlook' was opposed to Arab concerns. Read more...
11. 21st Century Complete Guide to the Gulf War - Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm, from the Invasion by Iraq and Saddam Hussein to the Liberation of Kuwait, with Declassified Military and CIA Files
By Department of Defense - CD-ROM: 40815 pages - (August 20, 2002)
Book Description
This electronic book on CD-ROM presents the complete military history of the 1990-91 Gulf War as recorded by the U.S. military, from the invasion of tiny Kuwait by Iraq’s Saddam Hussein to its liberation by American-led forces. In addition to narratives and oral histories, there is a fantastic collection of recently declassified government files from the CIA, DIA, and military - including the U.S. Army, Office of the Surgeon General, U.S. Central Command, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), DOD Intelligence, Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Air Force. Maps and color photographs illustrate the histories, with additional information on the medical condition which became known as Gulf War Illness. The Complete Story of Gulf War Illness is available on a companion CD-ROM.
This book-on-a-disc makes a superb reference work for anyone interested in military history and warfare! It is designed to provide a convenient user-friendly general reference work, utilizing the benefits of the Adobe Acrobat format to uniformly present thousands of pages that can be rapidly reviewed or printed without untold hours of tedious searching and downloading. Vast archives of important public domain government information that might otherwise remain inaccessible are available for instant review no matter where you are. Read more...
Book Description
Ayatollahs, Sufis and Ideologies is the first comprehensive study of Islam and Islamism in Iraq. The volume looks at organized religion to the myriad patterns of popular religion, as well as the various Islamist social movements and organizations that currently exist. Avoiding oversimplified approaches to the nature of Islam, the essays focus on the unique nature of religion and state religion tensions in Iraq. Contributors also provide detailed comparisons with other Middle Eastern countries. Read more...
Book Description
The Rants, Raves & Thoughts of Saddam Hussein is the latest title in a brand new series of thoughtful, and thought-provoking titles dealing with some of the less appealing dictators and terrorists of our time. The goals and inspirations of this new series on the modern world's terrorists and dictators is to explain, in their own words and in the words of others, what makes them so ruthless. The books demonstrate what a talented group of free-thinking writers and graphic designers can do with access to a database of information and a limitless imagination about how to let the words of these powerful, psychotic people reveal who they are, what they believe and what they hope to achieve. The Rants, Raves & Thoughts of Saddam Hussein lets you step inside the head of Iraq's notorious strongman, from his views on justice, assassination, women, Kuwait, capitalism and dying like a hero. Read more...
