The Hoover History Lab and Hoover Institution Library & Archives co-hosted a hybrid event with Lisa Blaydes and Samuel Helfont to discuss their recent book Ba‘thist Iraq Through Archives Reflections, Explorations, and Opportunities on Wednesday, August 26th, from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. PT in the Shultz Auditorium.
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 most impenetrable autocracies. This volume brings together leading scholars to take stock of what we have learned from over a decade of research using the Ba'thist archives, contributing to a new understanding of Iraq's history, with wider implications for understanding authoritarianism in general.
The contributors show how research in these unique archives challenges previous assumptions about Ba'thist Iraq and the workings of authoritarian regimes. Their chapters provide fresh insights into how Saddam Hussein's regime functioned both at the elite level and through everyday bureaucratic practices, shedding light on state power, social relations, and international politics of the Middle East. The volume also critically reflects on the ethical questions posed by the archives, including their origins, the impact of their removal from Iraq, and access barriers for local scholars. Rich in empirical detail yet framed by cutting-edge theoretical questions, this book demonstrates how the Iraqi archives have reshaped debates about authoritarianism, governance, repression, and state-society relations well beyond the Iraqi case.
This book relied on Ba'th Arab Socialist Party of Iraq papers held at the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Lisa Blaydes is Professor of Political Science and Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University. Most recently, she is the author of State of Repression: Iraq under Saddam Hussein (2018).
Samuel Helfont is Associate Professor of Strategy and Policy in the Naval War College Program at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. He is the author of Iraq against the World: Saddam, America, and the Post-Cold War Order (2023).
Stephen Kotkin is the Kleinheinz Family Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and a senior fellow at Stanford’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. He is also the Birkelund Professor in History and International Affairs emeritus at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.
Eric Wakin is a research fellow, the deputy director of the Hoover Institution, and the Everett and Jane Hauck Director of the Institution’s Library and Archives, overseeing their strategic direction and operations.
