Joe-Truth-Seeker
Posted October 16, 2009
I Also Recommend:
It is an an excellent read from the Iraqi perspective with a lot of Iraqi political and social history going back to the founding of the modern Iraq through 2006. Unfortunately, it ends before the "Surge" when the security environment was much better restored to provide a much more positive end to our current engagement. I recommend reading Bing West's The Strongest Tribe for balance.
While pointing out many of the deficiencies with the CPA, American military, Iraqis, and the overall conduct of affairs, it could have done a better job of laying the necessary blame on the right individuals rather than blaming the messengers or those delegated to implement the insufficiently planned or "resourced" policies. He also appears to ascribe overly negative motivations to Bremer. Nevertheless, his insight into Iraqi personalities and relationships is invaluable.
I would like eventually to add a copy of this book to my library, which I read from the public library in July 2009, and now thanks to Barnes and Noble, I have.
Anonymous
Posted February 21, 2008
The book tells the success of winning the march on Baghdad, and the problems of trying to keep the peace after the war. While at times an interesting read, it fails to tell of how the surge is working today.
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Overview
The Occupation of Iraq examines what the United States did and didn’t know at the time of the invasion, the reasons for the confused and contradictory policies that were enacted, and the emergence of the Iraqi political class during the difficult transition process. The book tracks the growth of the insurgency and illuminates the complex relationships among Sunnis, Shias, and Kurds. Bringing the discussion forward to the reconfiguration of political forces in 2006, Allawi provides in these pages the clearest view to date of the modern history of Iraq and the invasion that changed its course in unpredicted ways.
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