The epic, five millennia history of the region between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers that was the birthplace of civilization and remains today the essential crossroads between East and West

At the start of the fourth millennium BC, at the edge of historical time, civilization first arrived with the advent of cities and the invention of writing that began to replace legend with history. This occurred on the floodplains of southern Iraq where the great rivers Tigris and Euphrates meet the Persian Gulf. By 3000 BC, a city called Uruk (from which Iraq is derived) had 80,000 residents. Indeed, as Bartle Bull reveals in his magisterial history, if one divides the 5,000 years of human civilization into ten periods of five centuries each, during the first nine of these the world's leading city was in one of the three regions of current day Iraq--or to use its Greek name, Mesopotamia.

Inspired by extensive reporting from the region to spend a decade delving deep into its history, Bull chronicles the story of Iraq from the exploits of Gilgamesh (almost certainly an historical figure) to the fall of the Iraqi monarchy in 1958 that ushered in its familiar modern era. The land between the rivers has been the melting pot and battleground of countless outsiders, from the Akkadians of Hammurabi and the Greeks of Alexander to the Ottomans of Suleiman the Magnificent. Here, by the waters of Babylon, Judaism was born and the Sunni-Shia schism took its bloody shape.

Central themes play out over the millennia: humanity's need for freedom versus the co-eternal urge of tyranny; the ever-present conflict and cross-fertilization of East and West with Iraq so often the hinge. We tend to view today's tensions in the Middle East through the prism of the last hundred years since the Treaty of Versailles imposed a controversial realignment of its borders. Bartle Bull's remarkable, sweeping achievement reminds us that the region defined by the land between the rivers has for five millennia played a uniquely central role on the global stage.

Contested City offers a history of state-society relations in Baghdad, exploring how city residents managed through periods of economic growth, sanctions, and war, from the oil boom of the 1950s through the withdrawal of US troops in 2011. Interactions between citizens and their rulers shaped the social fabric and political realities of the city. Notably, low-ranking Ba'th party officials functioned as crucial intermediaries, deciding how regime policies would be applied. Charting the social, economic, and political transformations of Iraq's capital city, Alissa Walter examines how national policies translated into action at the local, everyday level.

With this book, Walter reveals how authoritarian governance worked in practice. She follows shifts in mid-century housing and urban development, the impact of the Iran-Iraq and Gulf Wars on city life, and the manipulation of food rations and growth of black markets. Reading citizen petitions to the government, Walter illuminates citizens' self-advocacy and the important role of low-ranking party officials and state bureaucrats embedded within neighborhoods. The US occupation and ensuing sectarian fighting upended Baghdad's neighborhoods through violent displacement and the collapse of basic state services. This power vacuum paved the way for new power brokers, including militias and neighborhood councils, to compete for influence on the local level.

Ibrahim Allawi's classic, Reading in Al-Mushtarak: A System for Democratic Socialism offers an important and timely exploration of revolutionary theory through a lens of Arab-Islamic history and socialist thought. Edited and translated for the very first time into the English language by Ali Al-Assam and Majid Allawi, this brilliant work provides an essential guide for those seeking to understand the intersections of Islamic philosophy and Marxist thought, advocating for a collaborative, democratic future. A must-read for scholars and activists, Reading in Al-Mushtarak presents a visionary framework for a contemporary socialism that is both deeply rooted in historical context and boldly forward-thinking.

This work addresses a significant gap in the literature on socialist movements in the Middle East, with a focus on the Communist movement. It highlights the work of the late Ibrahim Allawi, an influential Iraqi communist leader who developed a highly sophisticated, rich, illuminating, and comprehensive theory of socialism. Allawi's theory was developed by examining the experiences of international socialist movements and the role of Islamic philosophical thought. It is extensive in its coverage and very carefully documented. The work has the potential to significantly enrich the field and I highly recommend it to students and scholars.

