Review Hana Batatu, The Old Social Classes and the Revolutionary Movements of Iraq, A Study of Iraq’s Old Landed and Commercial Classes and of its Communists, Ba’thists and Free Officers, SAQI Books

  

Hanna Batatu’s The Old Social Classes and the Revolutionary Movement of Iraq, A Study of Iraq’s Old Landed and Commercial Classes and of its Communists, Ba’thists and Free Officers is an all-time classic in Iraqi history. It is one of the early attempts to apply modern social science to the country. Batatu had extensive access to British, Iraqi government, Communist and Baathist papers along with interviews. Not only that it was published in English so it was accessible in the West. His main thesis was that the entrance of European capitalism into Iraq forever changed the economy and politics of the country and shaped the major events up the 1970s when his work ends.

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

Iraq’s Debt And Borrowing Continues To Grow As Iran Conflict Persists

  

The Iran War has thrown Iraq into a crisis. It depends upon oil exports to fund its government. While sales are increasing for now revenues are still far below pre-conflict levels. That has led Baghdad to borrow huge sums and draw from the country’s foreign reserves.

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 30 Qasim passed Agrarian Reform Law Broke up power of landlords who had ruled Iraq since Mandate

1922 PM Naqib Gaylani named new cabinet Was to pass new Anglo-Iraq Treaty before

            parliament formed so it wouldn’t be debated Ensured British control over Iraq

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 29 Def Sec Rumsfeld ordered review of all Iraq war plans

1914 Royal Naval dispatched ships to patrol Shatt al-Arab to protect Persian oil concessions

(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)

Islamic State Active Again In Central Iraq

  

The Islamic State is not dead yet in Iraq. Recently there were two incidents. Overall the group has not been doing much this year but they appear to be more serious than 2025.