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The Occupation of Iraq: Winning the War, Losing the Peace
Involved for over thirty years in the politics of Iraq, Ali A. Allawi was a long-time opposition leader against the Baathist regime. In the post-Saddam years he has held important government positions and participated in crucial national decisions and events. In this book, the former Minister of Defense and Finance draws on his unique personal experience, extensive relationships with members of the main political groups and parties in Iraq, and deep understanding of the history and society of his country to answer the baffling questions that persist about its current crises. What really led the United States to invade Iraq, and why have events failed to unfold as planned?
The Occupation of Iraq examines what the United States did and didn’t know at the time of the invasion, the reasons for the confused and contradictory policies that were enacted, and the emergence of the Iraqi political class during the difficult transition process. The book tracks the growth of the insurgency and illuminates the complex relationships among Sunnis, Shias, and Kurds. Bringing the discussion forward to the reconfiguration of political forces in 2006, Allawi provides in these pages the clearest view to date of the modern history of Iraq and the invasion that changed its course in unpredicted ways.
The Occupation of Iraq examines what the United States did and didn’t know at the time of the invasion, the reasons for the confused and contradictory policies that were enacted, and the emergence of the Iraqi political class during the difficult transition process. The book tracks the growth of the insurgency and illuminates the complex relationships among Sunnis, Shias, and Kurds. Bringing the discussion forward to the reconfiguration of political forces in 2006, Allawi provides in these pages the clearest view to date of the modern history of Iraq and the invasion that changed its course in unpredicted ways.
544 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 9, 2014
AN IRAQI PERSPECTIVE
Ali A. Allawi, the former Minister of Trade and Minister of Defence in the Interim Iraqi Governing Council and the Minister of Finance in the Iraqi Transitional Government has written an account of the American occupation of Iraq over a period that ends in 2006. I've read quite a few books on the Iraq debacle and this is the first time that I have read an account of an Iraqi, and it is certainly interesting to get the Iraqi perspective of events. Allawi, an Iraqi Shia, is quite able to deal with the events in an even handed and impartial way. I don't recall any examples of sectarian bias, and the author is sensitive to the concerns of the Sunni and Kurdish communities as well as other minorities.
The book doesn't begin with the occupation but gives the reader as good a summary I've read of the situation within Iraq prior to the invasion. He also writes of the mentality in Washington in as restrained a manner as possible given subsequent events, he is particularly scathing on the neo-cons in general, and Wolfowitz in particular as well as George "Bring 'em On" Bush.
Paul Bremers Coalition Provisional Authority comes under Allawis often withering scrutiny though he does appear supportive of the market reforms initiated, though critical of the manner in which it was done, the blinkered mentality and ignorance of the staff and the public relations obsessions which amounted to a grotesque denial of reality.
Allawi goes on to give an account of the various mutations in the governing of Iraq, the writing of the constitution, the growing Insurgency and the American response, and the sectarian fighting. He is of particular interest in the roles of Grand Ayatollah Al-Sistani and Moqtada Al-Sadr. The book draws to an end when chaos is reaching its height in 2006 and the sectarian fighting is reaching a ferocious and vicious level.
A couple of negative points regarding the book, Allawi writes of Ahmad Chalabi in the most positive terms I have came across but does not make it clear that he is Chalabis nephew. He also has an irritating habit of referring to himself in name as if he was just another personality in the story. These are minor irritations in comparison to getting an Iraqi perspective on the events in occupied Iraq, and I'd recommend this book as another piece of the Jigsaw in understanding that conflict.
Ali A. Allawi, the former Minister of Trade and Minister of Defence in the Interim Iraqi Governing Council and the Minister of Finance in the Iraqi Transitional Government has written an account of the American occupation of Iraq over a period that ends in 2006. I've read quite a few books on the Iraq debacle and this is the first time that I have read an account of an Iraqi, and it is certainly interesting to get the Iraqi perspective of events. Allawi, an Iraqi Shia, is quite able to deal with the events in an even handed and impartial way. I don't recall any examples of sectarian bias, and the author is sensitive to the concerns of the Sunni and Kurdish communities as well as other minorities.
