Review James Barr, A Line In The Sand, The Anglo-French Struggle For The Middle East, 1914-1948, W.W. Norton & Company, 2012

 

Barr, James, A Line In The Sand, The Anglo-French Struggle For The Middle East, 1914-1948, W.W. Norton & Company, 2012

 

In A Line In The Sand, The Anglo-French Struggle For The Middle East, 1914-1948 James Barr delves into the imperialist rivalry between England and France for control of the Middle East starting during World War I. When the war started the two powers wanted to carve up the Ottoman Empire with Paris having eyes on Syria and Lebanon and London on Iraq, Jordan and Palestine. Initially they agreed upon this division but then came into conflict. Barr presents a very interesting history of power politics, intrigue and terrorism that left neither nation happy.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 31 Iraq suspended cooperation with UN weapons inspectors

 

1914 India ordered 6^th Div to seize Faw and clear Turks out of Shatt al-Arab before WWI

started

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq In World War I, From Ottoman Rule to British Conquest)

(Musings On Iraq review When God Made Hell, The British Invasion of Mesopotamia and the Creation of Iraq, 1914-1921)

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 30 Armistice of Mudros ended WWI in Iraq as Ottomans surrendered

 

1918 Armistice of Mudros signed between British and Ottomans 6^th Army in Mesopotamia

surrendered to UK Ended WWI in Iraq UK wasn’t able to seize Mosul province and its oil before end of war

(Musings On Iraq interview with Princeton’s Sara Pursley on Sykes-Picot and creation of Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review The Creation of Iraq 1914-1921)

(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 29 Hikmat Sulaiman and Gen Sidqi led 1st coup in Iraq overthrowing PM Hashemi

 

867 Riot by Turkish soldiers in Abbasid capital Samarra against two top advisers Wasif and

            Bugha over salaries Wasif beheaded

(Musings On Iraq review when baghdad ruled the muslim world, the rise and fall of islam’s

greatest dynasty)

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 28 Iraqi Forces massacred protesters in Karbala Over 800 casualties

1913 Secret Al-Ahd Association of Ottoman officers formed Included many Iraqis that would

become leaders and prime ministers under monarchy such as Nuri al-Said Yasin Hashemi Jamil Midfai and others Called for Arab autonomy

Iraq Moving Ahead With Gas/Electricity Deal With Turkmenistan Despite US Objections

 

It looks like Iraq is moving ahead with a deal to import natural gas and electricity from Turkmenistan despite warnings from the United States that it would violate sanctions on Iran.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 27 White House told Bremer to revise his political plan for Iraq because wanted to withdraw quickly

1932 King Faisal asked PM Said to resign Faisal wanted a national unity govt that would include

opposition and carry out reforms

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 26 UK High Commissioner for Iraq Sir Cox created provisional Iraqi govt in response to 1920 Revolt

1915 UK Mesopotamia cmdr Gen Nixon ordered advance on Baghdad no later than Nov 14

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 25 Jaafar Askari made Defense Min Began creation of Iraqi army

 

1920 Jaafar al-Askari former Ottoman officer Faisal’s military commander during Arab Revolt

and officer in Arab Kingdom of Syria made Defense Minister Used 10 officers including brother in law Col Nuri al-Said to begin creation of new Royal Iraqi Army

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq Between the Two World Wars, The Militarist Origins of Tyranny)

Review Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, Alford, Kael, Anderson, Thorne, Leistner, Rita, Unembedded, Four Independent Photojournalists on the War in Iraq, Chelsea Green Publishing Company, 2005

 

Abdul-Ahad, Ghaith, Alford, Kael, Anderson, Thorne, Leistner, Rita, Unembedded, Four Independent Photojournalists on the War in Iraq, Chelsea Green Publishing Company, 2005

 

Unembedded, Four Independent Photojournalists on the War in Iraq is a beautiful picture book about the first couple years of the U.S. occupation of Iraq. It’s printed on a large format with pictures filling the pages so you can see every detail. It features everyday Iraqis rather than Coalition forces. Unfortunately the commentary has some major flaws.

