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The Age of Jihad: Islamic State and the Great War for the Middle East
The Age of Jihad charts the turmoil of today's Middle East and the devastating role the West has played in the region from 2001 to the present. Beginning with the US-led invasion of Afghanistan, Cockburn explores the vast geopolitical struggle that is the Sunni-Shia conflict, a clash that shapes the war on terror; western military interventions; the evolution of the insurgency; the civil wars in Yemen, Libya and Syria; the Arab Spring; the fall of regional dictators; and the rise of Islamic State.
473 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2016
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1681 people want to read
About the author
Patrick Cockburn
37 books172 followersPatrick Oliver Cockburn is an Irish journalist who has been a Middle East correspondent since 1979 for the Financial Times and, presently, The Independent.
He has written four books on Iraq's recent history. He won the Martha Gellhorn Prize in 2005, the James Cameron Prize in 2006 and the Orwell Prize for Journalism in 2009.
He has written four books on Iraq's recent history. He won the Martha Gellhorn Prize in 2005, the James Cameron Prize in 2006 and the Orwell Prize for Journalism in 2009.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
April 25, 2018
A devastating read filled with unspeakable horror and cutting geopolitical insight. This book will make you cry and/or burn with rage on nearly every page. I can't recommend it strongly enough.
*
Compare Wolfgang Streeck's great description of capitalism collapsing from its own entropy in the advanced industrial countries (How Will Capitalism End? Essays on a Failing System)
Patrick Cockburn is the best guide I know to the apocalyptic wars wracking Middle East for the past decade and a half; indeed he might be the best guide to the apocalypse tout court. If you want to know what the future has in store for humanity, probably best to study Syria.
*
From 2009
(think of this whenever unreconstructed Iraq war supporters decry the rising tide of incivility and lack of viewpoint diversity in the media today; maybe if you inflict that kind of suffering on a people, your views shouldn't be tolerated; your opinions are worthless)
*
This is one of the striking features of the present era: wars turn into bloody stalemates with no outright winners or losers, aside from the millions of civilians who are the victims. Political systems decay or are overthrown but nobody is strong enough to replace them. An Islamic cult motivates people so they are prepared to die for it in a way that is no longer true of nationalism or socialism.
Compare Wolfgang Streeck's great description of capitalism collapsing from its own entropy in the advanced industrial countries (How Will Capitalism End? Essays on a Failing System)
Patrick Cockburn is the best guide I know to the apocalyptic wars wracking Middle East for the past decade and a half; indeed he might be the best guide to the apocalypse tout court. If you want to know what the future has in store for humanity, probably best to study Syria.
*
From 2009
Two or three years ago, tattoo artists in Baghdad were working overtime giving distinctive tattoos to men who feared they would be killed in the Sunni-Shia sectarian slaughter. Aware that the faces of so many who died were being mutilated, potential victims wanted their families to be able to identify their bodies through a special mark known only to close relatives. One man had an olive tree tattooed on his body because his father had planted one the day he was born.
(think of this whenever unreconstructed Iraq war supporters decry the rising tide of incivility and lack of viewpoint diversity in the media today; maybe if you inflict that kind of suffering on a people, your views shouldn't be tolerated; your opinions are worthless)
July 3, 2022
In Syria, more than most places, only eyewitness information is worth much
There’s forty pages of cogent analysis sandwiching some four hundred pages of confusing, very repetitive accounts from myriad civil war theatres from Afghanistan to Yemen. These sections plead for editing. The same phrases appear three times in two pages.
Much of all that’s went wrong in the world in the last thirty years has been the result of an ever increasing tension between Shia and Sunni populations, a trend to demonize certain political elements and adopting ill-suited policies in response to such and finally the vast pervasive corruption which defines each and every one of us.
I found the accounts of Afghanistan compelling and wish Cockburn would have spent more time there. The idea of Daesh proved menacing and strange even to an experienced observer like Cockburn. The significance of such being (at least in theory) free of corruption was significant.
There’s forty pages of cogent analysis sandwiching some four hundred pages of confusing, very repetitive accounts from myriad civil war theatres from Afghanistan to Yemen. These sections plead for editing. The same phrases appear three times in two pages.
Much of all that’s went wrong in the world in the last thirty years has been the result of an ever increasing tension between Shia and Sunni populations, a trend to demonize certain political elements and adopting ill-suited policies in response to such and finally the vast pervasive corruption which defines each and every one of us.
