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The Modern History Of Iraq

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At a time when Iraq seems more violent, unstable, and unpredictable than ever, it is vital to know how things came to be this way. Marr's History of Modern Iraq is a good place to start.

After a chapter covering the various ethnic groups insdie Iraq, Marr begins her book during the time period of the British mandate and continues through to 2003. Each major era of modern Iraq is covered in its own chapter, some of which include rule by Qasim, rule by the Arif brothers, and also the various incarnations of the Baath party.

When discussing each of these time periods, Marr discusses ethnic tensions, social and economic issues, as well as foreign policy. Each chapter serves as a mini crash course on that particular part of Iraqi history. What makes her book particularly valuable is that she is able to link what happened during the chapter in question to the overall direction that Iraq took. With so many drastic and sometimes violent transfers of power, it would be easy to assume that Iraq was in a sense starting over with each new regime. Marr demonstrates that every era was in many ways a logical progression of what came before it.

Marr states in her preface that the book is not to be an exhaustive and detailed history of modern Iraq, but that it's supposed to be a clear and readable one-volume account of the forces that shaped modern Iraq. In that goal she largely succeeds with the exception of the period following the 1990-91 Gulf War. There were many extremely important events shaping Iraq during this period that she either leaves out completely or barely mentions. Since this is the time period that leads directly into what's happening in Iraq now, the more detailed the coverage of this era, the better. Dilip Hiro's Neighbors, Not Friends, and Sarah Graham Brown's Sanctioning Saddam provide the best accounts of this time period.

Nonetheless, Marr's book is excellent and certainly more accessible than other Iraqi history books in the field. Marr's presentation and organization have produced a fantastic book that many will surely look to when attempting to understand what's happening in Iraq today.

There are two standard histories of modern Iraq, Marr's book and Charles Tripp's A History of Iraq, which cover very similar ground.

Neither is perfect. Neither is great on the role of outside powers, particularly the United States, nor does either make sufficient use of the kind of economic and social analysis found in Hanna Batatu's classic The Old Social Classes & The Revolutionary Movement In Iraq and Samira Haj's more recent The Making of Iraq, 1900-1963: Capital, Power, and Ideology.

However, Tripp's book is, in my view, slightly but significantly better. It's more readable, has a clearer narrative flow, and tends to be more careful in its interpretative claims. For someone looking for an introduction to the modern history of Iraq, there's nothing too wrong with Marr's book, but I recommend Tripp's book instead.

Modern History of Iraq, a history book, is very good read because it focuses and combines our misunderstanding of the Iraqi people, fills in our information and knowledge gap without the normal drab history textbook feel.

The book focuses on several important themes: the search for national identity in a multi-ethnic, multi-religious state; the struggle to achieve economic development and modernity in a traditional society; and the political dynamics that have led to the current dire situation in Iraq.

Marr begins with a chapter discussing the various ethnic groups within Iraq. Following this she begins a historical trip from the British mandate through 2003. Each major coup, change of power, is covered extensively in it's own chapter giving the read a full understanding not only of the events but the conditions that cased change.

Dr. Phebe Marr has published several books on the Middle East, including contributing to The Government and Politics of the Middle East and North Africa, Fourth Edition, edited by David Long and Bernard Reich (Westview Press 2002). Academically and politically, she has worked with the editorial board for the Middle East Journal, a Senior Fellow at the Institute for National Strategic Studies, National Defense University (1985-1997), the Woodrow Wilson Center Fellowship and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She is a leading specialist on Iraq and its domestic politics and foreign policy.

Since Iraq can only dates its history as a nation to the British Mandate in 1921, "Modern History of Iraq" captures the essence of the development of a country in the 20th century. This book lays out the facts and is not the author's opinion of what should or should not have occurred, this is very important because it gives the reader the ability to form their own analysis. The only opinion that the author provides is that of the future of Iraq, in which most would agree, is "uncertain."

Marr's book is excellent and a much easier read then Iraqi history books by Tripp and Sluglett. This is a great reference book for anyone studying or deploying to Iraq.

The Modern History of Iraq

Overall, I thought that this was an outstanding book. The author does an excellent job of looking at each phase of Iraq's history, but not only providing the facts - but providing details on how and why decisions were made by Iraq's leaders and the consequences of these decisions. I think the author also does an outstanding job of discussing the events and impacts on the various regions (specifically the Shia South and the Kurdish North) within Iraq and explaining the role that international relations played in Iraq's history. Outstanding charts and data are also included in the book that are very helpful and illuminating. Overall, I highly recommend this book, my only caution is that I found the writing style a little dry, but I am very glad that I read the book.

required reading as background history of Iraq, Oil, Middle East to understand the future we need to understand the past to the best of our abilities