Synopsis The middle east has become the centre of gravity in international politics since the later part of the last century. As a region it contains a significant reserve of the fossil fuel that has been the major motive force of the present civilisation. It is cursed in the sense that centering on the huge oil reserve, marauders, looters and killers of all dimensions have flocked together only to get some bites out of it. The people of this region, living in different states, have consequently been greatly squeezed barring a handful of them, elite in nature some of them being indecently rich. As long as there were two superpowers in the international arena, there prevailed a balance - a balance of power. After the demise of the Soviet Union, the USA, the only superpower, swooped on the middle east with its demonic speed and gigantic strength and Iraq, arrogant and impertinent as it was conceived by the west, became the first victim. The entire exercise took the form of classical colonialism. Dr. Abdul Malik, a prolific writer, has given vent to his expressive mite on different aspects of the miseries and sufferings of the people of Iraq in particular and those of the middle east in general in 31 small articles.