Epilogue

This book was completed in late May 2023, just before the passing of Jacqueline Ismael, Tareq’s life partner and our co-author. Delays in the publication process last autumn and the outbreak of war in the Middle East then presented us with the obligation and the opportunity to relate our conclusions to these events. Rather than revise the four chapters, we chose to retain the original text (with a few additional citations) and confine our subsequent reflections, relating to Iraq’s situation in the context of intensifying conflict, in Europe and in the Middle East, to this Epilogue.