Independent Iraq: British Influence from 1941-1958 (Library of Modern Middle East Studies, 11) [Hardcover]

Matthew Elliot (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1850437297 | ISBN-13: 978-1850437291 | Publication Date: August 15, 1996

Focusing on monarchical Iraq during and after World War II, Elliot asks how and why British influence was maintained in the country after the mandate came to an official end. He offers three complementary perspectives on the issue.

Firstly, he highlights the role of Iraq in the regional defence schemes which constituted the foundation of British influence in the region. Secondly, he examines the methods through which Britain sustained its pre-eminent influence inside Iraq. Finally, he follows Iraqi politics from the overthrow of Rashid al-Kailani by the British army in 1941 to the revolution of 1958, prefacing his historical account with a theoretical overview of the operation of government and politics in monarchical Iraq.

Elliot uses a wide range of sources, including public records, interviews and sources in Arabic and Turkish. Taking a fresh approach to his subject-matter, he disinters the neglected parliamentary traditions of Iraq, re-examines the role of Nuri al-Said, and focuses attention on the important but neglected relationship between Iraq and Turkey.

By examining a little-covered aspect of Iraq's modern experience this book makes a key contribution to understanding the background to some of today's most intractable issues.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: I. B. Tauris (August 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1850437297
• ISBN-13: 978-1850437291
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,940,319 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The political development of early modern Iraq, February 13, 2000

By 

Scipio (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Independent Iraq: British Influence from 1941-1958 (Library of Modern Middle East Studies, 11) (Hardcover)

This book provides a thoroughly detailed analysis of the accomplishments and failures of Iraqi government from the British occupation during WWII until the fall of the monarchy. The author makes a compelling argument that the British foreign office heavily influenced the Iraqi monarchy during this period. This influence enabled the British to exercise a considerable measure of control over the politics and policies of Iraqi government, perhaps to a greater extent even than during the earlier British Mandate. However, the Iraqi king was not a puppet. He frequently disregarded the advice of the British and prominent Iraqi politicians, sometimes at his own peril.

The work also sheds some light on the causes of the military coup that brought down the monarchy. This is not the coup that brought the Baathist regime to power-- that did not occur until ten years later. This book is worth reading for anyone interested in recent Middle Eastern history and in the remote origins of current Iraqi political issues.