Iraq

Gareth Stansfield is Lecturer in Middle East Politics at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter.

* Contents * Preface and Acknowledgements * Introduction: Artificiality, Identity, Dictatorship, and State-Building * Four Key Debates * Analytical Theme * Book Outline * Chapter 1: Legacies of Civilizations and Empires Ancient Civilizations * The Islamic Conquest * The Ottoman Empire * Chapter 2: State Formation, Monarchy, and Mandate, 1918-1932 * The Artificiality Debate * The Decline and Fall of the Ottoman Empire * Planning the Carve-Up * Occupation and Uprising * The Cairo Conference * The New State and Enduring Pathologies * The End of the Mandate * Chapter 3: Conceptualizing Iraqi Society * The Identity Debate * Nationalism * The Sunni-Shi'i Divide * The Kurds * The Assyrians and Turkmens * Identity and the State * Chapter 4: From Authoritarian to Totalitarian State, 1933-1979 * The Dictator Debate * The Military in Politics * The Role of the Military and the Communalization of Political Life * The Intensification of Anti-Imperialist Sentiment * Towards Totalitarianism * The Totalitarian State * Chapter 5: Iraq at War, 1979-1989 * History of Iran-Iraq Relations * The Kurdish War * The Decline into War with Iran * Iraq Advances * Iran Counterattacks * The Kurdish Threat * The Tanker War * The Political and Economic Impact on Iraq * Towards Kuwait * Chapter 6: The Pariah State, 1989-2003 * Toward War * The Invasion of Kuwait * Operation 'Desert Storm' * The Uprisings * The Coalescing of Opposition Movements * Sanctions on Iraq * The Arrival of the Inspectors * Defection * The Failed Coups * The Opposition Defeated and Kurdistan Divided * Oil for Food * Sanctions Busting * Hide and Seek with UNSCOM * Toward Invasion * Chapter 7: Regime Change, 2003- * The State Building and Democratization Debate * Operation 'Iraqi Freedom' * The Chaotic Devolution of Political Authority * The Coalition Provisional Authority and the Iraqi Governing Council * The Transitional Administrative Law * The Iraqi Interim Government * Shi'i Rebellion and Sunni Insurgencies * January 2005 Elections * Constitutional Negotiations * The Referendum * December 2005 Elections * Staring Into the Abyss * Conclusion: The Passing of Thresholds? * Making Sense of the Debates * The Government of Nouri al-Maliki * The Passing of Nebulous Thresholds * Chronology * Internet Sites * Bibliography