Saddam Hussein and the crisis in the Gulf /

This is probably the best of the recent spate of books written about Iraq because its scope is broader and it deals more objectively with Saddam Hussein's Iraqi regime than its nearest rival, Samir al-Khalil's Republic of Fear (CH, Oct'89). Prepared after the Gulf War began in August, it regrettably has the marks of a hasty publication job, but that does not detract from its comprehensiveness and insights into the evolution of the Gulf War. Miller, a veteran New York Times writer, and coauthor Mylroie, a Bradley Foundation Fellow at Harvard's Center for Middle Eastern Studies, are particularly strong on the evolving history of Kuwait that led to the Iraqi attack, but less thorough on the US policy response. Although their conclusion contains useful analysis, it has been completely overtaken by the allies' stunning 110-hour victory that freed Kuwait and virtually destroyed the offensive capability of the Iraqi army. Nonetheless, the book gives important insights on Kuwaiti politics that will be useful to anyone who seeks to understand the tug of war between monarchists and republicans which began at the conclusion of the war. Given the relative dearth of quality material on this subject and the high quality of the writing, this book is recommended for college, university, and public libraries. -J. D. Stempel, University of Kentucky

By press time, another war may have already begun in the Persian Gulf. With a prospective glance at that eventuality, this mass-market book tries to explain to an anxious public how the butcher of Baghdad put the world into such a fix. Two seasoned writers, a journalist and an academic, flesh out the bare-bones facts of Saddam's career, his destitute peasant origins, his early infatuation with pan-Arabism, his enrollment in the extreme national socialist Ba'ath (Renaissance) Party, and his rise through its ranks as hit man, intelligence chief, and now as unchallenged leader. (A lot of heads rolled in his ascent, with lurid details duly noted by the authors.) Other chapters describe the important geopolitical components to the crisis, namely, the unsettled result of the last war Saddam started with Iran, U.S. policies, petro-politics, disputed borders, and Iraq's quest for chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons, all of which coalesced in the storm that broke over hapless Kuwait last August 2. With special emphasis on Saddam's less-than-glittering human rights record, the authors' concise, high-quality summary of the situation goes far toward sating the U.S. public's hunger to know why we're on the verge of war, if not already waging it. The book's one major oversight is the lack of analysis of Saddam's genuine popularity in some Arab quarters. But no matter: every public library that buys it--at its oh-so-affordable price--should see bulk circulation. No index. ~--Gilbert Taylor

The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait will undoubtedly spawn numerous books on Iraq and its enigmatic president. This ``instant'' book written in 21 days by Miller ( New York Times ) and Mylroie (Harvard Univ.) attempts to combine historical analysis with timely journalistic reporting to provide the general reader with an informed analysis of the current crisis in the Gulf. The authors describe Saddam Hussein's meteoric rise to power in a lucid and easy-to-follow style. Although this book is recommended for general readers and public libraries, those interested in a more in-depth study of today's Iraq should consult Sad dam's Iraq: Revolution or Reaction? (Zed Bks., 1989) by the Committee Against Repression and for Democratic Rights in Iraq.-- Nader Entessar, Spring Hill Coll., Mobile, Ala. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.