This Day In Iraqi History Oct 24 – Iraq said it took Khorrmanshahr major city in south Iran Was supposed to be taken in first week of war Took 1 month

 

1915 UK cmdr in Mesopotamia Gen Nixon told to march on Baghdad Gen Townshend said

he couldn’t advance without more supplies

(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)

(Musings On Iraq review When God Made Hell, The British Invasion of Mesopotamia and the Creation of Iraq, 1914-1921)

Trump Appoints Special Envoy To Iraq

 

 

The United States doesn’t have an ambassador to Iraq right now but President Trump appointed a special envoy to the country. Iraqis are trying to figure out what this means for the relationship between the two countries.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 23 UK picked Abd al-Gaylani to be Iraq’s first prime minister

 

1915 UK cabinet ordered UK cmdr Gen Nixon to take Baghdad

(Musings On Iraq review When God Made Hell, The British Invasion of Mesopotamia and the Creation of Iraq, 1914-1921)

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 22 Report Iranian Rev Guard set up crisis cell in Baghdad to put down protests

 

1920 Iraq High Commissioner Sir Cox asked Jafaar al-Askari to return to Baghdad Would become

1^st Defense Minister Askari ex-Ottoman officer Was Faisal’s military commander during Arab Revolt

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 21 UK decided to seize Baghdad during WWI Would say would be there temporarily but created Iraq as a British mandate

 

1914 Ottoman Basra Governor demanded UK withdraw warship from Shatt al-Arab docked in

            Persia to protect oil concession Ottomans began shooting at ship UK agreed

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq In World War I, From Ottoman Rule to British Conquest)

(Musings On Iraq review When God Made Hell, The British Invasion of Mesopotamia and the Creation of Iraq, 1914-1921)

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 20 Iraqi forces and Peshmerga fought in Kirkuk in aftermath of Kurdish independence referendum

 

1922 Interior Min Sadoun told governors to start preparing for parliamentary elections and to

            urge voters to only elect candidates who would back Anglo-Iraq Treat

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 19 Saddam said Iraq couldn’t win Iran-Iraq War because outnumbered

 

1830 Daud Pasha’s Mamluks assassinated governor sent to replace him in Baghdad Sultan

Mahmoud declared Daud a rebel and appointed another governor

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 18 ISI held march in Ramadi to declare it capital of its caliphate

 

1920 Najaf surrendered to British in 1920 Revolt Was one of the centers of rebellion

(Musings On Iraq review Reclaiming Iraq, The 1920 Revolution and the Founding of the Modern State)

(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)

Review Arnold Wilson, Loyalties Mesopotamia 1914-1917, A Personal and Historical Record, Oxford University Press, 1930

Wilson, Arnold, Loyalties Mesopotamia 1914-1917, A Personal and Historical Record, Oxford University Press, 1930

 

Arnold Wilson was a political officer for the British Expeditionary Force that invaded Mesopotamia in 1914 during World War I. His Loyalties Mesopotamia 1914-1917 details both the fighting in Iraq and how the English set up an administration to govern the conquered territories. Two main takeaways were how badly India managed the war and how much Wilson and the British resented the Arabs they came to rule over.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 17 Zarqawi pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden and his group became Al Qaeda in Iraq

 

1909 Mosul representatives to new Ottoman Assembly left for Istanbul Was part of Young Turks’

reforms

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 16 Govt forces took south Kirkuk and Kirkuk city after fighting Peshmerga Aftermath of KRG independence referendum

1914 UK convoy with 16^th Indian Bgd on way to Egypt told it was being sent to Persian Gulf to

            secure Persian oil fields and occupy Basra

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq In World War I, From Ottoman Rule to British Conquest)

(Musings On Iraq review When God Made Hell, The British Invasion of Mesopotamia and the Creation of Iraq, 1914-1921)

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 15 UN inspectors found Iraq worked on hydrogen bomb

 

1905 British Amb to Turkey O’Connor sent memo written by Sir Sykes to Foreign Office

            detailing oil deposits in Mosul vilayet

Musings On Iraq In The News

Musings On Iraq was mentioned in this Bas News article about voter fraud “IHEC Warns Buying Voter Cards, Over 50 People Arrested”.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oil discovered in Kirkuk

