After Isis: America, Iran and the Struggle for the Middle East

by Seth J. Frantzman

This book, based on four years of on-the-ground reporting, research in ten countries in the Middle East, a thousand hours of interviews with key players and access to generals, spies, policymakers, soldiers and refugees, is the first comprehensive look at the defeat of ISIS and the future reshaping of the Middle East. It provides a unique window into the battle for the heart and soul of the Muslim world and lays out why we need to be informed about changes on the ground after the defeat of ISIS. More than seventy countries are members of the international coalition formed in 2014 to defeat Islamic State (ISIS). After ISIS provides a sobering blueprint for how the US and regional powers will re-shape the region in years to come. Understanding these events and the choices ahead will determine if ISIS and similar ideologies reemerge, whether a new war between the US, its allies and Iran comes in the wake of ISIS, or if a younger generation of leaders can carve out a new Middle East. As ISIS recedes, the world is at a unique historic crossroads in the Middle East. Decisions made now in the region and in Washington matter more than ever. Tehran and the US are increasingly on a collision course to struggle over the vacuum left behind by ISIS in Iraq and Syria. More praise for After "Nothing moves Frantzman more than his personal witness of the horrific genocide that ISIS perpetrated on the Yazidi people in and around Sinjar in 2014. He arrived in the region very shortly after the slaughter." - Israel HaYom "This book is a must-read for policy-makers and everyone interested in the rise and defeat of ISIS and what happens next. A seasoned Middle East war reporter, Seth Frantzman has traveled to many of the places he writes about and met the protagonists. His unique insights help us understand the global jihadist phenomenon, its wider consequences and how to deal with it."- Colonel Richard Kemp CBE, Former Head of International Terrorism Intelligence, UK Cabinet Office. "A panoramic, fascinating account of how the ISIS Caliphate emerged, rose up and was destroyed. After ISIS combines a cogent analysis of the Islamic State phenomenon, with a compassionate empathy for those caught up in the terrible suffering wrought by this organization.- Jonathan Spyer, journalist and Middle East analyst; author of Days of the A Reporter s Journey in the Syria and Iraq Wars. /i> "A man of conviction whose work is so important and his reports on Mosul will always be considered when we review the history of what happened."- Mohammed Omar, founder, Mosul Eye "Often lost in the coverage of ISIS s barbarity were the victims. Seth Frantzman provides a chilling on-the-ground account of the people who suffered at the hands of the militant group and paints a terrifying picture of just how close the modern Middle East came to being wiped off the map."- Conor M. Powell, veteran foreign correspondent. "In After ISIS, Seth Frantzman has masterfully combined field reporting with high-quality analysis. This book is a unique contribution from one of the most authoritative voices in the field."-Sirwan Kajjo, Kurdish affairs.

Genres: Middle East, Politics, History, American, Nonfiction

386 pages, Paperback

Published September 30, 2019

Reviews

[Jim Razinha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a review copy through LibraryThing from the publisher Gefen Publishing...from their Jerusalem office! It took more than a month to get to me after I was notified by LibraryThing and a funny thing happened in that time...somebody decided to announce a withdrawal from Syria abandoning the allied ISIS-fighting Kurds to the Turkish regime. I'm not sure if the title needs rethinking, but certainly, there might need to be another chapter or two. Frantzman opened his Preface with "The war on ISIS is now largely behind us." and my note read "Enter October 2019".

Frantzman is a veteran conflict journalist and he's written a comprehensive analysis of the fight against, and decline of, and the claimed defeat of (I have no expertise, but I wonder if it won't resurge) ISIS from 2014-2019. In his second chapter, in 2015, he and a colleague Lura Kelly had an opportunity to get "to a frontline position near Mosul Dam (site of a major battle in 2014). He had contacts there and they "decided to risk it." That struck me, because the good field journalists are always at risk.

Too much to synopsize...as I usually do, here are some observations. One is that this book could have benefited from some maps. I suspect my copy is a final version because it was published September 30th, so it looks like there won't be any. I would have also appreciated a glossary of the players - there are so many acronyms from the multiple units, it was hard for even this retired military man to keep them all straight.

Frantzman keeps his chapters reasonably short and focused and this is not just a chronology. He provides the history of relations and events that preceded and caused the topics he covers.

A Kurdish copmmander told him, after receiving aid from Bulgaria, "Everyone knows we are not just fighting for ourselves but [for] the whole world, and we need their support. [...] Why is the US government's interest more with the Arabs than the Kurds?" Frantzman said he had no answer. I have an answer, but mine is speculation.

In 2015, Brig. Gen Sarhad "mocked Europe's fear of terror, 'They had one attack in Paris; we had seven car bombs here.'" They live that every day.

