First published 2008
America stood at the edge of failure in Iraq during 2006. Bing West chronicles how the United States military and political leadership navigated this critical period, documenting the strategic shifts that transformed impending defeat into remarkable success by 2007. West examines the war through multiple lenses, analyzing both battlefield tactics and political decisions that shaped the conflict's trajectory. The author presents the Iraq War as a complex interplay between military operations and political maneuvering, showing how America's approach evolved under pressure. West pays particular attention to the courage and resilience of American soldiers on the ground, while simultaneously critiquing the leadership decisions that put them in harm's way. The narrative reveals how supporting troops sometimes requires questioning the strategies of their commanders, exploring the tension between loyalty and accountability in wartime leadership.
Genres: political-science, military-fiction, non-fiction, 21st-century, military-history, american-history
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: loyalty-vs-accountability, military-operations
Setting: Iraq
Period: 2006, 2007
464 pages · Hardcover · Random House