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3 reviews
A Very One-Sided Story...
Informative, detailed, and well written - but completely biased. If Chandrasekaran had written about the occupation of Japan he would have described MacArthur as being a "self-serving,imperialistic, militant pig"-which is pretty much the way he describes the entire so-called "neo-con" establishment under President Bush, especially as regards Bremer and Feith. According to the author the only "good" guys are the liberal State Department staffers that confront and overcome the self-serving andevil military industrial complex. Thanks for giving so much ammunition to America's detractors, Rajiv. With friends like you, the United States doesn't need enemies.Read full review...
If you only read one book on Iraq, this should be it
For anyone who is wondering how things could have gone so wrong so fast, this book tells all. The "Emerald City" is the Green Zone in Baghdad, where, immediately after Saddam fell, the US occupying forces "circled the wagons" and formed what amounted to a Crusader fortress -- or a fantasy land. Here, with little or no daily contact with the Iraqi people, Paul Bremer and company mapped out their neo-conservative ideas for creating a new Iraq in their own image -- plans that were as ludicrous as they were unworkable. People who were totally unqualified to run much of anything were put in charge of grandiose projects merely because they were loyal to Bush. Meanwhile, Iraqis-on-the-street were without water, electiricty, health care or safety -- the daily concerns that the dwellers in the Emerald City were oblivious to. This oblivion led, in turn, to the insurgency and civil war we now see there. Like the original Emerald City, the "wizard" in this one turned out to be more than a humbug -- he was a culturally-insensitive idiot. Unfortunately, there is no good fairy to wave her wand and make it right again...Read full review...
Imperial Life ( W's )
Do you want to have a cow? Then read this Washington Post correspondent to Iraq's account of the mess in Baghdad. You thought weapons of mass destruction was a farce, then read this book. They tried to impeach President Clinton, well, what about this awful situation that W has made in Iraq? He is the one that should be held accountable. But no, we don't look into his dealings & waste of our money (pg 295 'including 2.4 billion in one-hundred dollar bills...). OMG - somebody do something. They are gonna get away with this, & I can't stomach it.Read full review...