-Tareq Y. Ismael, Professor of Political Science at the University of Calgary, Canada. Co-editor of the Journal of Contemporary Iraq & the Arab World and president of the International Centre for Contemporary Middle Eastern Studies, Tareq Y. Ismael has made significant contributions to the field. He is the author/co-author and editor of numerous works on Iraq and the Middle East, including Iraq: The Human Cost of History (2003), The Iraqi Predicament: People in the Quagmire of Power Politics (2004), The Rise and Fall of the Communist Party in Iraq (2008), Cultural Cleansing: Why Museums Were Looted, Libraries Burned and Academics Murdered (2010), The Sudanese Communist Party: Ideology and Party Politics (2013), International Relations of the Contemporary Middle East (2014), Government and Politics of the Contemporary Middle East: Continuity and Change (2nd ed.), Iraq in the Twenty-First Century: Regime Change and the Making of a Failed State (2015), and Government and Politics of the Contemporary Middle East: Discontinuity and Turbulence (3rd ed., 2024).

For anyone interested in alternative ways of organizing democracy this is an informative, stimulating and provocative text. Our critical and imaginative capabilities are nurtured here by a synthesis of historical and cross-cultural reflections on democratic socialism with a heavy emphasis on cooperation and community in a context of shared power, wealth and decision-making. In this time of substantial democratic deficits, Reading in Al-Mushtarak provides an intensely humane basis for the sort of relational, grass-roots democracy forged in cooperative, respectful dialogue. This could be the basis for the larger democratic social transformations of equity, voice, and control that have hitherto largely eluded revolutionary moments, or, more simply, could enhance local initiatives that, however much they improve material conditions, suffer from lack of bottom-up power-sharing and influence.

-Mick McKeown, Professor of Democratic Mental Health, School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Central Lancashire.

If you want to read about combat in Iraq at the boots-on-the-ground level, this book is for you. -General Robert Neller, USMC (Ret.), thirty-seventh commandant of the Marine Corps

In August 2005, a four-man team from the United States Marine Corps' 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (ANGLICO) found themselves smack in the middle of the deadliest city on earth, Ramadi, Iraq. For the next seven months, they fought street by street against an insurgency that only grew more deadly.

They would eventually join up with snipers from the US Army's famed 1-506th to form Task Force Dark Eagle. Casting aside interservice rivalries, road-bound gun trucks, and conventional operations, these Marines and soldiers became the ones hiding in the shadows, hunting insurgents from their own homes.

Running Towards Gunfire is a gritty, no-holds-barred first-person account of the realities of modern urban combat, bringing the reader onto the streets of Ramadi and into the minds of combat Marines as they fight for each other and their brothers-in-arms during some of the most savage fighting of the Iraq War.

President Bush declared the war in Iraq Mission Accomplished in 2005, but Al-Qaeda had other plans. Money, supplies, and soldiers during the 2006 insurgent uprising were easily funneled from Syria along the dangerous highways of Iraq's Al Anbar Province straight into Baghdad, and the sense of victory quickly flipped for the worse during what was tabbed Operation Iraqi Freedom. The insurgency violently rocked the world with gruesome and horrific tactics that included well-trained snipers and dastardly roadside bombers who could carefully place explosives in the early morning hours, some charges powerful enough to easily flip a massive seventy-two-ton American Abrams tank. To further install fear, enemy follow on attacks effortlessly crushed responding coalition forces arriving to the horrendous scenes. The situation in Iraq turned dreadful.

American solders returned home with severed limbs, scarred beyond belief, or honorably flown to Dover Air Force Base in flag-draped caskets. These were horrible visions that simply traumatized the American public and invoked rage within the ranks. A change of plans was desperately needed and needed quickly. Senior American leadership in Iraq was failing, and a new strategy was desperately needed, specifically in Iraq's dreaded Triangle of Death.

The White House and Pentagon were shocked and angered with the tragic and declining progress in Iraq. The president and his top brass agreed with a new challenging plan. This plan would be new strategy involving five additional American combat brigades shuffled throughout Iraq to beef up the fight and return victory that was slipping sideways under the command of a skeptical theater commander, an incontrollable four-star general with a strange and confusing plan for victory. Additional Iraqi Police and Iraqi Army were needed as well to fight shoulder to shoulder with Americans, and this was needed quickly without any delay. Iraqi Police and Army recruiting was paramount for this new plan. Supplies were needed, funding for the Iraqi workforce was to be guaranteed, and new Iraqi Police stations with roadside checkpoints were demanded to stop the flow of evil that was freely trucked into Baghdad from Iraq's neighboring country of Syria.

