Description
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewUsing the Iraqi archives for the first time, Helfont provides deep insights into how Saddam Hussein's Ba'thist regime sought to undermine America's post-Cold War order. Far from being a marginal actor on the global stage, Iraq's efforts inevitably placed it in the crosshairs of the George W. Bush administration and help explain why the disastrous invasion of Iraq became a White House obsession. The book successfully shifts our focus from great power politics to illustrate how relatively small countries can play important roles in world affairs. The focus on Iraq also helps explain wider transformations in international politics, and further emphasizes the central role of the Middle East over the last three decades. * Bernard Haykel, Professor of Near Eastern Studies, Princeton University *
Helfont has written the essential book about Iraqi influence operations abroad during the leadership tenure of Saddam Hussein. While most existing studies have focused on Iraq's domestic political scene, Helfont gives us a window into Iraqi activities abroad, including the conditions under which the regime succeeded or failed in achieving its foreign policy objectives. * Lisa Blaydes, Professor of Political Science, Stanford University *
Saddam Hussein's regime placed a high priority on undermining support for international sanctions on Iraq after 1991. Drawing on the vast archive of internal Ba'thist documents captured after the 2003 invasion, Samuel Helfont shows in gripping detail how the Iraqi regime sought to exploit global outrage over the humanitarian crisis. His account digs deep to document how Iraq attempted to manipulate well-intentioned civil society activists, journalists, politicians, and UN officials in a global campaign of information warfare and political manipulation. * Marc Lynch, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, George Washington University *
Samuel Helfont, a brilliant Arabist with extensive experience on the ground, does indeed offer 'profound and unprecedented insights into Iraq's foreign policy.' His authoritative account reveals how the shrewd maneuvers of Saddam Hussein's global Ba'thist network vexed the George H.W. Bush and Clinton administrations' efforts to forge a 'new world order' following the 1991 Gulf War. A chilling read. * Walter A. McDougall, Professor of History and International Relations, University of Pennsylvania *
This book deserves a wide readership among scholars of US foreign policy, global politics, and the Middle East. It is a landmark book not only of Iraq scholarship but global history...it is also a model of clear and concise historical writing. * Joseph D. Stieb, H-Diplo *
Recommended. Undergraduates through faculty; general readers. * Choice *
This book is a persuasive study for readers who are interested in understanding changes happening in the character of the UAE, specifically after the formal accession of Mohammed bin Zayed as head of the UAE in 2022. * China International Strategy Review *
Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter One: Precursors Chapter Two: The Gulf Crisis and the New World Order Chapter Three: Triumph and Despair After the Gulf War Chapter Four: Building Networks in the West, 1991-1992 Chapter Five: Toward Influencing Policy in the non-Western World, 1991-1992 Chapter Six: Courting Clinton Chapter Seven: A Turning Point for the New World Order Chapter Eight: Breaking Isolation Chapter Nine: Normalization, 9/11, and the Road to War Conclusion and Afterword: Saddam's Iraq and 21st Century Disorder Bibliography
