Review by Choice Review
Understanding Iraq, the problems it faces, and the ones it poses requires historical awareness. Mackey starts with history to relate the current enigma to the past. One ought to question the wisdom of insisting that Iraq remains united, for its divided population has defied the mold ever since the state was founded to serve European colonial interests in 1919. After 84 years, the Arabs, the Kurds, the Turkmen, the Persians, the Assyrians--further divided into Shiites, Sunnis, and Christians of tribal or urban background--find themselves prisoners within a state. The colonial interests proved anachronistic and the dream of an independent well-governed nation-state turned into the nightmare of a vast state prison with genocidal accomplishments. Despite occasional lapses in favor of interesting stories, the book is a timely and informative contribution. A few errors (e.g., p.195, Sharem al-Sheikh, nakbeh; p.254/288 Muhammad Baqer Hakim; p.254, the Dhu al-Figar/Zulfighar is the double-edged/two-pointed sword of Imam Ali; p.273 Iran assisted Kuwait when Iraq threatened it by moving troops to its border with Iraq on more than one occasion) ought to be corrected in a future edition. The book has seven simple maps, some photographs, and few footnotes. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. General readers, students, scholars, and professional practitioners. F. L. Mokhtari National Defense University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
Veteran journalist Mackey (The Saudis: Inside the Desert Kingdom[1987]; The Iranians: Persia, Islam and the Soul of a Nation[1996])offers a comprehensive history of Iraq and its early Mesopotamian civilization with penetrating biographies of all of its historical figures through the ages, shedding perspective on the current regime of Saddam Hussein and looking ahead to what an Iraq without Hussein might resemble. Modern Iraq is a concoction of multiple divergent communities (Sunni, Shii, and Christian) who view themselves as having a national identity apart from Arab nationalism. King Faisal, modern Iraq's architect, built a strong national army as a tool for cementing all of the elements within. It took a tough Saddam Hussein to later bring the power of the state to fruition. But Mackey warns that those who simplistically see the removal of Saddam as a cure-all are fooling themselves. Chaos in the Persian Gulf could ensue, the author argues, which would threaten American security, as well as thrust the U.S. into the hellish task of "nation-building." An extremely thorough appraisal. Allen Weakland.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A journalist who has long covered the Middle East, Mackey destroys the myth that toppling Saddam Hussein will solve Iraq's problems and America's. She clearly traces the complex and diverse history of the country from its biblical roots to the present day. The most salient feature of the country, she argues strongly, is its fragility: Iraq is a patchwork of peoples (both Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims, as well as Kurds) that hangs together by a thread. Without addressing how these peoples can form a national identity, the author claims, a post-Saddam Iraq could be worse than the Balkans. But even though much of the book centers on Iraq's long history, it is the author's account of the past 40 years that is the most instructive. While much of the information about Saddam has been presented elsewhere, Mackey summarizes his career well: his seizure of power, with its emphasis on the country's Arab roots, came after a long time of local chaos, and his rule of terror has kept him in charge but led to wars that impoverished his people. "Like Baghdad at the end of the Gulf War, Iraq itself is a body whose skin is intact but whose bones are broken." Mackey's last chapter is her most chilling. If there is no focus on what will come after Saddam, she says,then Iraq's future the disintegration of the country into separate warring cantons will be a nightmare, both for its people and for the United States. With the Bush administration focusing on Iraq as the next step in its war against terrorism, this book sounds an important cautionary note. (May) Forecast: Given its timeliness, this should receive serious review and media attention, and should draw handsome sales. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Iraq has been a country of great interest to the United States since the 1991 Gulf War. Although that conflict ended over a decade ago with the military defeat of Saddam Hussein's forces and their expulsion from Kuwait, low-level U.S. bombing of Iraqi targets has continued to the present time. The events of September 11 have elevated Iraq to a higher level of concern to U.S. decision-makers. In recent months, calls for a massive attack against Iraq are being heard from different governmental and journalistic corners in the United States. Yet, Iraq and its history remain a mystery to most Americans. This highly readable, jargon-free, and evenhanded book goes a long way in providing a comprehensive account of Iraq's recent political history to Western readers. Mackey, a veteran journalist who has traveled to Iraq and has written extensively on the Middle East, has done an admirable job of explaining the myriad social, political, and cultural forces that have shaped the contours of the contemporary Iraqi state and its authoritarian political system. Recommended for all public libraries. Nader Entessar, Spring Hill Coll., Mobile, AL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Choice Review
Review by Booklist Review
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Review by Library Journal Review
