"Lisa Blaydes has hit a home run with her study of Iraq under Saddam Hussein. Meticulously researched and overflowing with original insights, this impressive volume is at once an in-depth account of Saddam’s nearly quarter-century of rule and a theoretically informed inquiry into the nature and societal impact of authoritarian rule more generally. Blaydes’s masterful book is essential reading both for students of Iraq and the Middle East and for students of authoritarian political systems."
―Mark Tessler, University of Michigan

“Ever since Saddam Hussein’s fall, students of authoritarianism have been waiting to learn about the role of repression, patronage, and sectarian politics in sustaining his regime. Now we finally know: Lisa Blaydes brings the rigor of a social scientist to archival evidence of unprecedented scope and richness to give the most comprehensive analysis of the inner workings of Saddam Hussein’s regime to date.”
―Milan Svolik, Yale University

“Lisa Blaydes provides a superb and analytically satisfying account of the workings of the curious clannish rule of the Ba’th in Iraq. The intricacies of its systems of exclusion and inclusion are laid bare in absorbing detail, making a good case for the lasting effect this has had on the present fractured landscape of Iraqi politics.”
―Charles Tripp, professor emeritus, SOAS University of London

“A thorough account of what it was like to live under Saddam Hussein’s highly oppressive regime, Blaydes’s exceptional book also speaks broadly about the dynamics and effects of state repression, developing an elegant theory of how repression reinforces or undercuts shared political identities and facilitates or hinders mobilization against the state. The combination of careful quantitative analyses and rich qualitative material from relatively untapped Iraqi archives yields a convincing and absorbing account.”
―Melani Cammett, Harvard University

“In State of Repression, Lisa Blaydes brilliantly exposes the subtleties of repressive politics. This is a formidable work that weaves an astonishing amount of data into a compelling narrative that captures the tragic reality of Ba’thist Iraq in all its complexity. An authoritative account that will remain unmatched for a long time to come.”
―Hazem Kandil, University of Cambridge

"Drawing on fascinating original research about the inner workings of Iraq's Ba'thist regime, State of Repression enhances our understanding of authoritarian politics."
―Amaney A. Jamal, Princeton University

"Using rich and original primary sources, this excellent book looks deeply at the case of Saddam Hussein's Iraq to develop a new theory of how cooperation and resistance emerge in oppressive political contexts."
―Fotini Christia, Massachusetts Institute of Technology