Frantzman on the Iraq town of Sinjar occupied by Yazidis: "It's hard to describe a landscape so torn and broken. Leaving the mountain behind, ones sees the terraces and old stone houses at its base." The Yazidis suffered ISIS genocides and have little trust for the Arabs who supported ISIS. ISIS was calculating in their use of social media to "broadcast its mass killings", and the Twit-ter, on which ISIS members bragged of selling women.

The epigraph for Part III, The Struggle for Iraq, 2016 reads

"How would you rate American, Russian, and Iranian policies in Iraq?"
"It's like this. If you work on a project with the US, they ask you for a progress report in three months. The Russians want it in six months. For Iran, it's ten years."
- Conversation heard in Iraq's Kurdistan region, Tanya Goudsouzian on Twitter, February 2019

American politics and diplomacy seem to have no idea of the long game some countries can play.

I like the literary tone of Frantzman's description of Mosul Dam: "The water looked unnatural, as dam lakes always do, as if it were computer-generated imagery in some badly made movie about water on Mars."

General Sa'adi al-Obaidi said of ISIS's targeting of Sunnis in Fallujah, "The government had mistreated the Sunnis, and they flocked to ISIS." The enemy of my enemy is my friend was a common theme in the incredulous support ISIS garnered.

Kurd betrayal was not far off from the initial T banning of certain travel - Kurds with Iraqi passports were caught up in the ban, "...citizens from Iraqi Kurdistan, the closest ally to the US in fighting terrorism."

When Frantzman wanted to visit the camp of Hamam-al-Alil IDP (Internally Displaced Persons), he grew fearful when Shi'ite militiamen began shouting at his driver. "These were the wrong people to mess with in the wrong place, in the middle of nowhere near Mosul, where people can disappear." He said, "I hadn't been scared in the battles against ISIS; what always worried me was being detained, kidnapped." Serious stuff for the journalist, and any foreigner.

Frantzman intimates at an Erdogan attack on the Kurds many times in his book, outlining an inevitable that happened right after publication. In early 2018, T crowed about victories over ISIS in Mosul and Raqqa, and talked about leaving Syria...making good on his arrangements with Erdogan in October, 2019. Frantzman notes that DoD and State appointed staff advised him against the withdrawal. They seem to have tried, but failed. Mohammed bin Salman "was cultivating the Trump administration." So easily manipulated. Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir told the Manama Dialogue confab that T defeated Daesh in Iraq. But...the Kurds did. Makes me wonder again what the business interest in Saudi Arabia is.

Frantzman rightly speculates "the large picture of reduced US involvement means that other countries will step in to fill the vacuum. That may mean Russia, Iran, Turkey and other s in the Middle East." Yep...Russia filled that vacuum quickly. And Turkey launched its offensive immediately.

This is a hard look at a hard subject that is too far over the horizon for most Americans. Israel has to be more than concerned...and Frantzman lives in Jerusalem. He said he had an addition to conflict after his first trip to Iraq in 2015, but "then one day I was home. And I wanted to stay home with my family and sons." I hope he can stay there.

[Philip Harrelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

You need to read this book if you want an idea of why the Middle East is in the predicament it is.

[Jeff Flowers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Well written.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book looks at the rise of ISIS in the mid-2010s through the present, and how ISIS' short-lived caliphate has shaped the Middle East. The author focuses mostly on Iraq, where he was a reported for many years, but also covers Syria, and the various great power countries in the region. Although I had followed the news from the region at the time, the author does a good job of putting the whole story into a narrative and placing it in a larger context. He shows how Iran has increased its regional power since the emergence of ISIS (largely because Iran has been able to burnish its reputation as an ISIS opponent). He also looks at US policy. I appreciated that he talks in great depth about the plight of minorities and refugees in this area, particularly Christians and Yazidis, and highlights the efforts of their advocates. He does a good job of combining analysis of the international environment with human interest stories about the people involved. He also spends considerable time (both in the book and in his reporting) in Iraqi Kurdistan, and explains much of the dynamics associated with that. He also brings in much of the history of the region, and shows how it remains relevant in the contemporary period. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the region.

[Seth J. Vogelman · Rating 3 out of 5]

It could have been a better book but lacked form and focus. Kudus for the author going to see these things first hand but the vignettes were arranged in a confusing, almost rambling way at times without context. Some maps would also have helped. Mainly it lacked order.

[Stanislava Tran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent writing.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic piece of journalism. No other work has broadened my understanding of the Middle East like this book has.

[Regan Hess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would be 5 star if it had maps.

[Gary Leibl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very informative. It is a must read for anyone interested in the Middle East.

[David Litman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Manages to portray, in excellent fashion, both the big picture of politics and the involved powers, AND the effect the war had on the everyday people in Iraq and Syria. I particularly appreciated the focus on the total lack of compassion and desire for justice the world has shown towards the minorities ISIS sought to exterminate.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

Love your leaders! The end is near! Only your leaders can save you! Love your leaders!

[Rick Cheeseman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. Hat tip to Jim Razinha for recommendation.