I found the accounts of Afghanistan compelling and wish Cockburn would have spent more time there. The idea of Daesh proved menacing and strange even to an experienced observer like Cockburn. The significance of such being (at least in theory) free of corruption was significant.
January 8, 2017
When picking up this book one might be easily mistaken to think it would be about just about ISIS. Instead, it provides a sweeping view of the broader Middle East over the last two decades. Drawn from Cockburn's notes and reportage, it relives key moments and themes that Cockburn was reporting on (which are extensive but not exhaustive). It feels like you're reading a diary or blog. Short, date based dispatches that are grouped geographically. It's highly readable for someone with some background of the what has happened in Iraq and Syria but is probably not the first book for someone approaching the topic fresh.
Astounding depth and breadth of coverage
It is usual for pundits to argue that the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 created the conditions for the eventual emergence of ISIS. Patrick Cockburn, who has reported from the Middle East for decades, begins looking at the devastation that occurred from sanctions against Iraq in the 90s. Cockburn points out that the victims of the sanctions were the civilian population of Iraq. The population was on a "semi-starvation diet", thousands of children were dying each month (before sanctions 1/30 children died before reaching one year old - it later jumped to 1 in 8), and the education and health services had collapsed. Cockburn writes that the "US-led invasion of 2003 destroyed the Iraqi state and army, but sanctions had already shattered the country's society and economy." Dennis Halliday, the UN Humanitarian Co-ordinator for Iraq who resigned in protest against the sanctions and is quoted during that period as saying "What should be of concern is the possibility of more fundamentalist Islamic thinking developing. It is not well understood as a spin-off of the sanctions regime. We are pushing people to take extreme positions."
While some may be tempted to skip through the early years that Cockburn goes into some depth in (half the book is dedicated to Iraq and Afghanistan prior to the Arab spring), don't. Cockburn's writing is rich with insight and really paints a picture of what was going on within the region.
Cockburn says that Iraqi's initially welcomed the fall of Saddam Hussein, if for no other reason than to restore something of pre-sanctions normality. Clearly they have been let down. The security situation is not much better. "If there is not quite the same fear as under Saddam, it often feels as if this is only because the security forces are less efficient, not because they are any less cruel or corrupt".
It also deeply describes the rise of sectarianism and how it is constantly being fueled, to the point where it now feeds off itself. "Each side belittles its own atrocities and claims them as retaliation for something even worse done by their enemies".
And of course, the book provides details on how foreign powers, including the US, Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, and others are playing in the region.
How the Internet has changed the relationship between journalists and armed groups
One of the insightful anecdotes from Cockburn concerns how the internet has changed the relationship between armed groups and journalists.
"Iraq is far more dangerous than anywhere else I have worked. In Belfast and Beirut in the 1970s it was possible to get killed by accident but armed groups, however murderous, generally cultivated the media. It was only in 1984 that the political kidnappings of journalists started in Lebanon. In Chechnya, kidnap capital of the former Soviet Union, the Chechen resistance was conscious that holding journalists hostage was not going to help their cause and threatened to kill anyone who did so. But in Iraq the insurgents see all the foreign and Iraqi press as enemies to be seized or murdered. The armed resistance relies on the internet to broadcast its aims and publicise its victories, not on the Iraqi or foreign media."
Astounding depth and breadth of coverage
It is usual for pundits to argue that the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 created the conditions for the eventual emergence of ISIS. Patrick Cockburn, who has reported from the Middle East for decades, begins looking at the devastation that occurred from sanctions against Iraq in the 90s. Cockburn points out that the victims of the sanctions were the civilian population of Iraq. The population was on a "semi-starvation diet", thousands of children were dying each month (before sanctions 1/30 children died before reaching one year old - it later jumped to 1 in 8), and the education and health services had collapsed. Cockburn writes that the "US-led invasion of 2003 destroyed the Iraqi state and army, but sanctions had already shattered the country's society and economy." Dennis Halliday, the UN Humanitarian Co-ordinator for Iraq who resigned in protest against the sanctions and is quoted during that period as saying "What should be of concern is the possibility of more fundamentalist Islamic thinking developing. It is not well understood as a spin-off of the sanctions regime. We are pushing people to take extreme positions."
