Nuri al-Sa'id (1888-1958) was an army officer, a statesman, and an Arab nationalist. He fought with Faisal (who with his father led Arab troops in the revolt against Ottoman rule during World War I) and later became chief of staff, minister of defense, and prime minister when Faisal became king of the newly created Iraq.

Nuri al-Sa'id was born in Baghdad to a poor family in 1888. His father was a minor functionary in the Awqaf department (pious foundation), designed to supervise estates for charitable purposes under the Ottoman administration. After finishing training in a cadet school, Nuri went to study at the Military Academy in Istanbul (Constantinople) in 1903 and was graduated three years later. He returned to Baghdad to serve in an infantry unit whose task was to collect taxes from tribesmen. When the young Turks--a party calling for liberal reform--achieved power in 1908, Nuri became interested in politics...