This book is an attempt to understand the inner workings of a modern Arab state from its own meticulous records rather than journalistic or secondary sources. For the first time, we are able to delve into the functioning of a one-party Arab state in the grip of a powerful authoritarian ideology. This is neither a history of the Baʿth Party nor of Iraq, but a study of the party's activities and modus operandi when it ruled the country between 1968 and 2003.

The research relies primarily on the massive archive of government documents captured by the United States after the fall of Saddam Hussein in April 2003. The records of the Baʿth Party, the intelligence services – mainly the Special Security Organization (SSO) – the presidential diwan (offices), and the Ministry of Information, as well as the audiotapes of meetings of the Revolutionary Command Council (RCC) and the leadership, found in the Conflict Records Research Center (CRRC), provide unparalleled insights into the ideology and structure of Saddam Hussein's regime. Whereas the documents reveal the decisions made, the tapes capture the spontaneity of private discussions among the country's leaders.