The book doesn't begin with the occupation but gives the reader as good a summary I've read of the situation within Iraq prior to the invasion. He also writes of the mentality in Washington in as restrained a manner as possible given subsequent events, he is particularly scathing on the neo-cons in general, and Wolfowitz in particular as well as George "Bring 'em On" Bush.
Paul Bremers Coalition Provisional Authority comes under Allawis often withering scrutiny though he does appear supportive of the market reforms initiated, though critical of the manner in which it was done, the blinkered mentality and ignorance of the staff and the public relations obsessions which amounted to a grotesque denial of reality.
Allawi goes on to give an account of the various mutations in the governing of Iraq, the writing of the constitution, the growing Insurgency and the American response, and the sectarian fighting. He is of particular interest in the roles of Grand Ayatollah Al-Sistani and Moqtada Al-Sadr. The book draws to an end when chaos is reaching its height in 2006 and the sectarian fighting is reaching a ferocious and vicious level.
A couple of negative points regarding the book, Allawi writes of Ahmad Chalabi in the most positive terms I have came across but does not make it clear that he is Chalabis nephew. He also has an irritating habit of referring to himself in name as if he was just another personality in the story. These are minor irritations in comparison to getting an Iraqi perspective on the events in occupied Iraq, and I'd recommend this book as another piece of the Jigsaw in understanding that conflict.
March 3, 2008
This book took a long time for me to read. Allawi's prose can be quite dense, but it's already some of the most useful background on Iraqi ethnic issues that I've read. One can tell immediately from his tone that the perspective of this book is different than any American written book. He's certainly not anti-American, nor an Iraqi apologist, but you do get the feeling that you are going to see problems from a new angle.
It's well researched (it uses some sources in Arabic as well- I'd be curious to know both the scholarship value of these sources and what is out there that I can't read) and covers in great detail the growth of the opposition movement (mostly in exile) during the 1990's.
It is simply vital that anyone interested in affairs in Iraq read this book, as there are so many dynamics within Iraqi politics that Americans don't see, and are well covered here. Certainly depressing, though.
It's well researched (it uses some sources in Arabic as well- I'd be curious to know both the scholarship value of these sources and what is out there that I can't read) and covers in great detail the growth of the opposition movement (mostly in exile) during the 1990's.
It is simply vital that anyone interested in affairs in Iraq read this book, as there are so many dynamics within Iraqi politics that Americans don't see, and are well covered here. Certainly depressing, though.
July 14, 2008
It's probably going to be decades before we have any idea what really happened in Iraq. I think the interesting thing about this book is that it's written by an Iraqi insider. There's a lot to learn in this book from Allawi's perspective.
September 5, 2011
Very thorough, very evenhanded account of all that went wrong (and sometimes right) in Iraq from 2003 to 2006. A good read for those who know a good amount about present day Iraq and want to know more. It takes forever to get through, but it will have been worth it. Highly recommended.
September 13, 2011
A good narrative from a well-informed insider. The book doesn't come across too preachy - a common problem with books on this emotive subject.
February 3, 2024
If for no other reason, you should read this book because it is by someone who is an Iraqi, understands Iraqi history and culture in a way that armchair generals in the USA cannot, and frames the (seemingly endless) war in Iraq from that point of view. Iraq has been the target of the American military for over 30 years, starting with the first Gulf War, then entering a brutal phase in the 1990s that is not common knowledge in the West with intermittent bombings and sanctions killing thousands, then with the quagmire beginning in 2003. Even as of this writing, in 2024, the USA still has bases there and is still attacking targets in Iraq with its military-- though not with the frequency of 15-20 years ago.
"The Occupation of Iraq" can feel so detail-oriented that it is slow-going at times. At other times, it can be almost poetic in its simple brutal assessment. In the two decades since the war in Iraq began, there is no more definitive book on how it all began.
