<div><div>This is a concise, readable, yet rigorous history of Iraq since the end of the Iran-Iraq War and the Cold War to the present day by a well-regarded and serious Iraqi intellectual. Abdullah takes the reader through a chronological journey, exploring how Hussein came to power, the consequences of the Iran-Iraq war; how Hussein's regime developed; the war in Kuwait; the devastation of Iraqi society under international sanctions; the US and allies' invasion; the future implications for Iraqi society. Abdullah undercuts the widespread view that Iraq as a nation state is an artificial construct. Finally, the book also explores the relationship between Iraq's economy and the 'globalized' economy of the post-1989 period. <br></div></div>