Newly reissued and updated to engage with Iraq's current, central role in world affairs, Geoff Simons' seminal book presents a broad history of Iraq, from the earliest times to the emergence of modern Iraq in the Twentieth-century, the power struggles that led to the rise of Saddam Hussein, the Iran-Iraq war, the 1990-91 Gulf war, and the continuing depiction of Iraq as a 'rogue' nation. Such crucial factors as the West's historical influence in the Middle East, the prolonged Western support for Saddam Hussein and the US manipulation of the United Nations are profiled. This book encourages a deeper understanding and a deeper ethical examination of the 'Iraq question'.