Category Archives: Iraq

Saddam and his Enemies

Posted on November 15, 2023 by olivercraner

Review of Samuel Helfont, Iraq Against the World: Saddam, America, and the Post-Cold War Order (Oxford University Press, 2023)  On the morning of February 13, 1991, two U.S. Air Force GBU-27 smart bombs demolished ‘Public Shelter No. 25’ in the … Continue reading →

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Ann Clwyd, 1937-2023

Posted on August 21, 2023 by olivercraner

Ann Clwyd was every Labour whip’s worst nightmare — a campaigning politician who was prepared to put principle ahead of party discipline. It was for this reason that she was sacked from shadow cabinet positions by two party leaders and … Continue reading →

Posted in Iraq, Politics, Wales | Leave a comment

Archives of Pain: Kanan Makiya and the Politics of Iraq

Posted on August 24, 2022 by olivercraner

That’s the hope I still have for Iraq — that it can rediscover its destiny as a richly various and pluralistic society, a meeting ground of all sorts of creeds and groupings. That’s the hope that sustains me. Kanan Makiya, … Continue reading →

Posted in Iraq, Nationalism, Politics, United States | Leave a comment

‘Everyone Middle East is here’: The British in Iraq

Posted on July 28, 2021 by olivercraner

The real difficulty here is that we don’t know exactly what we intend to do in this country. Can you persuade people to take your side when you are not sure in the end whether you’ll be there to take … Continue reading →

Posted in Britain, Iraq, Politics, United States | Leave a comment