The Iraq War Reader: History, Documents, Opinions

by Micah L. Sifry (Editor), Christopher Hitchens (Contributor), Christoper Cerf (Editor)

Despite the torrent of coverage devoted to war with Iraq, woefully little attention has been paid to the history of the region, the policies that led to the conflict, and the daunting challenges that will confront America and the Middle East once the immediate crisis has ended. In this collection, Micah L. Sifry and Christopher Cerf, coeditors of the acclaimed Gulf War Reader, have assembled essays and documents that present an eminently readable, up-to-the-moment guide — from every imaginable perspective — to the continuing crisis in the Gulf and Middle East.

Here, in analysis and commentary from some of the world's leading writers and opinion makers — and in the words of the key participants themselves — is the engrossing saga of how oil economics, power politics, dreams of empire, nationalist yearnings, and religious fanaticism — not to mention naked aggression, betrayal, and tragic miscalculation — have conspired to bring us to the fateful collision of the West and the Arab world over Iraq. Contributors include:

Fouad Ajami

George W. Bush

Richard Butler

John le Carré

Noam Chomsky

Ann Coulter

Thomas Friedman

Al Gore

Seymour Hersh

Christopher Hitchens

Arianna Huffington

Saddam Hussein

Terry Jones

Robert Kagan

Charles Krauthammer

William Kristol

Nicholas Lemann

Kanan Makiya

Kevin Phillips

Kenneth Pollack

Colin Powell

Condoleezza Rice

Arundhati Roy

Edward Said

William Safire

Jonathan Schell

Susan Sontag

George Will

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Middle East, Politics, International Relations

736 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 2003

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Reviews

[Joseph Stieb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall this is a valuable compendium of primary and secondary sources on Iraq. The name is a bit of a misnomer: It was published in 2003, so there's nothing in here about the actual war. Instead, it focuses on the period from the Gulf War to the start of the Iraq War. It covers debates, history, advocacy, diplomacy, and dozens of primary sources. The appendices are particularly valuable, especially the summary of Iraqi opposition groups. Some of the essays and articles in here are downright brilliant, and they do a nice job covering both pro-war and anti-war positions. The authors are more objective than the authors of "The Iraq Papers," another Iraq War reader that covers the first few years of the war as well. Although the writers clearly have an anti-war bias, they still present sources that argue compellingly for the other side. They also keep editorial commentary to a minimum, which was was almost all of the time.

Still, there are a few sources in here I have to question. Should I really care what Ann Coulter, Arundathi Roy, John le Carre, Terry Jones, and a number of other non-expert, non-politician type people have to say on Iraq. There are some articles in here that appear to have been chosen simply for the star power or outrageousness of their authors, but it detracts from the quality of the book as a whole. Strange decisions, but they don't ruin the whole thing.

[DeterminedStupor]

Status: have only read these chapters:
-- Epigraphs to Chapter 1
-- Philip Knightley: Imperial Legacy
-- Joost R. Hiltermann: The Men Who Helped the Man Who Gassed His Own People
-- Christopher Hitchens: Realpolitik in the Gulf: A Game Gone Tilt
-- Epigraphs to Chapter 4
-- Susan Sontag: Reflections on September 11th
-- Noam Chomsky: Drain the Swamp and There Will Be No More Mosquitoes
-- Ann Coulter: Why We Hate Them
-- Arundhati Roy: Wars Are Never Fought for Altruistic Reasons
-- Andrew Sullivan: The Imperialism Canard
-- Rep. Charles B. Rangel: Bring Back the Draft
-- John le Carré: The United States Has Gone Mad
-- Christopher Hitchens: Why I Am for Regime Change
-- Terry Jones: I’m Losing Patience with My Neighbors, Mr. Bush
-- Saddam Hussein interview: Iraq Has No Interest in War
-- Ian McEwan: Hawks Have My Heads, Doves Have My Heart, Guess Which Wins? **
-- Kanan Makiya: Our Hopes Betrayed
-- Epigraphs to Chapter 14

[Marcos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Not partisan. It sheds light on many issues people took for granted before and in the early stages of the war. It helps understand motives, fears, powers, and the logic behind this history changing event. I highly recommend this book for any one who wants to know how it all happened and for anyone who thinks they know what happened.