Iraq Since 1958

Iraq Since 1958 is the definitive political history of modern Iraq from thefall of the Hashemite monarchy until today. As the world prepares for war, it provides a critical analysis of those issues that have dominated Iraqiaffairs over the last half-century and will continue to do so in the yearsto come -- with or without Saddam Hussein. Iraq Since 1958 coverseverything from the structure and ideology of the Ba'thist regime that hasruled since 1968, the nature of the Iraqi economy, tribalism, sectarianism, religious divisions within Iraq, long-standing Iraqi foreign policyimperatives, the personality of Saddam Hussein, and the role of the Kurdsand the Shi'ites in a country dominated politically by Sunni Muslims.