Review: The End of Iraq
June 12, 2007
The End of Iraq: How American Incompetence Created a War Without End
[rating:5/5]
Peter Galbraith, a diplomat with long experience in Iraq, especially with the Kurds, delivers an amazing account of the American failures in Iraq. For example:
Insurgency, civil war, Iranian strategic triumph, the breakup of Iraq, an independent Kurdistan, military quagmire. These are all consequences of the American invasion of Iraq that the Bush Administration failed to anticipate. About some of these things, such as the Sunni Arab insurgency, the president and his top advisors have admitted they were surprised. About others, they are in denial. In his 2006 State of the Union address, President Bush said, “Hindsight is not wisdom and second-guessing is not a strategy.” It is, of course, understandable why the president prefers not to look back. It isn’t that he failed to consider some possible adverse consequences of the war, but rather that he missed all of them. In devising strategy, one can hope for the best, but should be prepared for the worst. The Bush Administration hoped that American troops would be greeted as liberators and that Iraqis would embrace democracy, yet it had no contingency plans to follow in case it didn’t work out that way.
The only knock I could come up with on this book is that by the time I read it, I already knew a lot of the material. But you probably don’t read as much as me, so this book is a very informative look at the rash of poor decisions that lead to the current situation we find ourselves trapped in. Of the many voices speaking on the Iraq situation, Galbraith is the one I learn the most from. Highly recommended.
The Bush Administration has said its failure to restore law and order in Baghdad was because the military campaign went much more quickly than foreseen. Even if more troops had been sent to Iraq, as recommended by General Shinseki, it would not have mattered, the argument goes, because the speed of operations meant only a small force was available to enter Baghdad. This argument is dishonest.
Even with the troops available in Baghdad on April 9, the United States could have protected the archaeological museum, the National Library, and twenty of the most important ministries. The United States protected nothing because the secretary of defense and his top aides never though protecting public property - or maintaining public order - in Iraq was important. The president never thought about it at all.
The End of Iraq: How American Incompetence Created a War Without End
[rating:5/5]
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