Synopses & Reviews
Through the prism of the three major conflicts during Saddam Husseins reign—the Iran-Iraq War, the Gulf War, and the War on Iraq—Raphael Israeli exposes the tyranny, deception, and terror synonymous with the Baath regime. Focusing on Iraqs demographic populations, including the Shiites in the south, the Kurdish north, and the Sunni ruling minority, the author documents the difficulties the United States faces internally as rulers of an occupied land, and internationally as a perceived unilateralist aggressor. This work contains revealing insights into Saddams nuclear, chemical, and biological programs; his sponsorship of terrorist groups; and his collaboration with other countries, including Syria and France. Testimonies of scientists, along with Israelis intelligent analysis, expose the true scale of weapons of mass destruction proliferation in Baathist Iraq. The book concludes with an evaluation of who won and who gained from this war, and what the future holds for Iraqis, Muslims, and the West.
Review
“A remarkable, informative analysis of the dynamics of ethnic, tribal, and religious politics in Iraq. . . . These essays are helpful to understand the anxieties and misconceptions about the West pervasive in the Arab world. Recommended.” —Choice
Review
“Written with insight and sympathy, this book should be a basic source for all readers and students interested in a New Middle East within which Iraq, in seeking cohesion and stability, is a primary player on the political chessboard.” —Dr. Mordechai Nisan, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Review
“Raphael Israelis book provides significant insights for understanding the multifaceted aspects of the war in Iraq.” —David Menashri, Parviz and Pouran Nazarian chair for modern Iranian studies, Tel Aviv University
Synopsis
The fallout from the Iraq War in 2003 has been widespread. The US finds itself under siege in Iraq; the Iraqi State is ruled by chaos, corruption and terrorism; and the hunt for weapons of mass destruction has been relentlessly debated in the media. Through the prism of the three major conflicts during Saddam's reign - The Iran-Iraq War, the Gulf War (1991) and the climax to Middle East tensions, the War on Iraq (2003) - Raphael Israeli exposes the tyranny, deception and terror synonymous with the Ba'ath regime. Focusing on Iraq's demographic populations - the Shi'ites in the south, the Kurdish north, and the Sunni ruling minority - the author documents the difficulties America faces internally as rulers of an occupied land, and internationally as a perceived unilateralist aggressor. The Iraq War contains revealing insights into Saddam's nuclear, chemical and biological programs, his sponsorship of terrorist groups, and his collaboration with other countries, including Syria and France
About the Author
Raphael Israeli is a professor of Islamic, Middle Eastern, and Chinese history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is the author of several books, including Muslim Minorities in Modern States and The Islamic Challenge in Europe.