Previously published as a special issue of Third World Quarterly, this volume analyzes to what extent the controversial US policy of democratizing the Middle East with pre-emptive invasions was justified or effective.

1. Reconstructing Post-Saddam Iraq: An Introduction 2. Post-Saddam Iraq: Deconstructing a Regime, Reconstructing a Nation 3. Iraq: Fulcrum of World Politics 4. Whither Iraq? Beyond Saddam, Sanctions and Occupation 5. Iraqi Kurdistan: Contours of a Post-Civil War Society 6. Divisible Sovereignty and the Reconstruction of Iraq 7. Iraq, Imperialism and Global Governance 8. Corruption, Reconstruction and Oil Governance in Iraq 9. Iraqi Transitions: From Regime Change to State Collapse 10. The Prospects for Democracy in Iraq: Challenges and Opportunities 11. Reconstructing Gender: Iraqi Women between Dictatorship, War, Sanctions and Occupation 12. Reconstruction of Infrastructure in Iraq: End to a Means or Means to an End? 13. Overcoming Dilemmas Created by the 21st Century Mercenaries: Conceptualising the Use of Private Security Companies in Iraq 14. Lessons and Controversies: Planning and Executing Immediate Relief in the Aftermath of the War in Iraq 15. War and the Cultural Heritage of Iraq: A Sadly Mismanaged Affair 16. Attributing Value: Evaluating Success and Failure in Post-War Reconstruction