Overview
A new account of modern Iraqi politics that overturns the conventional wisdom about its sectarian divisionsHow did Iraq become one of the most repressive dictatorships of the late twentieth century? The conventional wisdom about Iraq's modern political history is that the country was doomed by its diverse social fabric. But in State of Repression, Lisa Blaydes challenges this belief by showing that the country's breakdown was far from inevitable. At the same time, she offers a new way of understanding the behavior of other authoritarian regimes and their populations.Drawing on archival material captured from the headquarters of Saddam Hussein's ruling Ba'th Party in the wake of the 2003 US invasion, Blaydes illuminates the complexities of political life in Iraq, including why certain Iraqis chose to collaborate with the regime while others worked to undermine it. She demonstrates that, despite the Ba'thist regime's pretensions to political hegemony, its frequent reliance on collective punishment of various groups reinforced and cemented identity divisions. At the same time, a series of costly external shocks to the economy-resulting from fluctuations in oil prices and Iraq's war with Iran-weakened the capacity of the regime to monitor, co-opt, coerce, and control factions of Iraqi society.In addition to calling into question the common story of modern Iraqi politics, State of Repression offers a new explanation of why and how dictators repress their people in ways that can inadvertently strengthen regime opponents.
Full Product Details
Author: Lisa Blaydes
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Imprint: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 9780691211756
ISBN 10: 0691211752
Pages: 376
Publication Date: 06 October 2020
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Professional and scholarly
,
General/trade
,
Tertiary & Higher Education
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Available To Order
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Reviews
One of Choice Reviews' Outstanding Academic Titles of 2018 Honorable Mention for the Luebbert Best Book Award, Comparative Politics Section of the American Political Science Association
Honorable Mention for the Luebbert Best Book Award, Comparative Politics Section of the American Political Science Association One of Choice Reviews' Outstanding Academic Titles of 2018 What a tonic Lisa Blaydes's new book is. . . . Blaydes deserves a medal for a book that is impeccably researched and challenges so many myths with calm objective analysis. Her argument is one in the eye for those who say the modern state is incompatible with Islam. ---Tim Stanley, Daily Telegraph It is out of the question that State of Repression is the product of very impressive scholarly research and analysis. ---Sophia Hoffmann, Journal of Perpetrator Research
What a tonic Lisa Blaydes's new book is. . . . Blaydes deserves a medal for a book that is impeccably researched and challenges so many myths with calm objective analysis. Her argument is one in the eye for those who say the modern state is incompatible with Islam. ---Tim Stanley, Daily Telegraph It is out of the question that State of Repression is the product of very impressive scholarly research and analysis. ---Sophia Hoffmann, Journal of Perpetrator Research Honorable Mention for the Luebbert Best Book Award, Comparative Politics Section of the American Political Science Association One of Choice Reviews' Outstanding Academic Titles of 2018
Author Information
Lisa Blaydes is associate professor of political science and senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University. She is the author of Elections and Distributive Politics in Mubarak's Egypt.
