The twentieth-century history of Iraq has been a troubled one. Since its establishment by the British in the 1920s, the country has witnessed the rise and fall of successive regimes, culminating in the dictatorship of Saddam Husain. Charles Tripp's book traces Iraq's political history from its nineteenth-century roots in the Ottoman empire, to the development of the state, its transformation from monarchy to republic and the rise of the Ba'th party and the ascendancy of Saddam Husain. This is a story of social conflict, of power struggles between rival clans, of hostility and wars with neighbouring states, as well as of their aftermath, and Iraq's deteriorating relations with the West. While the book is designed for students and general readers, its incisive analysis of the making of a modern state and how it creates its own distinctive political field will be of interest to academic specialists, journalists and foreign policymakers.