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Urban history starts in ancient Mesopotamia. In this volume Marc Van de Mieroop examines the evolution of the very earliest cities which, for millennia, inspired the rest of the ancient world. The author argues that the city determined every aspect of Mesopotamian civilization, and thepolitical and social structure, economy, literature, and arts of Mesopotamian culture cannot be understood without acknowledging their urban background.

• Contents: Iraq under Saddam
• Iraqi and Coalition War Strategies
• Shi'ites in the South
• Kurds in the North
• Baghdad in the Centre
• The Hidden Agenda: Oil, Terror and WMD
• Ruling from Horseback
• Arab and Muslim Fears: Images, Loyalties, Wishes, Delusions
• Iraq, America and the New Middle East
• Notes
• Index.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

The fallout from the Iraq War in 2003 has been widespread. The US finds itself under siege in Iraq; the Iraqi State is ruled by chaos, corruption and terrorism; and the hunt for weapons of mass destruction has been relentlessly debated in the media. Through the prism of the three major conflicts during Saddam's reign: The Iran-Iraq War, the Gulf War (1991) and the climax to Middle East tensions, the War on Iraq (2003); Raphael Israeli exposes the tyranny, deception and terror synonymous with the Ba'ath regime. Focusing on Iraq's demographic populations - the Shi'ites in the south, the Kurdish north, and the Sunni ruling minority - the author documents the difficulties America faces internally as rulers of an occupied land, and internationally as a perceived unilateralist aggressor. The Impact of the Iraq War contains revealing insights into Saddam's nuclear, chemical and biological programs, his sponsorship of terrorist groups, and his collaboration with other countries, including Syria and France. Testimonies of scientists, along with Israeli's intelligent analysis, expose the true scale of WMD proliferation in Ba'athist Iraq. The term 'Babylonian intrigue' is used to describe the confusion, chaos and misinterpretation of language that has taken hold in the aftermath of the war. The author provides a penetrating analysis of the social, political, economic, and strategic ruptures the Iraq War has caused in inter-Arab relations and the Islamic world. The book concludes with an evaluation of who won and who gained from this war, and what the future holds for Iraqis, Muslims, and the West.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

"March 20, 2003. A date that the ordinary people of Iraq will never forget. A day that changed their lives forever: the day the Americans arrived in their country. Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen travelled to Jordan in June 2008 to find out firsthand what happened to the Iraqi civilians as a result of the events that began on that fateful day. They interviewed some 35 people, a cross-section of lives interrupted, who fled the chaos and violence that befell Iraqi society for the relative safety of Jordan. Following the visit to Amman, Jessica and Erik crafted their conversations with the Iraqis and have turned them into an unforgettable play"--P. [4] of cover.