Iraq - From War to a New Authoritarianism (Adelphi series)

Hindsight is 20-20 in this description of Iraq. Mr. Dodge seem to put a lot of blame not on Mr. Maliki for the slide to authoritarianism, but the United States being totally unprepared to hand over Iraq back to the civilian population after destroying the military and civil service. Mr. Dodge tends to note that a free and more peaceful Iraq could have existed, but once Mr. Maliki was in place, he decided to become a strongman to cover up his weakness and the United States, most notably the Bush Administration, was more than content to ignore any of the warning signs on the ground. Obama wanted nothing to do with the mess that the previous administration had gotten themselves into and rather (correctly) tried to focus on East Asia as the United States number one foreign policy objective. I think this is a good book to see what the shortcomings of the intervention were and why certain decisions were made and what the effects were. As any good political scientist does, they see the picture under the hindsight is 20-20 method when describing the actions of both the U.S. and Iraq.

I came across much new information here that was very startling and I doubt whether the majprity of Americans have any idea how widespread (in the cities) the internal and brutal fighting and killing between Sunnni and Shia militias and neighborhoods following the American invasion was.Malaki has many Putin-like qualities when it has to do with neutralizing the competition, and is equally vicious when it comes to neutralizinfg enemies. The last thirty years of Iraq history as told so well here is stunning and tragic. I purchased it when it was favorably reviewed by the Economist towards the end of 2013. This is a very good read !

Whether you know nothing about Iraq's history and political past or you're looking for a deeper -- and nuanced -- analysis of the post 2003 situation there, this is a very good read.

If you really want to know about Iraq, this isnt the book to go about it. This book works to create a picture of a new dictatorship, akin to Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Its quite hard understanding his train of thought when in reality, there is no strong state in Iraq, and Iraq is currently the only working (at least in terms of elections) democracy in the Middle East. if you really want to learn about Iraq, youd better consult Charles Tripp or even better Hanna Batatu's monumental study on Iraqi history and society. Iraq is a weak state, and in weak states, there are simply no dictators of the type Dodge refers to. Its simply not possible, especially since there are many key players in Iraq; Maliki is but one of many, and he will go out of politics in the next elections. Dodge simply hasnt captured the pace of change in Iraq, nor what 2003 / pre-2003 Iraq was about. Thats his biggest failure, and this book doesnt present readers of what is really happening on the ground. Not many books do, for that matter. I suggest that any real academic looking at Iraq would need to come up with more than just a few media articles and hearsay based on his Diaspora contacts, and actually speak to everyday Iraqis.

This is a well-argued if depressing book that takes us from the fall of Baghdad through to the withdrawal of the Americans (and a bit more). The war aims that the American administration had when it went to war were, in large part, to wreck on the shoals of inadequate resources and the damage Iraq had sustained from its previous wars, the Shi'a rising, and sanctions. The resulting rise of another strong man and the practical exclusion of the Sunni from the grand coalition are an excellent example of the curse of getting what you wished for. Ruling an empire is like boiling a small fish.

good and satisfied

The book summarises the factors responsible for iraqs problems present day it highlights the shortcomings of us policy in Iraq since invasion and regime change even with a large oil reserves and working population the country is poor showing lack of good governance in the country

Highly recommended read for those interested in understanding the politics in Iraq from 2003 onwards. Toby Dodge is one of those very few who lived in Baghdad for research purposes alongside his own job as an advisor to the British Government during the 2003 war against Saddam's regime.

An authoritative and well-researched account of what happened in Iraq over the last 12 years. Contains revealing and convincing evidence of why events happened and emphasises the gap in understanding between the US and Iraqi leaders. Very informative and dismissive of many of the glib explanations offered by the actors in these events.