ABSTRACT
The book begins by describing Iraq’s many contradictions and introducing a basic analytical framework to help make sense of them and the country as a whole. It then reviews very briefly the three core concepts that are among the master keys to understanding Iraq’s trajectory and telling its story: the pursuit of power, the impact of state institutions, and the transformation of social identities. After discussing these concepts and giving a few Iraqi examples, the Introduction conveys the larger organizational structure of the book and provides a short, chapter-by-chapter roadmap to the rest of the study.
