Book review : A preordained catastrophe (Iraq)

[tocqueville]

Cobra II: The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq by Michael Gordon and General Bernard Trainor

Reviewed by Alexander Casella

In the words of its authors, the chronicle of the invasion and occupation of Iraq is a tale of hubris and heroism, of high-tech wizardry and cultural ignorance. It also a tale of incompetence and arrogance, of missed opportunities and of ideology run amok. It is a tale of America at its worse.

The two authors of Cobra II: The Inside Story of The Invasion and Occupation of Iraq are singularly well qualified to embark on such a demanding undertaking. As a New York Times correspondent, Michael Gordon was "embedded" in a US Army unit fighting in

Iraq and thus brings to the narrative a first-hand experience that is an added and valuable component of the wider picture. As for Bernard Trainor, this retired marine general and academic provides a unique perspective on the Pentagon's inner workings and how sound military planning can be undermined by the political vagaries of policymakers. Together they make a team that has produced an outstanding piece of work.

With surgical precision the authors undertake not only to dissect the process that led the Bush administration to invade Iraq but also to illustrate, sometimes hour by hour, how the invasion unfolded. Though essentially an American saga, the authors also shed new light on the mindset of Saddam Hussein and the misperceptions that caused him to play into the hands of the nucleus of hardliners within the Bush administration who had decided on his removal as a matter of principal.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HD13Ak02.html