The surge became a reality at the tail end of 2006, and American combat units were purged into Baghdad, Ramadi, and beyond in record time. Americans lived, worked, and fought with the Iraqi Police and Iraqi Army. Police stations popped up everywhere. Roadside checkpoints supported police stations and choked any freedom of movement for the fierce enemy that had once freely killed and mutilated hundreds of Americans and Iraqis over the past fifteen months, and the battle of the White Apartments located in southwest Ramadi was the focal point for victory in Anbar and a massive triumph for the First Armored Division's Anbar Awakening that was paired with a company of rugged Indiana Infantry Guardsmen who led the fight with Ramadi's Iraqi Police on that chilly January night.

This is a story of the Iraq War, a story of the Iraqi surge and the Cyclone Soldiers that lead it.

It has been two decades since the decision was made to invade Iraq. Even with 4,489 killed in action, 32,223 wounded in action, and more than $2 trillion sunk into Iraq between 2003 and 2011, our country has seen no benefit. Gary Vogler believes that those impacted by that war deserve an honest response to the question Why did we do it? This book details the truth about one part of that honest response: the Israeli oil agenda.

This book recounts how neoconservatives inside the Bush administration worked secretly with the Israeli lobby and the Israeli government to satisfy Israel's energy needs. Israel has significantly benefited since the 2003 Iraq War, while our country has incurred significant costs. The events, assessments, and conclusions described in this book are from Mr. Vogler's personal experience.

If you want to read about combat in Iraq at the boots-on-the-ground level, this book is for you. -General Robert Neller, USMC (Ret.), thirty-seventh commandant of the Marine Corps

In August 2005, a four-man team from the United States Marine Corps' 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (ANGLICO) found themselves smack in the middle of the deadliest city on earth, Ramadi, Iraq. For the next seven months, they fought street by street against an insurgency that only grew more deadly.

They would eventually join up with snipers from the US Army's famed 1-506th to form Task Force Dark Eagle. Casting aside interservice rivalries, road-bound gun trucks, and conventional operations, these Marines and soldiers became the ones hiding in the shadows, hunting insurgents from their own homes.

Running Towards Gunfire is a gritty, no-holds-barred first-person account of the realities of modern urban combat, bringing the reader onto the streets of Ramadi and into the minds of combat Marines as they fight for each other and their brothers-in-arms during some of the most savage fighting of the Iraq War.

The State Archives of Assyria series was conceived in 1985 to make all texts from the royal archives of Nineveh available to both scholarly and lay audiences in the form of critical text editions. After thirty-seven years and twenty-two published volumes, the series has grown into an indispensable research tool and an inexhaustible source of information on the Neo-Assyrian Empire.

The present volume concludes the series and makes available about three hundred further texts from the royal archives discovered or identified after the publication of the appropriate SAA volumes or inadvertently omitted from them. The supplementary texts include letters to the king from scholars, diviners, priests, and governors; oracle queries; treaties; and literary, legal, and administrative texts. Although the new texts are predominantly fragmentary, the volume also contains many long and well-preserved texts as well as numerous joins to previously published tablets.

There are very few WW2 epics still to be uncovered. The Big Little War is one - based on recently discovered war diaries, it's the incredible story of how a handful of RAF trainees and their instructors fought overwhelming odds to save Britain's Middle East empire - and why they were excised from history.

In early 1941 RAF Habbaniya in Iraq was a quiet flying school far from the front line. This all changed when, following a German supported Iraqi coup, 9000 Iraqi troops marched on the camp to demand its surrender. Habbaniya was virtually defenceless, with reinforcements weeks away across the desert. Left to fend for themselves and faced with the imminent arrival of the Luftwaffe, the camp commandant ordered a pre-emptive strike in their ancient biplanes...

Of all the battles of WW2, there has never been a more underreported campaign with such strategic significance. Had the school failed, Britain's power in the Middle East would be crippled, the oil fields lost to the Germans, and the course of the war very different.