Three passages in the epilogue, Allawi's final appraisal of the war, stuck with me:
1) "This book begins with scholars... it has become almost a commonplace to look for academics and their theories lurking behind the decisions and actions of politicians and national leaders. George Bush had a legion of academic and think-tank cheerleaders for his Iraq venture. They drew their inspiration from radical conservatism and an unapologetic defense of Western-- mainly American-- values. Their description of the Arab middle East bordered on caricature. It was of a reactionary, anti-modern, even nihilistic culture. If left to its own devices it would create profound instability in the world. It was the duty of the United States, the world's superpower, not to shirk from the challenge that this region posed."
2) "The rules of a just war could have been applied to Iraq if the issues that had propelled American to invade Iraq were clearly ethical. But this was not the case. The explicit reson that was used related to Iraq's phantom arsenal of nuclear and biological weapons, and to the risks they posed to the national security of the United States. All other arguments were ex post facto, and were not part of the overt reasons given to validate the decision to invade Iraq. Removing tyranny, building democracy, introducing human and civil rights, writing a progressive constitution-- these were all subsequent justifications for maintaining the presence of America in Iraq."
3) [Writing about the state apparatus that replaced the Ba'athist Party government] "There was no national vision for anything, just a series of deals to push forward a political process, the end state of which was indeterminate. There was no governing plan. The corroded and corrupt state of Saddam was replaced by the corroded, inefficient, incompetent and corrupt state of the new order."
"The Occupation of Iraq" can feel so detail-oriented that it is slow-going at times. At other times, it can be almost poetic in its simple brutal assessment. In the two decades since the war in Iraq began, there is no more definitive book on how it all began.
Three passages in the epilogue, Allawi's final appraisal of the war, stuck with me:
1) "This book begins with scholars... it has become almost a commonplace to look for academics and their theories lurking behind the decisions and actions of politicians and national leaders. George Bush had a legion of academic and think-tank cheerleaders for his Iraq venture. They drew their inspiration from radical conservatism and an unapologetic defense of Western-- mainly American-- values. Their description of the Arab middle East bordered on caricature. It was of a reactionary, anti-modern, even nihilistic culture. If left to its own devices it would create profound instability in the world. It was the duty of the United States, the world's superpower, not to shirk from the challenge that this region posed."
2) "The rules of a just war could have been applied to Iraq if the issues that had propelled American to invade Iraq were clearly ethical. But this was not the case. The explicit reson that was used related to Iraq's phantom arsenal of nuclear and biological weapons, and to the risks they posed to the national security of the United States. All other arguments were ex post facto, and were not part of the overt reasons given to validate the decision to invade Iraq. Removing tyranny, building democracy, introducing human and civil rights, writing a progressive constitution-- these were all subsequent justifications for maintaining the presence of America in Iraq."
3) [Writing about the state apparatus that replaced the Ba'athist Party government] "There was no national vision for anything, just a series of deals to push forward a political process, the end state of which was indeterminate. There was no governing plan. The corroded and corrupt state of Saddam was replaced by the corroded, inefficient, incompetent and corrupt state of the new order."
August 18, 2024
Massively and bewilderingly informative. A series of interlocking tragedies that amount to a much larger overall tragedy.
A story of incredibly incompetence, viciousness, and greed. Only that can be said with any degree of confidence and without caveat.
This book was published in 2007, before yet more catastrophe engulfed Iraq with the rise of ISIS. I can scarcely imagine how the country has managed to persist to this day.
I lurched between sympathy and anger towards all the protagonists, whether individuals, sects, governments, ethnicities, or neighbouring countries. There is so much at fault that the apportioning of blame seems hardly to be worthwhile. I do not feel as though I’m in a position to judge any of them.
It takes a great deal of faith for me to remain politically idealistic after reading this book, but the horrors of the alternative also looms large in its pages.
