Pride and Power: A Modern History of Iraq

by Johan Franzen

Overview

The story of Iraq is one of resistance. In this groundbreaking study, Johan Franzen offers a contextual modern history of the country, its creation and its struggle for sovereignty.
Iraq's contemporary history is a tale of a diverse people thrown together into a nation-state by imperialist statecraft. From the state's inception as a League of Nations mandate in the 1920s, through wars, coups and revolutions, Iraqis have always resisted foreign domination. But the country, propelled by the quest for power, intense national pride and a zeal for sovereignty, was catapulted along a trajectory of violence. On one side stood imperialism, seeking to control Iraq for its own ends. Facing it, Iraqis of varying nationalist groups tried to rid the country of foreign meddling and steer a course of self-determination.
Pride and Power offers in-depth analysis of the most important events, decisions and processes that led Iraq down this path. Based on extensive research of primary sources, both Iraqi and Western, the book unravels the complexity of Iraq's political history. It is essential reading for anyone interested in the international relations of the Middle East or in understanding the rich history of Iraq, from its foundation to the present.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781787383951
Publisher:	Hurst
Publication date:	03/01/2021
Pages:	660
Product dimensions:	9.30(w) x 6.30(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Johan Franzen is Senior Lecturer in Middle East History at the University of East Anglia. He is the author of Red Star Over Iraq: Iraqi Communism Before Saddam, also published by Hurst, and has written extensively on Iraqi affairs for many years.

Table of Contents

Map of Iraq xi

A Note on Transliteration xiii

Abbreviations xv

Glossary xix

List of Illustrations xxiii

Preface xxv

1 Conceiving Iraq 1

Ottoman Birthpangs 2

British Belligerence 15

Custodian State 27

2 State of Militancy 51

Enforcing Modernity 51

The Army Enters Politics 66

A British Reconquista 82

3 Critical Mass 99

Revolting Repression 100

Cold War Fever 117

Nasser Looms Large 132

4 Republican Rhapsody 151

Qasim al-&lhookipa;Iraq 152

A Ba&lhookipa;thist Cacophony 175

The Reign of the Two $$$Arefs 197

5 Ba&lhookipa;thism of Fire 207

Carrots and Sticks 208

War and Peace (and Underhand Dealings) 224

Calm Before the Storm 241

6 Liberating Arabistan 251

The Road to War 252

Human Waves, Cannon Fodder, and Attrition 261

CWs, Dodgy Deals, and Conflict Resolution 272

7 A Rupturing Gulf 287

Kuwaiti Shaykhdown 288

Pride Before Fall 304

War, Sanctions, and Regime Survival 321

8 The End Game 337

Weapons of Mass Deception 338

The Fall of Nebuchadnezzar 361

"Democracy" At Last 377

Conclusion 397

Notes 409

Bibliography 483

Index 497

Editorial Reviews

"Franzen narrates the troubled political history of modern Iraq, with close and detailed analyses of the play of forces, and the role of regional and international powers in the rise and fall of the modern Iraqi state."— Sami Zubaida, Emeritus Professor of Politics and Sociology, Birkbeck, University of London, and author of Beyond Islam: A New Understanding of the Middle East

"In Pride and Power, Johan Franzén shows the impact of constant foreign intervention on the Iraqi state and reveals the cyclical nature of Iraq's political history. Many lessons from this history can and should be applied to the country today."— Renad Mansour, Senior Research Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme, and Project Director of the Iraq Initiative, Chatham House

"In this impressive account of Iraq's political history, Franzen draws on an abundance of primary sources to shed new light on the country and to give voice to generations of Iraqis. This meticulous analysis is a must-read to understand Iraq today." — Zeynep Kaya, Senior Teaching Fellow, SOAS, University of London

From the Publisher