While some may be tempted to skip through the early years that Cockburn goes into some depth in (half the book is dedicated to Iraq and Afghanistan prior to the Arab spring), don't. Cockburn's writing is rich with insight and really paints a picture of what was going on within the region.
Cockburn says that Iraqi's initially welcomed the fall of Saddam Hussein, if for no other reason than to restore something of pre-sanctions normality. Clearly they have been let down. The security situation is not much better. "If there is not quite the same fear as under Saddam, it often feels as if this is only because the security forces are less efficient, not because they are any less cruel or corrupt".
It also deeply describes the rise of sectarianism and how it is constantly being fueled, to the point where it now feeds off itself. "Each side belittles its own atrocities and claims them as retaliation for something even worse done by their enemies".
And of course, the book provides details on how foreign powers, including the US, Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, and others are playing in the region.
How the Internet has changed the relationship between journalists and armed groups
One of the insightful anecdotes from Cockburn concerns how the internet has changed the relationship between armed groups and journalists.
"Iraq is far more dangerous than anywhere else I have worked. In Belfast and Beirut in the 1970s it was possible to get killed by accident but armed groups, however murderous, generally cultivated the media. It was only in 1984 that the political kidnappings of journalists started in Lebanon. In Chechnya, kidnap capital of the former Soviet Union, the Chechen resistance was conscious that holding journalists hostage was not going to help their cause and threatened to kill anyone who did so. But in Iraq the insurgents see all the foreign and Iraqi press as enemies to be seized or murdered. The armed resistance relies on the internet to broadcast its aims and publicise its victories, not on the Iraqi or foreign media."
May 30, 2020
Patrick Cockburn is an experienced journalist who spent most of his life as a correspondent in the Middle East. In his book “The Age of Jihad” he has described the events that he has witnessed himself while in the affected region and/or has researched and analyzed a lot.
I think “The Age of Jihad” is a great piece of nonfiction literature about the Middle East. It mostly covers conflicts in Iraq, the rise of ISIS, and touches upon the Arab Spring uprisings in Libya, Yemen, and Bahrain. Cockburn’s book provides great insight into life in the Middle East during the war and good political analysis combined with personal stories from people all around the region. This makes the book engaging not only intellectually but also emotionally. However, the author does not sympathize with only one group; on the contrary, he gives a rather accurate representation of the situation, by giving the reader different perspectives on the conflicts.
This book, however, is not an easy one. It requires close reading and concentration due to the abundance of terminology and a wide range of events, and actors. I would recommend it to anyone interested in the Middle East as a region and/or politics in general. I would also suggest doing some research and getting familiar with at least some of the concepts, names, and events covered in this book before reading it.
I think “The Age of Jihad” is a great piece of nonfiction literature about the Middle East. It mostly covers conflicts in Iraq, the rise of ISIS, and touches upon the Arab Spring uprisings in Libya, Yemen, and Bahrain. Cockburn’s book provides great insight into life in the Middle East during the war and good political analysis combined with personal stories from people all around the region. This makes the book engaging not only intellectually but also emotionally. However, the author does not sympathize with only one group; on the contrary, he gives a rather accurate representation of the situation, by giving the reader different perspectives on the conflicts.
This book, however, is not an easy one. It requires close reading and concentration due to the abundance of terminology and a wide range of events, and actors. I would recommend it to anyone interested in the Middle East as a region and/or politics in general. I would also suggest doing some research and getting familiar with at least some of the concepts, names, and events covered in this book before reading it.
August 6, 2017
Would be great to sit down with this author and hear stories and lessons. He's not just any political analyst; he's a journalist who actually lived through all of the events he discussed in this book, complete with stories from locals. He gets down and dirty with them, chasing the 'real' events instead of blindly reporting what he thinks is happening, which is usually the case now with correspondents and, unfortunately, politicians who control the stage. Some takeaway from this book: I loved how he talked of some of his favorite cities and their ruin without romanticizing them. Just a passerby who saw the transformations of a city well-loved; how does that make you feel for those who were actually born and live in these cities? This book is also a sweeping view of the whole Middle Eastern conflict, with all the players discussed. This means there's a lot to take in, but it also puts ISIS into context. Lastly, he makes his point clear - that politicians and key players need to understand the locals and what they want for themselves, instead of charging blindly, armed with their own policies. It does feel a bit discouraging that all these books are open-ended, describing the rise of ISIS and political aims that serve the West's own interests; that one can think of obliterating entire nations/generations for their own satisfactions (it makes clear that this is no longer a religious/ethnic/political war). But such is the way we are, and this is only an example of how everything can go wrong and everyone loses when we can no longer think and see beyond ourselves. It's exactly like saying goodbye to the future.
