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Invisible nation
8.4.2008
Book Review
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Invisible Nation by Quil Lawrence. How the Kurds'
Quest for Statehood is Shaping Iraq and the Middle
East
April 8, 2008
The dramatic story of the Kurds and their quest to
create a nation—essential reading for anyone who
wants to understand how the turmoil in Iraq will
play out.
Inside The Book!
Kurdistan is an invisible nation, and the Kurds the
largest ethnic group on Earth without a homeland,
comprising some 25 million moderate Sunni Muslims
living in the area around the borders of Turkey,
Iran, Iraq, and Syria. Through a history dating back
to biblical times, they have endured persecution and
betrayal, surviving only through stubborn compromise
with greater powers. Yet, like the Basques in Spain
and the Chechens in Chechnya, they have yearned for
official statehood—and in the denouement of the
conflict in Iraq, they could take a giant step
toward that goal. But will they?
As Quil Lawrence relates in his fascinating and
timely study of the Kurds, while their ambition and
determination grow apace, their future will be
largely dependent on whether America values a
budding democracy in the region, or decides to yet
again sacrifice the Kurds in the name of political
expediency. In any event, the Kurdish north may well
prove to be the defining battleground in Iraq. At
this extraordinary moment in the saga of Kurdistan,
informed by his deep knowledge of the people and
region, Lawrence’s intimate and unflinching portrait
of the Kurds and their heretofore quixotic
quest—their deep history mingling with the
controversy and complex realities of the
present—offers a vital and original lens through
which to contemplate the future of Iraq and the
surrounding Middle East.
From Invisible Nation:
Kurdistan has everything the Bush administration
promised for Iraq. It’s a Muslim state that is
prodemocracy, pro-America, and even pro-Israel. So
in a dearth of good news, why isn’t the United
States crowing about this one great achievement in
Iraq? Because Kurdistan’s success could be
catastrophic. Like no event since the 1948 creation
of Israel, a declared Kurdish state within the
borders of Iraq will unite the entire region in
opposition, from the Black Sea to the Persian
Gulf…The Kurds understand this better than anyone,
and have been willing so far to limit themselves to
virtual statehood. No force within Iraq can stop
them at the moment, and the forces outside have been
kept at bay only by the presence of the American
army.
Praise for Invisible Nation |
Invisible Nation by Quil Lawrence
Quil Lawrence is the Middle East correspondent for
BBC/ PRI’s The World, and has spent much of the last
seven years in Iraq and Kurdistan.
Amazon Shop |
"In this dramatic narrative, Quil Lawrence has
untwined one of the most tangled histories of the
Middle East and made it comprehensible. Invisible
Nation is a riveting account of Iraq's Kurds and
their essential role in the reshaping of modern
Iraq. For anyone wishing to understand how the
Kurds' quest for nationhood plays into the ongoing
U.S. war in Iraq, this book is a must-read."—Jon Lee
Anderson
Hardcover
ISBN: 0-8027-1611-3
ISBN 13: 978-0-8027-1611-8
Price: $25.95
288 pages
Size: 6-1/8 x 9-1/4
April 2008
Quil Lawrence is the Middle East correspondent for
BBC/ PRI’s The World, and has spent much of the last
seven years in Iraq and Kurdistan. He has reported
for National Public Radio, the Los Angeles Times,
and the Christian Science Monitor, and has won
various awards for his journalism, including the
Harry Chapin Media Judges Award and the Judges Award
from the National Conference of Community
Broadcasters. He lives in Jerusalem, and this is his
first book.
Information for this report was provided by,
walkerbooks com
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