Introduction -- Legacies of empire : the emergence of U.S. relations with Iraq, to 1958 -- Cold War challenges the pursuit of stability in revolutionary Iraq, 1958-1979 -- From tension to rapprochement : U.S.-Iraqi relations in a turbulent decade, 1979-1989 -- Reversing Iraqi conquest : the Gulf War of 1990-1991 -- The enduring menace of Saddam Hussein : U.S. containment of Iraq in the 1990s -- The downfall of Saddam Hussein : George W. Bush and the march to war in Iraq, 2001-2003 -- The quest for stability : the occupation of Iraq, 2003-2010 -- Conclusion : missions accomplished?