 

1920 UK military took Kifl railway station Major transportation hub in mid-Euphrates during

            1920 Revolt

Fake Degrees Continue To Plague Iraq

 

The Media Line recently reported on the continued issuance of fake degrees in Iraq. This was a process that started during the 1990s and continues into the present time. It means there are thousands of unqualified professionals and politicians in Iraq.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 13 Al Qaeda in Iraq became the Islamic State of Iraq

1920 UK military relief force fought rebels outside Samawa Rebels withdrew during night

(Musings On Iraq review Reclaiming Iraq, The 1920 Revolution and the Founding of the Modern State)

(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 12 Dawa Party founded

 

1920 Tribes lost Rwairij to British during 1920 Revolt Led to clerics in Karbala to begin to surrender

(Musings On Iraq review Reclaiming Iraq, The 1920 Revolution and the Founding of the Modern State)

(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 11 Turkish Pres Erdogan said didn’t need permission to operate in Iraq Told PM Abadi he needed to stay in his place

 

1920 UK military force set out from Hillah to relieve garrison at Kufa Burned houses of Fatla tribe

along the way during 1920 Revolt

(Musings On Iraq review Reclaiming Iraq, The 1920 Revolution and the Founding of the Modern State)

(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)

Review Yasmin Husein Al-Jawaheri, Women in Iraq, The Gender Impact of International Sanctions, Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2008

Al-Jawaheri, Yasmin Husein, Women in Iraq, The Gender Impact of International Sanctions, Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2008

 

Women’s issues is an understudied topic in Iraq. In Women in Iraq, The Gender Impact of International Sanctions Yasmin Husein al-Jawaheri dives into how United Nations sanctions in the 1990s impacted women in the workplace, educationally and within society and the family. Part of the work was research into government and international studies and the other was surveying and interviewing 227 Iraqi women from three parts of Baghdad. She found that sanctions had a profound effect upon women driving them not only from jobs but public space as the government stepped back from protecting their rights.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 10 UK said it was destroying villages in southern Iraq and killing the residents as punishment for 1920 Revolt

 

1393 Baghdad surrendered to Tartars rather than fight and have city sacked

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 9 Nuri al-Said became PM 4th time Went after his opponents imprisoning 100s

 

1941 Nuri al-Said became PM 4^th of 9 times Went after supporters of former PM Gaylani Purged the

military and civil service Gave prison sentences to 100s

(Musings On Iraq Revolutionary Times, Gen. Qasim And Iraq’s 1958 Coup, Interview With Western Kentucky’s Prof. Juan Romero)

(Musings On Iraq Is Iraq’s Prime Minister Maliki More Like Premier Nuri al-Sa’id Than Saddam? An Interview With Historian Phebe Marr)

(Musings On Iraq review The Chatham House Version and other Middle-Eastern Studies)

(Musings On Iraq review A History of Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review ‘Independent Iraq’ The Monarchy & British Influence, 1941-1958)

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq’s Democratic Moment)

(Musings On Iraq review Rashid Ali al-Gailani, The Nationalist Moement in Irq 1939-1941)

(Musings On Iraq review The Other Iraq, Pluralism and Culture in Hashemite Iraq)

Iraq’s Political Parties Prepping to Cheat In November Election

Iraq’s parliamentary elections are a month away and already the media is full of stories of the political parties cheating as happens every time votes are cast.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 8 US UK France sent troops to Persian Gulf after Saddam sent his forces to Kuwait’s border because he felt Iraq was being ignored

 

1915 UK cabinet met Wanted to move on Baghdad but needed to send another division as reinforcements

Iraq Wants To Revive Syrian Oil Pipeline

 

On September 28 the Iraqi government announced it was starting talks with Syria to rehabilitate the pipeline between the two countries. The line was closed in 2003 after the U.S. invasion. Since Assad was overthrown in Damascus Baghdad has been trying to improve relations with its neighbor. On the other hand, there are questions over whether the pipeline is even a viable option.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 7 Baathist assassination attempt on Gen Qasim failed

