Imagining the Nation

When the statue of Saddam Hussein was pulled down in Baghdad's Firdous square Iraq was entering a new phase of uncertainty. This is a country whose history has been shaped by foreign occupations authoritarianism wars and violence. Its identity was always a matter of controversy. The incompatibility between Iraq as a territorial entity and the various cultural identities of its population made it more difficult for Iraqis to imagine their 'Nation'. This Identity Problem has been made worse by a political power which has always based itself on the hegemony politics of exclusion. Through a long journey in the historical processes and socio-political conflicts the author tells the story of a country devastated by its legacy seeking to reconcile with itself and re-imagine its nationhood.