First published 2006
George Packer traces the origins and consequences of America's 2003 invasion of Iraq. He examines the ideological currents that drove the Bush administration toward war, following key decision makers from Washington think tanks to the halls of power. Packer shows how competing visions of democracy promotion and regime change collided with the realities of Iraqi society. He documents the experiences of American soldiers, diplomats, and Iraqi civilians caught in the chaos that followed Saddam Hussein's fall. The book reveals how good intentions and flawed assumptions led to years of sectarian violence and political instability. Packer demonstrates how the gap between American expectations and Iraqi realities widened into a chasm that consumed lives and resources on both sides.
Genres: history, political-science, non-fiction, 21st-century, current-affairs, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Iraq, Washington
Period: 2003
467 pages · Paperback · Faber and Faber