First published 2006
James Fallows predicted the chaos before America invaded Iraq in 2003. Writing for Atlantic Monthly in autumn 2002, the national correspondent warned of problems the Bush administration would face. His predictions proved accurate. Fallows gained access to military planners, intelligence officials, and diplomats to trace how the war unfolded. He reveals how experts anticipated the difficulties but the administration dismissed their warnings. The book follows the conflict from initial planning through the troubled reconstruction efforts. Fallows shows how the Iraq invasion damaged the broader war on terror. He explains why Iraq lacked a functioning army two years after Saddam Hussein fell. The author interviews soldiers, spies, and diplomats about a potential war with Iran. Fallows demonstrates where the planning failed and what those failures mean for American foreign policy.
Genres: history, non-fiction, 21st-century, military-history, current-affairs, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: investigative-journalism, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Iraq, Iran, America
Period: 2002, 2003
257 pages · Paperback · Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group