May 7, 2017
I made myself read this book to get a real understanding of what is happening in the Middle East. From being revolted by the callous and downright stupid manipulations of the West and its allies in the Middle East to feeling my heart go out to the civilians, just trying to live in a homeland which has neighbour rising up against neighbour and being finally driven away from home and livelihoods.
The afterword sums it up with chilling clarity. Yes, this is truly the final throes of the end of the Ottoman Empire. Some smaller ethnic and religious will be wiped off the face of the Earth as they are lost in a diaspora. The oldest Christians will be in that group. The dogs of war have been unleashed and people who could at one time still live in mixed neighbours will never be able to do this again due to the hostilities that have been raised. These people have fled and live in refugee camps and have lost livelihoods and pride.
On reflection it seems to have great similarities with the Thirty Years War where the armies of many countries criss crossed Germany leaving destruction and a scorched Earth in its wake.
The afterword sums it up with chilling clarity. Yes, this is truly the final throes of the end of the Ottoman Empire. Some smaller ethnic and religious will be wiped off the face of the Earth as they are lost in a diaspora. The oldest Christians will be in that group. The dogs of war have been unleashed and people who could at one time still live in mixed neighbours will never be able to do this again due to the hostilities that have been raised. These people have fled and live in refugee camps and have lost livelihoods and pride.
On reflection it seems to have great similarities with the Thirty Years War where the armies of many countries criss crossed Germany leaving destruction and a scorched Earth in its wake.
June 12, 2019
Un extraordinario libro de reportajes sobre Oriente Próximo entre los años 2001 y 2017. Las dos claves que le han hecho merecedor de las cinco estrellas han sido, primero, su estructura y, segundo, sus fuentes. Sobre lo primero Cockburn abandona la idea de relato con un principio y un final al que apuntan los hechos y apuesta por la forma de diario en la que los testimonios se suceden sin estar ordenados y seleccionados para conseguir un final determinado. Y sobre lo segundo el autor conoce el escenario de primera mano, escribe sobre el terreno y pregunta tanto a personajes claves de los sucesos narrados como a personajes anónimos creando un inmenso fresco de la situación política y militar de Oriente Próximo. Excelente y fundamental para entender que ha sucedido, que está pasando y que podrá pasar en un futuro cercano.
October 27, 2020
Cockburn covers the recent wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Libya in the best way--by just hanging out and talking with local people. He talks to them in lines to buy gas, or goes to hospitals and talks to the wounded. The insights he gets are just common sense, about how people try to protect themselves amid battles among politicians or foreign-backed militias. About how ordinary people try to survive in a region where each political faction tries to win by gaining foreign military support, and a circling host of foreign powers pick which militia to arm.
Read
January 28, 2026[I should open by saying that the title is pretty misleading and was, I'm quite sure, chosen by the publishing house, click-baity as usual.
And in other prior comments: this book was recommended by a Spanish newspaper after Assad fell to brush up on Syrian history and has perhaps 20 pages out of 330 dedicated to Syria. I'm not sure if they wanted people to engage with the regional history or if it was recommended with no prior knowledge of its contents, although a glance at the chapters would have sufficed.]
I enjoyed this book because although he tends to stay within the confines of a modern nation-state he’s often looking at inter-state interactions, and it’s nice to break from the mold of artificially imposed yet very really-reinforced-by-governments boundaries. I enjoyed it because he holds together several strands of explanations and geopolitical interests at the same time (without ever saying the word “geopolitical” if I’m not mistaken) and brings them all to bear almost effortlessly. I enjoyed the book because he is a master explainer and describer and he is just enough present in this writing to almost feel the cadence of his breathing. I enjoyed the book and it helped me organize the different strands of contemporary history in the area. I especially learned about Iraq after the invasion by the US (dreadful) and Libya after NATO decided to bomb it (also dreadful). I see a common denominator here, but Cockburn aims to complicate it a bit. Ok.
