Iraq
In the Eye of the Storm
Dilip Hiro
December 2002
ISBN: 1560254777
George H.W. Bush described Saddam Hussein as the "new Hitler." His son, George W., accused Iraq of being part of an "axis of evil." Since 1990 few nations have inspired such obsession in US political circles, a country easily demonized, simplified and obscured by the formidable Saddam Hussein.
Combining case histories and searching political analysis, Dilip Hiro explores everyday life in Iraq now. He paints a picture that is both nuanced and vivid, emphasizing the dual importance of the Gulf War of 1991, the Iran-Iraq war of 1980-88 and the role of the United States, first friend and then foe to the Baathist regime. He examines the brutal role of Saddam, his cult of personality and lethal security apparatus, as well as attempts by the internal and external opposition to overthrow him. Hiro weighs the achievements and failures of the sanctions, emphasizing how the United States has used UN sanctions as a way to advance its own unilateral policy toward Iraq.
Hiro concludes by warning that Bush's plans to attack Iraq and overthrow Saddam could have a catastrophic outcome for regional stability, the world economy and the lives of many innocent Iraqis.
What readers are saying
"A scrupulous and discerning vest-pocket contemporary history of Iraq from a writer with a a well-earned reputation for evenhandedness. Hiro does an elegant job of situating Iraq within the political economy of its region, commenting on the country's role in American foreign and domestic policy, and considering the effects of the embargo, with its multifarious implications. All of this is no easy matter, requiring Hiro to make sense of a tangle of connections, many leading back to US actions.... Under Hiro's steady and searching light, no political interest emerges from Iraq's recent history without blood on its hands or egg on its face, while, it seems, interest in the Iraqi people has fallen off the radar."
--Kirkus Reviews
"In describing daily life in Iraq, Hiro convincingly portrays the devastating effect of sanctions upon ordinary Iraqis. His examination of earlier U.N. inspection efforts reveals both the duplicity of Saddam Hussein's henchmen as well as American efforts to manipulate inspections to gather military intelligence.... Those who blithely approach war with Iraq and wee only positive effects would do well to read this book."
--Booklist (boxed review)
"Dilip Hiro...is a model political analyst. His approach is incorrigibly non partisan as it is methodical."
--Sunday Times
"Hiro is the perfect chronicler."
--Daily Telegraph
"Hiro provides a history of the unfolding American conflict with Iraq until the moment last fall when the Security Council of the United Nations passed a new resolution calling for renewed inspections."
--New York Review of Books
"Although Hiro catalogs charges against Iraq, this is no polemic; he writes within an easy-to-understand and nonideological framework. Highly recommended for informed citizenry."
--Library Journal Reviews
"Dilip Hiro has written many books about the Middle East, but none as timely as this. Iraq: In the Eye of the Storm comes out too late for the edification of White House hawks, but in time for the rest of us to take a cool look at 'victory' and why it is likely to be messily Pyrrhic for the seeming winners."
--In These Times
About the Authors
Dilip Hiro writes regularly for the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Observer, Sunday Telegraph, Guardian, and The Nation. His 28 books include The Iranian Labyrinth, Secrets and Lies: Operation "Iraqi Freedom" and After, and The Essential Middle East: A Comprehensive Guide.
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