The Future of Iraq: Dictatorship, Democracy, or Division? (Updated) New edition

Jacket Description/Flap: "A well-organized primer....offering some refreshing takes on past events.... An excellent volume for Iraq-bound civilians and soldiers seeking to bone up, and for the general reader trying to get a mental toehold in the region."--"Publishers Weekly" "This is a provocative, readable and realistic examination of a country that never worked. Anderson and Stansfield provide an insightful history focused on the core dilemma of Iraq--no one wanted to be an Iraqi, preferring ethnic, sectarian, or tribal identities--and focus on exactly the right prescription for the future: voluntary union or partition. Far from transforming the Middle East, a democratic Iraq could well splinter into its Arab and Kurdish components. "The Future of Iraq" explains why this is far from the worst outcome. This book should reshape the debate about what to do in Iraq."--Peter W. Galbraith, Former Ambassador "This is the book that President Bush and Prime Minister Blair--and everyone else vitally interested in the future of Iraq--should read. Anderson and Stansfield's cogent account of Iraq's bloody history, its failure to create national identity or unity, and the erosion of its governmental institutions under Saddam, supports their skepticism that a democratic, unified Iraq will somehow emerge from the ashes. Given animosities among Kurds and Arabs, Shi'a and Sunnis, and a Hobbesian world of revived tribalism, the authors offer the sobering suggestion that a unified Iraq may be untenable and that the country might better be partitioned. This provocative perspective will surely generate a much needed debate."--Robert Springborg, MBI al Jaber Professor of Middle East Studies, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London "Moving at a cracking pace, with some trenchant indictments of scheming imperialists and a chilling analysis of Saddam's Baathist order, this account lays bare the faultlines that now threaten Iraq with disintegration. No one who played a role in the evolution of this fractured polity escapes unscathed, except possibly the beleagured Kurds and disaffected Shia. Anderson and Stansfield offer an important perspective on how we reached this point, and a thoughtful set of possible alternatives of the country's future."--Dr. Rosemary Hollis, Head of Middle East Programme, Royal Institute of International Affairs (London) Table of Contents: Introduction * Iraq 1920-1958: The Hashemite Monarchy * Iraq 1958-1979: Revolution, Republic and Renaissance * Iraq 1968-1988: From One-Party to One-Man Rule * Iraq 1988-2003: Saddam's Survival * Kurdish Nationalism in the Arab Nationalist State * The Sunni Minority Rule * The Disenfranchised Majority Shi'a * Engineering a Future for Iraq * ConclusionBiographical Note: Liam Anderson is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio." "Gareth Stansfield is Reader in Middle East Politics at the University of Exeter, and Associate Fellow of the Middle East Program at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, London. Marc Notes: Originally published: New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004. Review Quotes: "A well-organized primer....offering some refreshing takes on past events.... An excellent volume for Iraq-bound civilians and soldiers seeking to bone up, and for the general reader trying to get a mental toehold in the region."--"Publishers Weekly" "This is a provocative, readable and realistic examination of a country that never worked. Anderson and Stansfield provide an insightful history focused on the core dilemma of Iraq--no one wanted to be an Iraqi, preferring ethnic, sectarian, or tribal identities--and focus on exactly the right prescription for the future: voluntary union or partition. Far from transforming the Middle East, a democratic Iraq could well splinter into its Arab and Kurdish components. "The Future of Iraq" explains why this is far from the worst outcome. This book should reshape the debate about what to do in Iraq."--Peter W. Galbraith, Former Ambassador "This is the book that President Bush and Prime Minister Blair--and everyone else vitally interested in the future of Iraq--should read. Anderson and Stansfield's cogent account of Iraq's bloody history, its failure to create national identity or unity, and the erosion of its governmental institutions under Saddam, supports their skepticism that a democratic, unified Iraq will somehow emerge from the ashes. Given animosities among Kurds and Arabs, Shi'a and Sunnis, and a Hobbesian world of revived tribalism, the authors offer the sobering suggestion that a unified Iraq may be untenable and that the country might better be partitioned. This provocative perspective will surely generate a much needed debate."--Robert Springborg, MBI al Jaber Professor of Middle East Studies, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London "Moving at a cracking pace, with some trenchant indictments of scheming imperialists and a chilling analysis of Saddam's Baathist order, this account lays bare the faultlines that now threaten Iraq with disintegration. No one who played a role> Review Citations:

Publishers Weekly 01/05/2004 pg. 48 (EAN 9781403963543, Hardcover)

Library Journal 02/15/2004 pg. 145 (EAN 9781403963543, Hardcover)

Contributor Bio:  Stansfield, Gareth Gareth Stansfield is Reader in Middle East Politics at the University of Exeter, and Associate Fellow of the Middle East Program at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, London. He is co-author of "The Future of Iraq".