Professional Affiliation

Professor, Georgetown University

Expert Bio

Joseph Sassoon teaches at the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, part of the School for Foreign Service at Georgetown University. His expertise includes, history, politics and political economy of the Arab world. He has published three books, the last one won the British-Kuwait Prize for the best book on the Middle East in 2013, and was titled: Saddam Hussein's Ba`th Party: Inside an Authoritarian Regime, published by Cambridge University Press.

Wilson Center Project

"Authoritarianism in the Arab Republics"

Project Summary

By examining different authoritarian republics in the Arab world, this project portrays life under these regimes and explores the mechanisms underpinning their resilience. Unlike most of the work in this field, the research will not simply focus on the power centers close to the regimes, but will examine how different individuals fared, be they regime supporters or opponents, and the overwhelming control of government policy. The project uses untapped memoirs published mostly in Arabic by officers, party members, senior politicians, political prisoners, and business people.

Major Publications

Economic Policy in Iraq 1932-1950

The Iraqi Refugees: The New Crisis in the Arab World

Saddam Hussein's Ba`th Party: Inside an Authoritarian Regime