Musings On Iraq In The News

  

I was quoted in this article “A New Chapter for Sinjar” by Wladimir van Wilgenburg for the Kurdish Center for Studies.

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)

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)

Review Hanna 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.

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 28 After invasion plan failed Saddam asked for ceasefire one week into Iran-Iraq War

1915 British attacked Ottomans at Es Sinn with frontal attack Ottomans held and then retreated at

night

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 27 US published letter from Al Qaeda to Zarqawi Warned him about vanity Said he had to consult with Al Qaeda more and cooperate with other insurgent groups

1919 TE Lawrence wrote Foreign Sec Lord Curzon that Sir Percy Cox should be high commissioner

of Iraq to relieve tension there

This Day In Iraqi History – Sep 26 Bush told Def Sec Rumsfeld to secretly start Iraq war plans

1914 Gen Barrow at India Office said UK had to stop Turkish-Arab alliance and declaration

of jihad which could spread to Afghanistan and threaten India UK should make show of force in Shatt al-Arab to deter Arabs from backing Ottomans and if war started should seize Basra vilayet

(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)

Review Kathleen Bailey, The UN Inspections in Iraq, Lessons for On-Site Verification, Westview Press, 1995

  

Kathleen Baily wrote The UN Inspections in Iraq, Lessons for On-Site Verification in the midst of the United Nations weapons inspections in Iraq in the 1990s. Her goal was to review what the U.N. had found, how Iraq responded and provided recommendations for future inspections. That means not all parts of the book are of interest to the average reader but it does cover a wealth of information about what transpired in Iraq.

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 25 KRG held independence referendum Iraqi forces would attack Kurds and seize disputed areas afterward

1913 US consul in Baghdad reported Basra Reform Society issued constitution Demanded

autonomy no foreign concessions recognition of Arabic language

This Day In Iraqi History – Sep 24 UN inspectors found over 50,000 docs on Iraq’s nuclear program when it denied it had such a program

  

1915 Battle of Es Sinn began 1^st move by British to take Kut Started with diversionary

attack Turks left at night

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

Iraq Negotiations To Disarm Pro-Iran Resistance In Disarray

  

When Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi came into office he said one of his top priorities was to disarm the pro-Iran Resistance. He set a date of September 30 for that to be accomplished but has since backed down due to Iranian pressure. Talks over the matter are disparate and uncoordinated giving the pro-Iran groups the upper hand.

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 23 Natl Sec Adv Rice said Iraq would be next stage in war on terror

1948 Shafiq Ades Jewish merchant in Basra hanged on accusation he smuggled weapons to

Palestine He sold scrap metal to Italy that re-sold it to Israel to make weapons Part of anti-Jewish feelings that spread after creation of Israel

(Musings On Iraq review Last Days in Babylon, The Exile of Iraq’s Jews, the Story of My Family)

Iraq Reportedly Sidelined In Trump Administration Leads To Rote Policy Decisions

  

Al Mada reported that Iraq has slipped into the background for the Trump administration. That has led the U.S. to rely upon its usual mix of sanctions and threats against Baghdad as its only means to influence the country.

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 22 Iraq invaded Iran starting Iran-Iraq War

1961 After Barzani’s forces overran army and police outposts and pushed back pro-govt Kurdish

tribes Qasim ordered counterattack Iraqi air force bombed 500 villages destroying 270 of them

(Musings On Iraq review Kurds of Iraq, Tragedy and Hope)

(Musings On Iraq review The Kurds, A Modern History)

(Musings On Iraq review The Kurdish Revolt 1961-1970)

(Musings On Iraq review Journey Among Brave Men, Travels in Kurdistan)

(Musings On Iraq Explaining Kurdish Nationalism Interview With Teen Tech Univ Prof Michael Gunter)

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 21 Coup plot by PM Razzaq vs Pres Arif discovered Led to Baathist purge from govt

1941 PM Midfai resigned over argument with Finance Min Kamal

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 20 Bush talked with Blair about seizing Iraq’s southern oil fields

1917 Sir Percy Cox made civil commissioner in Iraq

(Musings On Iraq review Desert Hell, The British Invasion of Mesopotamia)

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 19 Bush again asked for report on Iraq-Al Qaeda ties after already told none existed

 

1914 UK sent 3 gunboats to Shatt al-Arab to protect Persian oil fields

(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 - Sep 18 PM Said threatened to expel Jews from Iraq over Israel

1916 British leaders told troops to continue advance in Mesopotamia vs Ottomans after huge loss

at Kut One of biggest British defeats in WWI

Review Edited by Lisa Blaydes and Samuel Helfont, Ba’thist Iraq Through Archives, Reflections, Explorations and Opportunities, Stanford University Press, 2026

  

Ba’thist Iraq Through Archives, Reflections, Explorations and Opportunities was the result of a 2023 conference at the Hoover Institute at Stanford University in California where academics and researchers met to discuss the Baathist archives that were captured after the Gulf War and 2003 invasion. Like most anthologies the chapters are a bit varied but there are some very interesting findings given the talent that was assembled.

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 17 Saddam renounced 1975 Algiers Treaty with Iran Claimed sole control of Shatt al-Arab Prelude to Iran-Iraq War

1920 UK announced Sir Cox was returning to Iraq to create an Arab govt

Iraq’s Oil Exports Climb For 3rd Straight Month

  

Iraq’s oil exports passed 2 million barrels a day for the first time since the Iran War started in February. This was accomplished by drastically reducing prices and making a deal with Iran to allow ships carrying Iraqi petroleum through the Strait of Hormuz.

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 16 Iraq’s 1st PM Gaylani resigned over protests against Anglo-Iraq Treaty

1922 PM Gaylani resigned over protests over Anglo-Iraq Treaty

Iran Charging Huge Fees To Allow Iraq To Export Oil

  

Iraq recently announced that it was exporting over 3 million barrels a day in oil but this is coming at a huge cost due to Iranian fees to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

This Day In Iraqi History - Sep 15 Bush said he thought Iraq involved in 9/11 and would be dealt with later

1934 PM Ayubi Jawadat called for new elections Hoped to pack parliament with his followers

who were loyal to King Ghazi by fixing vote Parliament criticized for being overly Sunni

(Musings On Iraq review Iraq’s Democratic Moment)

(Musings On Iraq review Independent Iraq 1932-1958, A Study in Iraqi Politics)