A NEW YORKER BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR - An award-winning journalist's powerful portrait of his native Baghdad, the people of Iraq, and twenty years of war.

An essential insider account of the unravelling of Iraq...Driven by his intimate knowledge and deep personal stakes, Abdul-Ahad...offers an overdue reckoning with a broken history.--Declan Walsh, author of The Nine Lives of Pakistan: Dispatches from a Precarious State

A vital archive of a time and place in history...Impossible to put down.--Omar El Akkad, author of What Strange Paradise

The history of reportage has often depended on outsiders--Ryszard Kapuściński witnessing the fall of the shah in Iran, Frances FitzGerald observing the aftermath of the American war in Vietnam. What would happen if a native son was so estranged from his city by war that he could, in essence, view it as an outsider? What kind of portrait of a war-wracked place and people might he present?

A Stranger in Your Own City is award-winning writer Ghaith Abdul-Ahad's vivid, shattering response. This is not a book about Iraq's history or an inventory of the many Middle Eastern wars that have consumed the nation over the past several decades. This is the tale of a people who once lived under the rule of a megalomaniacal leader who shaped the state in his own image; a people who watched a foreign army invade, topple that leader, demolish the state, and then invent a new country; who experienced the horror of having their home fragmented into a hundred different cities.

When the Shock and Awe campaign began in March 2003, Abdul-Ahad was an architect. Within months he would become a translator, then a fixer, then a reporter for The Guardian and elsewhere, chronicling the unbuilding of his centuries-old cosmopolitan city. Beginning at that moment and spanning twenty years, Abdul-Ahad's book decenters the West and in its place focuses on everyday people, soldiers, mercenaries, citizens blown sideways through life by the war, and the proliferation of sectarian battles that continue to this day. Here is their Iraq, seen from the inside: the human cost of violence, the shifting allegiances, the generational change.

A Stranger in Your Own City is a rare work of beauty and tragedy whose power and relevance lie in its attempt to return the land to the people to whom it belongs.

The State Archives of Assyria series was conceived in 1985 to make all texts from the royal archives of Nineveh available to both scholarly and lay audiences in the form of critical text editions. After thirty-seven years and twenty-two published volumes, the series has grown into an indispensable research tool and an inexhaustible source of information on the Neo-Assyrian Empire.

The present volume concludes the series and makes available about three hundred further texts from the royal archives discovered or identified after the publication of the appropriate SAA volumes or inadvertently omitted from them. The supplementary texts include letters to the king from scholars, diviners, priests, and governors; oracle queries; treaties; and literary, legal, and administrative texts. Although the new texts are predominantly fragmentary, the volume also contains many long and well-preserved texts as well as numerous joins to previously published tablets.

Explore the Captivating History of Ur

This book is about the city which houses the mighty Ziggurat. The Biblical Ur of the Chaldees where Abraham was supposedly born. The site near which the earliest human cultures were found. The site which held the most glorious Sumerian Dynasty in ancient history. This is the story of the city that was destined to die and be reborn every millennium or so, a city full of intrigue, magnificence, tragedy, and glory.

By reading Ur: A Captivating Guide to One of the Most Important Sumerian City-States in Ancient Mesopotamia, you will...

• Get a sense of how Ur came to existence, how it grew, reached its zenith, fell, re-rose, and ultimately perished until it reemerged a little over a century and a half ago
• Learn of its history, laden with wars, trade, divine worship, political corruption, and entertainment
• Know why people of Abrahamic faiths in particular hold this city in high regard
• And learn much, much more about this remarkable ancient city.

So if you want to learn about Ur, click add to cart

If you want to discover the captivating history of the Gulf War, then keep reading...

The late 1980s and early 1990s were times of significant changes. The Cold War was nearing its end as communism was slowly unraveling, new cyber and communication technologies were becoming more widespread, media was becoming more important and diverse, the economy was steadily growing in most parts of the world, and right-wing political parties and movements were gaining popularity across the globe. Amid all of those changes, a short but impactful war between the United States, aided by several allies, and Iraq occurred.

Today it is known by many names, like the First Iraq War, Kuwait War, and, most commonly, the Gulf War or the First Gulf War. It was a rather short conflict, lasting just shy of seven months between late 1990 and early 1991. Yet it was still rather impactful as it showcased several essential innovations and changes in political and technological aspects of warfare, some of which are still part of modern conflicts.

