| ID | 085478 |
| Title Proper | Terrorists of today are the heroes of tomorrow |
| Other Title Information | the anti-British and anti-American insurgencies in Iraqi history |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Haddad, Fanar |
| Publication | 2008. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | The anti-British rebellion of 1920 has become one of the most important foundational myths of Iraqi nationalism. It has been the subject of poetry, theatre, film and folklore and continues to be commemorated and evoked as a symbol of the Iraqi nation state and of Iraqi pride and independence. This popular reading of events ignores the realities of the rebellion: that it was a mid-Euphrates, rather than a national, affair and that the motivations, to begin with at least, were far more personal and economic than national. Nevertheless, the rebellion's memory has acquired a hallowed place in Iraqi nationalist discourse. This article will focus on two points: first, to place the rebellion of 1920 in its correct historical context; second, it will be argued that today's anti-American insurgency will make the same historiographical journey from being a tumultuous and localised event that had no shortage of detractors to becoming a defining symbol of Iraqi nationalism. |
| `In' analytical Note | Small Wars and Insurgencies Vol. 19, No. 4; Dec 2008: p451 - 483 |
| Journal Source | Small Wars and Insurgencies Vol. 19, No. 4; Dec 2008: p451 - 483 |
| Key Words | Iraqi History ; Iraqi Tribe ; Iraqi Historiography ; Identity ; Historical Memory ; Iraqi Insurgency ; Terrorist |