A story of incredibly incompetence, viciousness, and greed. Only that can be said with any degree of confidence and without caveat.
This book was published in 2007, before yet more catastrophe engulfed Iraq with the rise of ISIS. I can scarcely imagine how the country has managed to persist to this day.
I lurched between sympathy and anger towards all the protagonists, whether individuals, sects, governments, ethnicities, or neighbouring countries. There is so much at fault that the apportioning of blame seems hardly to be worthwhile. I do not feel as though I’m in a position to judge any of them.
It takes a great deal of faith for me to remain politically idealistic after reading this book, but the horrors of the alternative also looms large in its pages.
October 28, 2025
An excellent book on the Iraq situation from an Iraqi point of view. Vert is detailed and a challenging read, but it is worthwhile to try to understand what happened to Iraq after the invasion.
August 21, 2007
I have read several books about Iraq that are from the American point of view. This was the first one that I read from an Iraqi point of view.
I am glad I read it but it was a long, dense read. Part of the problem is that it IS from an Iraqi p.o.v. and I am used to reading "America First" account of this war. So while I learned a lot more about the Iraqi thoughts and the Iraqi political process, I felt like the author didn't always connect it back to what was going on in America at the same time. Which made the timeline challenging for me at times.
Also, the author maintains a 3rd person narrative throughout, even when discussing himself (he was Minister of Defense and later Minister of Finance). Not that he had to make this into a memoir, but I would have liked it if he injected some 1st person narration in, so I could know where some of his biases and loyalties lay. It wasn't until I looked him up on Wikipedia that I realized he was a nephew of Ahmad Chalabi, which makes me wonder if the treatment Chalabi recieves in this book is influenced by that relationship.
Still, it is a valuable book in the ever growing canon of Iraq war disaster stories.
I am glad I read it but it was a long, dense read. Part of the problem is that it IS from an Iraqi p.o.v. and I am used to reading "America First" account of this war. So while I learned a lot more about the Iraqi thoughts and the Iraqi political process, I felt like the author didn't always connect it back to what was going on in America at the same time. Which made the timeline challenging for me at times.
Also, the author maintains a 3rd person narrative throughout, even when discussing himself (he was Minister of Defense and later Minister of Finance). Not that he had to make this into a memoir, but I would have liked it if he injected some 1st person narration in, so I could know where some of his biases and loyalties lay. It wasn't until I looked him up on Wikipedia that I realized he was a nephew of Ahmad Chalabi, which makes me wonder if the treatment Chalabi recieves in this book is influenced by that relationship.
Still, it is a valuable book in the ever growing canon of Iraq war disaster stories.
August 19, 2011
Allawi provides one of the best overviews of the post-war occupation of Iraq that I have encountered. It is balanced, even handed, and centered firmly in the politics of the Iraqi landscape. Rarely does the Empire get such a dispassionate accounting of its failings. Allawi does not flinch from the facts on the ground - the disorganized incompetence of the Bush/NeoCon lack of planning. Mismanagement is an understatement for the tragedy that has been this 10 year fiasco. I can not recommend this enough!
August 7, 2018
Very informative book a must read if you have any interest in the events that went on and still continue in Iraq. It also gives you some foundational information on how this whole ISIS issue came into existence. If you are a fan of military history and infatuated with the middle east.. Do yourself a favor and read this man's book, let Harry Potter chill for a while and read something that is very much as fascinating as it is real.
September 10, 2007
It was hard for me to read because it is so detailed in names and places - and I have no background in Arabic. Yet, there is a lot of insight and information that I don't think is generally known outside of the inner crowd of scholars and political refugees that Allawi describes in great detail.
November 13, 2007
Highly reccommend.
A little hard to read as there is so much information and names which may not be familiar.
From the perspective of an Iraqi who was there.
A little hard to read as there is so much information and names which may not be familiar.
From the perspective of an Iraqi who was there.
Want to read
December 3, 2015I'm reading this online, its thick with information and understanding, its hard going but worth it
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews