Brian Brivati had a twenty-year academic career at the Institute of Contemporary British History and then Kingston University as professor of contemporary history, human rights and life writing. In 2009 he left academia to run the John Smith Trust and went on to become a special adviser and mentor to emerging leaders. Icarus is his sixth book. His most recent was a profile and memoir of his colleague in Iraq for the past ten years, Dr Ghassan Jawad, called The Last Optimist in Baghdad. He is currently working with former Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on his account of the Iraq war of liberation against Daesh, How We Defeated Daesh.