I did not, however, enjoy his highly suspect leaving out of Israel in any and all accounts (it might be mentioned a handful of times in the 330 pages even when it occupies part of Syria), I did not enjoy the perhaps begrudging support for Assad with the common excuse of well-he’s-better-than-ISIS, and I did not enjoy the last 10 pages which were full-on whatever it takes to take ISIS down is acceptable because they are monstrous. I felt he even fell to that side of things against his better judgement. I also agree ISIS is/was monstrous, but I think the tone of moral panic isn’t conducive to good analysis. I also didn’t enjoy all information always being presented as some sort of chess game (very geopolitical, Indiana Jones WW2 troop movement board-like) with no higher-level theory called on to embed or frame or color. The color comes from (mostly) traumatized peoples' testimonies, which reeks of subjectivism and stand-pointese. And I’m always suspicious of things presented as Just Facts. But, of course, that’s the journalistic style.
And I think I’ve had enough of these journalistic accounts for a while.
And in other prior comments: this book was recommended by a Spanish newspaper after Assad fell to brush up on Syrian history and has perhaps 20 pages out of 330 dedicated to Syria. I'm not sure if they wanted people to engage with the regional history or if it was recommended with no prior knowledge of its contents, although a glance at the chapters would have sufficed.]
I enjoyed this book because although he tends to stay within the confines of a modern nation-state he’s often looking at inter-state interactions, and it’s nice to break from the mold of artificially imposed yet very really-reinforced-by-governments boundaries. I enjoyed it because he holds together several strands of explanations and geopolitical interests at the same time (without ever saying the word “geopolitical” if I’m not mistaken) and brings them all to bear almost effortlessly. I enjoyed the book because he is a master explainer and describer and he is just enough present in this writing to almost feel the cadence of his breathing. I enjoyed the book and it helped me organize the different strands of contemporary history in the area. I especially learned about Iraq after the invasion by the US (dreadful) and Libya after NATO decided to bomb it (also dreadful). I see a common denominator here, but Cockburn aims to complicate it a bit. Ok.
I did not, however, enjoy his highly suspect leaving out of Israel in any and all accounts (it might be mentioned a handful of times in the 330 pages even when it occupies part of Syria), I did not enjoy the perhaps begrudging support for Assad with the common excuse of well-he’s-better-than-ISIS, and I did not enjoy the last 10 pages which were full-on whatever it takes to take ISIS down is acceptable because they are monstrous. I felt he even fell to that side of things against his better judgement. I also agree ISIS is/was monstrous, but I think the tone of moral panic isn’t conducive to good analysis. I also didn’t enjoy all information always being presented as some sort of chess game (very geopolitical, Indiana Jones WW2 troop movement board-like) with no higher-level theory called on to embed or frame or color. The color comes from (mostly) traumatized peoples' testimonies, which reeks of subjectivism and stand-pointese. And I’m always suspicious of things presented as Just Facts. But, of course, that’s the journalistic style.
And I think I’ve had enough of these journalistic accounts for a while.
February 7, 2021
A very impressive book, collecting Cockburn's on-the-ground interviews, reflections and predictions from almost every middle-east conflict from Afghanistan in 2001 through to the rise of ISIS from 2014 onwards.
August 4, 2021
Muy interesante
June 10, 2017
After finishing this book on a quiet winter afternoon I leaned back on the couch and breathed a sigh of relief. I recalled two sentences especially from the book. "In Syria, more than most places, only eyewitness information is worth much." And "The demons released by this age of chaos and war in the Middle East have become an unstoppable force." I saw the author Patrick Cockburn this February at the Perth Writers Festival and finally have gotten around d to reading his latest book. For four decades he has been a brave and compelling journalistic witness to calamities in the Middle East. I had a pleasant short holiday once in Egypt. I plan never to the region again.
January 11, 2018
This is a brilliant analysis of recent middle eastern history from the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001 to 2016. The book is written as diary entries and vignettes about the impact events on the lives of regular people are interspersed throughout. These stories enhance the analysis making the situation seem all the more real and tragic. I was impressed by the depth of the reporting as well as the courage of the author. The world he describes sounds dangerous and frightening. It took real commitment to live through this and bear witness.
January 12, 2018
Cockburn is one of the best journalists working in the middle east today and this book, a collection of dispatches from Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Bahrain from the late 90s on doesn't disappoint. It's depressing how accurately he predicted so many events - the inability of the US to install a functioning government in Afghanistan, the the breakdown of the Iraqi state after the US invasion, the rise of ISIS and so on. I really recommend reading Cockburn if you want to understand the region we've been waging war on for the last few decades.