 

1920 UK forces defeated insurgents in Hindiya south of Hillah during 1920 Revolt

(Musings On Iraq review Reclaiming Iraq, The 1920 Revolution and the Founding of the Modern State)

(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)

Islamic State Shows Some Activity In Iraq In Sep 2025

 

The Islamic State showed a little bit of life in Iraq in September 2025. After just 1 incident in August there were 3 in September. One was an old explosive and another was a bomb going off which meant there were only 2 actual attacks during the month. That is about all the insurgency is capable of as it has collapsed.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 6 Iraq sent forces to Syria while Iraqi jets in Egypt bombed Israeli targets in the Sinai as 1973 Arab-Israeli War began

 

1915 Sir Percy Lake new Chief of General Staff in India said UK must take Baghdad because

it would be turning point in war in East

(Musings On Iraq review When God Made Hell, The British Invasion of Mesopotamia and the Creation of Iraq, 1914-1921)

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 5 King Faisal accepted Anglo-Iraq Treaty that put Iraq under British hegemony for decades

 

1915 6^th Army created by Ottomans under command of German Gen von der Goltz to defend

Mesopotamia from British

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 4 Saddam ordered unilateral ceasefire in Iran-Iraq War 2 wks in as invasion plans went wrong

 

1920 All of Upper Euphrates modern day Anbar was under British control during 1920 Revolt

(Musings On Iraq review Reclaiming Iraq, The 1920 Revolution and the Founding of the Modern State)

(Musings On Iraq review Enemy On The Euphrates, The Battle For Iraq 1914-1921)

Review Ala Bashir, The Insider, Trapped In Saddam’s Brutal Regime, Abacus, 2005

 

Bashir, Ala, The Insider, Trapped In Saddam’s Brutal Regime, Abacus, 2005

 

Ala Bashir was a leading plastic surgeon in Iraq. The Insider, Trapped In Saddam’s Brutal Regime is his autobiography telling his life from the time of the monarchy until the 2003 invasion. Most of it is about how he survived under Saddam Hussein.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 3 Iraq gained independence from the British

 

1920 Gertrude Bell called Shiite clergy a group of popes standing in the way of UK plans Claimed

Shiites were problem in Iraq Said Sunnis should rule Iraq because Shiites would impose a religions state That was why Mosul province had to be included in Iraq to add more Sunnis Said that British were looking for Iraqi to be new ruler but couldn’t find one so had to pick a son of the Sharif of Mecca

(Musings On Iraq review The Shi’is Of Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Gertrude Bell And Iraq)

(Musings On Iraq review Gertrude Bell, Explorer of the Middle East)

(Musings On Iraq movie review Letters from Baghdad)

(Musings On Iraq review The Letters of Gertrude Bell Volumes I and II)

(Musings On Iraq review Desert Queen, The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell: Adventurer, Adviser to Kings, Ally of Lawrence of Arabia)

(Musings On Iraq review A Quest in the Middle East, Gertrude Bell and the Making of Modern Iraq)

Sadr Says Sticking To Boycotting Iraq’s November Parliamentary Election

 

Moqtada al-Sadr has doubled down on his boycott of the November parliamentary elections. He originally announced he would not participate back in March. He repeated his commitment to this move at the end of September. This is a major blow to voter turnout as Sadr has the only mass movement in the country.

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 2 David Kay head of Iraq Survey Group told Congress no WMD or nuclear program found in Iraq

 

1914 London told India to prepare to send ships and men to Shatt al-Arab and land troops in

Persia to protect oil interests

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq In World War I, From Ottoman Rule to British Conquest)

(Musings On Iraq review When God Made Hell, The British Invasion of Mesopotamia and the Creation of Iraq, 1914-1921)

This Day In Iraqi History - Oct 1 Saddam halted military ops in Iran for 1 wk Sign invasion gone wrong

 

1920 Sir Percy Cox landed in Basra as new British high commissioner of Iraq Was told to

prepare for Iraqi independence