The History of Iraq (The Greenwood Histories of the Modern Nations) |
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You Are Here: Home > History Books > Brazil History > Item 342
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The History of Iraq (The Greenwood Histories of the Modern Nations)
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by Courtney Hunt
Sales Rank: 1089708
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List Price: $46.95
$46.95
At Amazon
on 10-31-2008.
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Features
Cover Type: Hard Cover with 152 pages
Published by: Greenwood Press September 30, 2005
Written in: English
ISBN 10 Number: 0313334145
ISBN 13 Number: 978-0313334146
Book Dimensions:
9.3 x 6 x 0.7 inches
Weighs: 12.8 ounces
Product Review
“[E]xploring the Muslim faith's influence on Iraq and the British influence on the nation after World War 1. Here's a fascinating coverage packed with local color and social and political insights.”–MBR Bookwatch
Product Description
Since the early 1990s, Iraq and its former dictator, Saddam Hussein, has remained a fixture in the newspaper headlines of the Western world. However, few American adults know or understand the rich cultural history or the political forces that have shaped modern Iraq. As the future of Iraq is being written now, a clear understanding of the history of Iraq is crucial in our new global environment. For many Americans, Iraq is a nation steeped in mystery and shadows. Through ten narrative chapters, Hunt delves into the rich history of this land starting with the earliest settlements in Mesopotamia and the resulting Sumerian civilization. The Muslim faith was introduced after the conquer of the Muslim Army and Mesopotamia's renaissance era began. The Ottomans conquered Baghdad in 1534 and after a century of desiring control of Iraqi oil, the British were given the mandate of Iraq post-WWI. Britain's control was overthrown in 1958 and the Ba'athist party gained control of Iraq in 1968 after ten years of grappling with the Communist party for power. In 1979, Saddam Hussein became president of Iraq and a series of wars broke out, first with the Iran-Iraq War followed by the two Gulf Wars. After the elections, the country's future is left to the strength and perseverance of the Iraqi people. Ideal for students and general readers, the History of Iraq is part of Greenwood's Histories of Modern Nations series. With over thirty nation's histories in print, these books provide readers with a concise, up-to-date history of countries throughout the world. Reference features include a biographical section highlighting famous figures in Iraqi history, a timeline of important historical events, a glossary of terms, and a bibliographical essay with suggestions for further reading.
Reader Reviews
The History of Iraq is a Cliff's Notes to Iraq's past that, according to its foreword, seeks to provide "students and interested laypeople with [an] up-to-date, concise, and analytical history." Hunt, an attorney with no particular expertise in Iraq, indeed presents an easy-to-follow overview of Iraqi history, from the Paleolithic to the present. Most ancient dynasties-Kassite, Medean, Macedonian, Parthian, and Sassanid-merit no more than a couple of paragraphs. The Babylonians receive a few pages. Hunt condenses the first 800 years of Iraq's Islamic history into eleven pages. Four centuries of Ottoman rule pass by in five pages. The post-World War I British occupation and the early years of independence receive a little more attention. But accuracy takes a back seat to turn of phrase. In history, the devil is always in the details, and too often, Hunt gets the details wrong: Winston Churchill's decision to convert the British navy from coal to oil occurred in 1911, not at "the turn of the century." At any rate, oil was not a major factor at the time. Iraq did not begin exporting oil in earnest until 1934 with the start of production at the Kirkuk oil fields. Nor should problems of Iraq's geography-chief among them lack of ports-be blamed on post-World War I arrangements. Kuwait was created in 1899, not in the wake of World War I. Nor, for that matter, did the British divide the Kurds into Turkey, Iraq, and Iran. The Iranian-Ottoman border was the product of a sixteenth century cease-fire between the two gunpowder empires. Blaming colonial powers may be trendy but, in cases such as this, it is counterfactual. Other factual errors, many made in passing, mar the history. Palestine was not a belligerent power in Israel's war of independence. Any Palestinian hope for post-partition statehood ended with the invasion of Gaza and the West Bank by the Egyptian, Jordanian, and Iraqi armies. The Yezidis-a pre-Islamic religious sect populating northern Iraq-do not practice a form of Zoroastrianism. Their belief in a cult of angels is distinct. Likewise, while many Kurds resent Saddam Hussein for Arabization campaigns in Kirkuk and elsewhere (an ethnic cleansing is not mentioned by Hunt), Kurds were not "ideologically aligned" with the Islamic Republic of Iran during the Iran-Iraq war. Ahmad Chalabi returned to Iraq months before, not in the wake of Saddam's fall. Omissions also mar the history. Discussion of Iraq's historically important Jewish community-and the pogroms that led to its departure-is nonexistent. The Kurds receive only passing mention. The intellectual origins of the Baath Party are glossed over. The History of Iraq may provide a bare bones outline of Iraqi history, but its omissions undermine its usefulness, even for the general audience. An encyclopedia article would be no less useful and, given the publisher's inflated pricing, would give more bang for the buck. Middle East Quarterly, Spring 2006
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The History of Iraq (The Greenwood Histories of the Modern Nations)
Available from Amazon
Price: $46.95
Updated on 10-31-2008.
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