Missions Accomplished? The United States and Iraq Since World War I

by Peter L. Hahn

Despite the central role that Iraq occupies in modern American diplomacy, there is relatively little scholarly literature on the topic. Author Peter L. Hahn is the first to synthesize the entire complicated, power-driven relationship between the United States and Iraq over the last ninety years. Missions Accomplished? The United States and Iraq Since World War I takes a straightforward, chronological approach, emphasizing the formulation of U.S. policy toward Iraq in its political, strategic, and military dimensions. The book pays careful attention to the context of the political situation in Baghdad; regional developments (including the Arab-Israeli conflict, intra-Arab rivalries, and Iraqi-Iranian tensions); and global dynamics, such as decolonization and the Cold War. Hahn boldly identifies the key players in Washington and Baghdad, evaluating the successes of every policymaker and each mission in the history of the United States-Iraq relationship.

Incorporating insights from several sources--including books on the military aspects of the Persian Gulf War of 1990-91 and declassified documents on the political and military dimensions of the Iraq War of 2003--Hahn provides a balanced and nuanced discussion of recent and current events. Supplemented with lavish illustrations and maps and colorful vignettes of Americans who experienced Iraq first-hand, Missions Accomplished? The United States and Iraq Since World War I offers, above all, a discussion that remains mindful of deep historical antecedents.

240 pages, Paperback

First published October 13, 2011

About the author

Dr. Peter L. Hahn is an American historian and educator. He is professor of history and dean of arts and humanities at The Ohio State University, where he previously served as chair of the History Department from 2006 to 2015. Professor Hahn earned his B.A. summa cum laude from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1982, earned his M.A. from Vanderbilt University in 1984, and received his Ph.D., also from Vanderbilt University, in 1987. In 1995 he held a Fulbright Senior Research Fellowship in Jerusalem, and he won the 1998 Stuart L. Bernath Lecture Prize (for excellence in teaching and scholarship). His primary areas of study and expertise are U.S. history since 1877; diplomatic history; and human conflict, peace and diplomacy.