The Gulf War became a famous landmark in contemporary history. It signaled the break with the old ways of the 20th century and illuminated the path to our world today. For that reason, the Gulf War is still remembered and seen as an essential event in our recent past.

In The Gulf War: A Captivating Guide to the United States-Led Persian Gulf War against Iraq for Their Invasion and Annexation of Kuwait , you will discover topics such as

• Iraqi-Kuwaiti Relations and the Prelude to the War
• Circumstances and Causes of the Gulf Conflict
• The Invasion of Kuwait and the Beginning of the War
• Military Forces of the Gulf War
• The War among the Clouds
• The First Battles in the Desert
• Iraqi Defeat and the Aftermath of the War
• Casualties, Consequences, and the Legacy of the Gulf War
• And much, much more

So if you want to learn more about the Gulf War, scroll up and click the add to cart button

Giants and Gods is an in-depth exploration of two fascinating and mysterious groups of beings that have captured the imagination of people for millennia: the Biblical Nephilim and the Apkallu deities of Mesopotamia. This book delves into the history and mythology surrounding these figures, and examines their significance within both biblical and Mesopotamian narratives.

In the Bible, the Nephilim are described as the offspring of angels and human women, and are believed to have been a race of giants who lived before the Great Flood. The Apkallu, on the other hand, were a group of seven divine beings in Mesopotamian mythology who were said to have been sent to earth by the god Enki to bring civilization to humanity.

Throughout the book, we explore the fascinating similarities and differences between these two groups, examining the religious and cultural context in which they emerged, and the ways in which they have been interpreted over time. We examine the biblical narrative of the Nephilim in detail, including their origins, their role in the Great Flood, and their continued presence in Jewish and Christian tradition.

We also delve into the rich history and mythology surrounding the Apkallu deities, examining their importance within the broader context of Mesopotamian religion and culture. We explore the various texts and artifacts that reference the Apkallu, and examine the ways in which they have been depicted in art and literature.

Overall, Giants and Gods offers a fascinating journey through the ancient world, exploring the intersection of religion, mythology, and history through the lens of two mysterious and intriguing groups of beings. Whether you are a scholar of ancient history and religion, or simply someone with a deep interest in these fascinating figures, this book is sure to provide a wealth of insight and knowledge.

Chaldean Nation shares the adventure of the Chaldean people from ancient Mesopotamia to the modern day. From their ancient roots to the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar to the current diaspora from Iraq, the Chaldeans' journey is both unique and inspiring. A Chaldean himself, author Fr, Michael Bazzi, also shares how Christianity came to the Chaldeans and how the Chadleans continue to practice Christ's teaching today.

If you want to discover the captivating history of the Gulf War, then keep reading...

The late 1980s and early 1990s were times of significant changes. The Cold War was nearing its end as communism was slowly unraveling, new cyber and communication technologies were becoming more widespread, media was becoming more important and diverse, the economy was steadily growing in most parts of the world, and right-wing political parties and movements were gaining popularity across the globe. Amid all of those changes, a short but impactful war between the United States, aided by several allies, and Iraq occurred.

Today it is known by many names, like the First Iraq War, Kuwait War, and, most commonly, the Gulf War or the First Gulf War. It was a rather short conflict, lasting just shy of seven months between late 1990 and early 1991. Yet it was still rather impactful as it showcased several essential innovations and changes in political and technological aspects of warfare, some of which are still part of modern conflicts.

The Gulf War became a famous landmark in contemporary history. It signaled the break with the old ways of the 20th century and illuminated the path to our world today. For that reason, the Gulf War is still remembered and seen as an essential event in our recent past.

