Tuesday, October 27, 2026

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

Monday, October 26, 2026

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

Sunday, October 25, 2026

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)

Saturday, October 24, 2026

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)

Friday, October 23, 2026

Review David Siddhartha Patel, Order Out Of Chaos, Islam, Information, And The Rise And Fall Of Social Orders In Iraq, Cornell University, 2022


  

There has been some very original work done by Iraq scholars recently and David Sidhartha Patel's Order Out Of Chaos, Islam, Information, And The Rise And Fall Of Social Order In Iraq can be counted as one of them. Patel spent time in Basra City in 2003-04 and 2011 doing research and interviews with locals. He wanted to explain how social order was created in Iraq immediately after the invasion when the government collapsed and the Coalition was barely present. He argues that mosques run by Ayatollah Sistani and Moqtada al-Sadr were able to form community out of their followers where one had not existed before.

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)

Thursday, October 22, 2026

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

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

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