"The contributors show how research in these unique archives challenges previous assumptions about Ba'thist Iraq & the workings of authoritarian regimes." @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social @lisablaydes.bsky.social @samuelhelfont.bsky.social @stanfordpress.bsky.social pocketcasts.com/podcast/new-...

Lisa Blaydes and Samuel Helfont eds., "Ba‘thist Iraq Through Archives: Reflections, Explorations, and Opportunities" (Stanford UP, 2026)

The opening of Iraq's Ba'th Party archives revolutionized the study of Iraqi politics and history, offering scholars unprecedented access to the inner workings of one of the world's…

pocketcasts.com

Thrilled to see my co-authored chapter with @marsin.bsky.social out in Ba'thist Iraq Through Archives edited by @samuelhelfont.bsky.social & @lisablaydes.bsky.social. In our opening chapter, we argue uneven access has produced hierarchized knowledge production through of wartime expropriation

Thanks, Michael! We were happy that you were able to contribute!

Michael Brill@michaelpbrill.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Excited to receive my contributor copy of this new @stanfordpress.bsky.social volume, "Ba'thist Iraq Through Archives: Reflections, Explorations, & Opportunities," assembled & edited by @lisablaydes.bsky.social & @samuelhelfont.bsky.social!

I dont know, maybe ask an historian...for example, William Mulligan whose _The Fraying Bonds of Peace_ is just out and is excellent on the dynamics between eco interdependence and power politics before 1914. Does trade cause peace? Ask an economist - www.ft.com/content/d141... via @FT

Does trade cause peace? Ask an economist

Researchers have been trawling history to measure the pacifying effects of moving goods around

ft.com

You can read my take here: paw.princeton.edu/article/scho...

Scholar Samuel Helfont *15 Recommends Books to Understand Wars in the Middle East

paw.princeton.edu

Finally, Roy Mottahedeh's The Mantle of the Prophet, 1985

Second, Amos Oz's A Tale of Love and Darkness, 2002

Princeton Alumni Weekly asked me to recommend three books on understanding conflict in the Middle East. The best way to understand conflict in the region is through the eyes of those who live there. First: Ghaith Abdul-ahad's A Stranger in Your Own City, 2024

Princeton Alumni Weekly asked me to recommend three books on understanding conflict in the Middle East. The best way to understand conflict in the region is through the eyes of those who live there. First: Ghaith Abdul-ahad's A Stranger in Your Own City, 2024

To avoid repeating the mistakes it made in Iraq in the 1990s, the United States “should offer Iran a path to diplomatic and economic normalization in exchange for compliance with a clear set of demands,” argue Daniel Chardell and @samuelhelfont.bsky.social.

How a Cease-Fire Can Lead to Disaster

The first Gulf War’s lessons for what to do—and not do—in Iran.

foreignaffairs.com

I am happy to have written this piece of applied history with Daniel Chardell on what we can learn from the Gulf War ceasefire about today’s war with Iran. www.foreignaffairs.com/iran/how-cea...

Thanks, Michael!

Michael Brill@michaelpbrill.bsky.social · 4mo ago

"If Americans want to dictate events in locations like the Persian Gulf & protect the strategic commodities that billow out from it, the United States must rebuild its sea power, not just its naval power." @samuelhelfont.bsky.social www.hoover.org/research/cri...

Short but good write up in Princeton Alumni Weekly "Helfont’s book offers a concise account of one of the most consequential and relevant geopolitical narratives of today."

Merci beaucoup!

Sebphilatelie@sebphilatelie.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Preuve que, peu importe le dirigeant, il y a des continuités politiques : Samuel Helfont, 'Iraq Wars', collection A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, January 2026 (!). Très didactique et facile à lire. global.oup.com/academic/pro...

Thank you, @h-diplo.bsky.social. Our hopes exactly: "This article is, so far as I know, the first to seriously consider the question of what normalization means, not just in the specific context of US–China relations, but also in US foreign policy more broadly."🗃️ issforum.org/reviews/PDF/...

outright dismissing Fukuyama because "haha end of history" is quickly becoming a very useful filter for who has actually done the reading and who hasn't

this is really true. Lots to disagree with in End of History but it is a surprisingly weird and interesting book to have become a foreign policy bestseller.

