Four Books by Iraqis You Need to Read

What Invasion Meant for the Kurds

The Iraqi Kurds were supposed to be liberated by Saddam’s removal. Instead, they face corrupt regional parties and a hostile central state.

Fight Songs

Some of the most scathing critiques of the Iraq War were set to music.

Saddam’s Big Cinematic Spectacle

In 1980, Saddam Hussein commissioned a biopic about his 1959 assassination attempt on Iraq’s prime minister. He enlisted a legendary James Bond director and cast his own son-in-law to play him.

Desert Shooters

Some of the top-selling video games of the post-9/11 world have taken real events as their inspiration.

The Whimsical Works of a War Criminal

Because the Western world has a “complicated” history with frustrated artists as national leaders.

If the Shoe Hits

On December 14, 2008, the Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi threw his black leather dress shoes at President George W. Bush during a press conference in Baghdad. It was one of the greatest athletic acts of the Iraq War.

Was the Ba‘ath Party Socialist?

Despite its early accomplishments, Ba‘athism was always subject to the whims of a party elite more concerned with preserving power than revolutionary transformation.

Deport Conor Oberst

Bright Eyes front man and enfant terrible of the early aughts indie scene Conor Oberst sat down with Jacobin to discuss the Iraq War and more.

A Neglected Classic

The Life and Lies of George Santos

Merchants of Death

Germany likes to keep its hands clean — but its coffers full.

Tug-of-War

A power struggle in the ranks of the Sudanese security state has thrust the country into chaos.

Embattled Reporter

We talk to journalist Andrew Cockburn about the Iraq invasion and the new Middle East.

Against the Grain

A series of natural disasters has heralded the worst global rice shortage in 20 years.

The Military-Industrial Games Complex

In the 2000s, a generation of youth played games that were funded and aided by the US military — a connection that goes back to the very birth of video games.

Canada Is Banning “Wage Fixing” — Unless It’s Necessary to Boost Profits

A new bill in Canada takes aim at wage-fixing and no-poaching agreements among major corporations. But significant loopholes and objections from business groups underscore how even modest labor legislation faces staunch resistance from capital.

How the American Invasion Unleashed Jihad

Journalist Anand Gopal on Islamism, ISIS, and the role of the United States in Iraqi politics today.

Colombia’s War on Terror Was a License for Mass Murder

Álvaro Uribe came to power in Colombia shortly after 9/11 and declared his own war on terrorism with US support.

The Liberal Hawks

Ranking the most consequential libs for war of the early 21st century.