Beschreibung
Is Iraq “artificial”, on the verge of disintegrating? All
too often, the answers to this question ignore Iraq’s own
history. In fact, the literature on indigenous attempts at
dismembering Iraq is surprisingly patchy, especially with
regard to the oil-rich south.
This book presents, for the first time, an actual case of
southern Iraqi separatism: a daring bid to turn Basra into a
pro-British mercantile mini-state. The study uncovers the
dynamics and limits of southern separatism, casts new light
on the victory of Iraqi nationalism in the south and
discusses the challenges of post-2003 regionalism in a
federal Iraq.
Reidar Visser studied history and comparative
politics at the University of Bergen and completed his
doctorate at the Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of
Oxford. He is a research fellow at the Norwegian Institute
of International Affairs in Oslo.
“From the abundance of recent publications on modern Iraq,
Reidar Visser’s work on the origins and development of twentieth-century separatism in the southern region of that country stands out. For anyone seriously interested in the current conflict in Iraq over the question of federalism versus centralism, this meticulously researched study provides a highly instructive historical
perspective.”
-Werner Ende, professor emeritus of Islamic Studies
at Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, Freiburg, Germany