William B. Fuckley@opinionhaver.bsky.social · 5mo ago

outright dismissing Fukuyama because "haha end of history" is quickly becoming a very useful filter for who has actually done the reading and who hasn't

I had a great time speaking with @rjgranieri.bsky.social on the War Room podcast about The Iraq Wars: A Very Short Introduction. Listen here: warroom.armywarcollege.edu/podcasts/ira...

THE LONG ARC OF THE IRAQ WARS

Samuel Helfont joins host Ron Granieri to discuss his book, The Iraq Wars: A Very Short Introduction, which covers the Gulf War of 1991, the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003 and subsequent years of...

warroom.armywarcollege.edu

Musings On #Iraq Review Samuel Helfont, The Iraq Wars, A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, 2025 musingsoniraq.blogspot.com/2026/02/revi...

Review Samuel Helfont, The Iraq Wars, A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, 2025

Samuel Helfont released his third book on Iraq entitled The Iraq Wars, A Very Short Introduction . It is a brief review of...

musingsoniraq.blogspot.com

Musings On #Iraq Review Samuel Helfont, The Iraq Wars, A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, 2025 musingsoniraq.blogspot.com/2026/02/revi...

Review Samuel Helfont, The Iraq Wars, A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, 2025

Samuel Helfont released his third book on Iraq entitled The Iraq Wars, A Very Short Introduction . It is a brief review of...

musingsoniraq.blogspot.com

“The Iraq Wars is only about 150 pages of text and yet it packs a big punch. It adds a depth of analysis to the decades long conflict between the United States and Iraq making it a worthwhile read.” Thanks, Joel!

@joelwing.bsky.social · 6mo ago

#Iraq Wars only about 150 pages but has a lot of important info Adds depth to analysis of how Iraq came to dominate US foreign policy for years musingsoniraq.blogspot.com/2026/02/revi...

“The Iraq Wars is only about 150 pages of text and yet it packs a big punch. It adds a depth of analysis to the decades long conflict between the United States and Iraq making it a worthwhile read.” Thanks, Joel!

@joelwing.bsky.social · 6mo ago

#Iraq Wars only about 150 pages but has a lot of important info Adds depth to analysis of how Iraq came to dominate US foreign policy for years musingsoniraq.blogspot.com/2026/02/revi...

How did a Yemeni militia become one of Tehran's most powerful proxies? @osto.bsky.social and @thomasjuneau.bsky.social analyze the rise of the Houthis on the latest episode of The Iran Reckoning. (Members Only) Listen here: warontherocks.com/ep...

Always great to see it out in the wild! #aha @academic.oup.com

Always great to see it out in the wild! #aha @academic.oup.com

This is my first deliberately academic read of 2026, and so far my thought is to tell students researching related topics that this is their essential orientation #Iraq

Samuel Helfont@samuelhelfont.bsky.social · 7mo ago

I had a great time speaking with Miranda Melcher @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social about “The Iraq Wars: A Very Short Introduction.” @academic.oup.com newbooksnetwork.com/the-iraq-wars

See everyone there!

SHAFR@shafrhistorians.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Headed to Chicago this week? Check out these panels made by and for @shafrhistorians.bsky.social #AHA2026

I am looking forward to assigning @samuelhelfont.bsky.social's "The Iraq Wars" from @academic.oup.com in a class on the subject during the spring semester. I used a couple "A Very Short Introduction" books this fall & they worked well & were well received by students. global.oup.com/academic/pro...

Thanks Michael!

Michael Brill@michaelpbrill.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Great interview of @samuelhelfont.bsky.social about his new book "The Iraq Wars: A Very Short Introduction" with @oxunipress.bsky.social on the @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social. pocketcasts.com/podcast/new-...

I had a great time speaking with Miranda Melcher @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social about “The Iraq Wars: A Very Short Introduction.” @academic.oup.com newbooksnetwork.com/the-iraq-wars