In The Gulf War: A Captivating Guide to the United States-Led Persian Gulf War against Iraq for Their Invasion and Annexation of Kuwait , you will discover topics such as

• Iraqi-Kuwaiti Relations and the Prelude to the War
• Circumstances and Causes of the Gulf Conflict
• The Invasion of Kuwait and the Beginning of the War
• Military Forces of the Gulf War
• The War among the Clouds
• The First Battles in the Desert
• Iraqi Defeat and the Aftermath of the War
• Casualties, Consequences, and the Legacy of the Gulf War
• And much, much more

So if you want to learn more about the Gulf War, scroll up and click the add to cart button

From the tragic young Adonis to Zashapuna, first among goddesses, this handbook provides the most complete information available on deities from the cultures and religions of the ancient Near East, including Anatolia, Syria, Israel, Sumer, Babylonia, Assyria, and Elam.

The result of nearly fifteen years of research, this handbook is more expansive and covers a wider range of sources and civilizations than any previous reference works on the topic. Arranged alphabetically, the entries range from multiple pages of information to a single line--sometimes all that we know about a given deity. Where possible, each record discusses the deity's symbolism and imagery, connecting it to the myths, rituals, and festivals described in ancient sources. Many of the entries are accompanied by illustrations that aid in understanding the iconography, and they all include references to texts in which the god or goddess is mentioned.

Appropriate for both trained scholars and nonacademic readers, this book collects centuries of Near Eastern mythology into one volume. It will be an especially valuable resource for anyone interested in Assyriology, ancient religion, and the ancient Near East.

Contested City offers a history of state-society relations in Baghdad, exploring how city residents managed through periods of economic growth, sanctions, and war, from the oil boom of the 1950s through the withdrawal of US troops in 2011. Interactions between citizens and their rulers shaped the social fabric and political realities of the city. Notably, low-ranking Ba'th party officials functioned as crucial intermediaries, deciding how regime policies would be applied. Charting the social, economic, and political transformations of Iraq's capital city, Alissa Walter examines how national policies translated into action at the local, everyday level.

With this book, Walter reveals how authoritarian governance worked in practice. She follows shifts in mid-century housing and urban development, the impact of the Iran-Iraq and Gulf Wars on city life, and the manipulation of food rations and growth of black markets. Reading citizen petitions to the government, Walter illuminates citizens' self-advocacy and the important role of low-ranking party officials and state bureaucrats embedded within neighborhoods. The US occupation and ensuing sectarian fighting upended Baghdad's neighborhoods through violent displacement and the collapse of basic state services. This power vacuum paved the way for new power brokers, including militias and neighborhood councils, to compete for influence on the local level.

The revolt of African slaves in Iraq from 869 to 883 C.E.* - the revolt of the Zanj - was one of the great rebellions of world history and the first major uprising in the history of the African diaspora. The Zanj were black slaves shipped overseas from East Africa to work in salt mines and plantations under the harshest conditions. Their fate resembled that of black slaves in the trans-Atlantic slave trade, and their revolt triggered racism against blacks among Arabs. Like the Spartacus revolt, it threatened a world power, in this case the Abbasid empire. The revolt also inspired solidarity among Africans in the diaspora, when black soldiers of the Caliph deserted and joined the revolt.

Popovic's book is the only full-length study in any major language on the revolt of the Zanj. Scholars on slavery, the African diaspora, and Middle Eastern studies have lauded and extensively quoted from Popovic's groundbreaking work.

*The title refers to the two calendars commonly used to document history in Islamic nations - the Gregorian calendar as well as the Muslim Hijra calendar, which began in 622 C.E. during the migration of Muhammad and his followers to Medina (the Hijra). Thus the revolts from 869 to 883 C.E. took place in the third Hijra century but the ninth Gregorian century.

The Dramatic History of Iraq in One Concise Volume

The destinies of Iraq and America will be tightly intertwined into the foreseeable future due to the U.S. incursion into this complex, perplexing desert nation -- the latest in a long history of violent outside interventions. A country sitting atop the world's largest supply of crude oil, Iraq will continue to play an essential role in global economics and in Middle Eastern politics for many decades to come. Therefore, it is more important than ever for Westerners to have a clear understanding of the volatile, enigmatic Land of Two Rivers -- its turbulent past and its looming possibilities. In this acutely penetrating and endlessly fascinating study, acknowledged Middle East authority William R. Polk presents a comprehensive history of the tumultuous events that shaped modern Iraq, while offering well-reasoned judgments on what we can expect there in the years to come.