Focusing on monarchical Iraq during and after World War II, Elliot asks how and why British influence was maintained in the country after the mandate came to an official end. He offers three complementary perspectives on the issue. Firstly, he highlights the role of Iraq in the regional defence schemes which constituted the foundation of British influence in the region. Secondly, he examines the methods through which Britain sustained its pre-eminent influence inside Iraq. Finally, he follows Iraqi politics from the overthrow of Rashid al-Kailani by the British army in 1941 to the revolution of 1958, prefacing his historical account with a theoretical overview of the operation of government and politics in monarchical Iraq. Elliot uses a wide range of sources, including public records, interviews and sources in Arabic and Turkish. Taking a fresh approach to his subject-matter, he disinters the neglected parliamentary traditions of Iraq, re-examines the role of Nuri al-Said, and focuses attention on the important but neglected relationship between Iraq and Turkey.
By examining a little-covered aspect of Iraq's modern experience this book makes a key contribution to understanding the background to some of today's most intractable issues.