October 16, 2018
Over 10 years of journalistic insight poured into a masterwork that illuminates the gordian knot of interested parties in the middle east. By the end of this book you feel you could carry an intelligent conversation on the middle east, but the book should also imbue the good sense not to, as an underlying feature seems to be not only the intractability of the middle eastern 'problem' but as there are so many parties involved there is little which is predictable. As one person mentions, it is like a game of 3D chess with 9 players and no rules.
October 22, 2020
One of the best books I've read this year! Cockburn provides a great mix of historical perspective, geopolitical insight and unparalleled on the ground coverage. The book is structured as a series of correspondences from Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Bahrain and Syria between 1996 and 2017 (though the '96 entry is an outlier, most of the coverage is in the wake of 9/11). Despite how sprawling the scope of this book is, there is an effective narrative arc to it all. Cockburn's approach is to offer historical perspective given the present situation at the start of each chapter, but then let his reporting speak for itself.
To someone unfamiliar with modern warfare his reporting appears prophetic, as he seems to grasp the nature of the conflicts he is covering well before the American press and political corps does. For example, he immediately grasped that the immediate fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq was a hollow victory that would unleash a protracted sectarian struggle. To his credit, he doesn't appear very self-impressed with this prediction, as it's grounded in historical analogy and his previous reporting.
What's striking then, is when even he is caught off guard. The latter portion of the book is devoted to the rapid rise and fall of the Islamic State. While one can view the Islamic State as an especially vicious mutation of Wahhabi fundamentalism, there is a sense that in the wake of Iraq being destabilized (and subsequently the Arab Spring) the ensuing power vacuum has unleashed anarchy on the entire Middle East. As Cockburn makes clear, this often takes the form of local warlords using militias to take power along sectarian lines. Which makes it all the more striking when a well organized, ambitious, and highly ideological power emerges from those turf wars. It's striking how Cockburn concludes the book: "The demons released by this age of chaos and war in the Middle East have become an unstoppable force". Even when a demonic force is defeated that demon will simply find a new host.
Cockburn has a great sense of analogy, and one that keeps recurring is "Somalianisation" - the idea that in the wake of a failed state the expected outcome is the death of nationalism as a motivating ideology, the reassertion of sectarian identity, and the formation of militias that are strong enough to control territory but not strong enough to assert power at the national level.
At the national level it's a form of stalemate, but for the people living through it the result is brutal sectarian purges and repression. Cockburn devotes most of this book to talking to the people living through it and sharing their stories. That's what forms his understanding. One of the dumbest bigotries that Americans had going into Iraq was that Iraqis were somehow politically simplistic, and just needed some paternalistic coaching to reach the level of a western-style democracy. What Cockburn makes clear is that living under a brutal dictator or the whims of a local warlord forces one to have keen political instincts, because such instincts are the basis of survival.
Finally, I couldn't help but feel lament from reading this. Lament for the future of conflict journalism and how we come to understand the real world impacts that American foreign policy can have. One of the latter narratives to emerge in this book is that "coverage" of foreign conflicts has largely come to entail relying on local video footage. There's nothing inherently wrong with video footage, but by nature it is lacking context and perspective. Moreover, it creates incentives to engage in warfare with an eye towards spectacle. This can go in a couple directions. For the Islamic State, this meant publishing acts of horrific brutality with an eye towards increasing recruitment and sowing fear among their rivals. For militias looking to garner Western support, this means using shocking video footage of enemy atrocities to stir up a narrative of "humanitarian intervention". My lament is that with these competing approaches, there may no longer be a place for the Patrick Cockburns of the world. I hope I'm wrong about that.
To someone unfamiliar with modern warfare his reporting appears prophetic, as he seems to grasp the nature of the conflicts he is covering well before the American press and political corps does. For example, he immediately grasped that the immediate fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq was a hollow victory that would unleash a protracted sectarian struggle. To his credit, he doesn't appear very self-impressed with this prediction, as it's grounded in historical analogy and his previous reporting.
What's striking then, is when even he is caught off guard. The latter portion of the book is devoted to the rapid rise and fall of the Islamic State. While one can view the Islamic State as an especially vicious mutation of Wahhabi fundamentalism, there is a sense that in the wake of Iraq being destabilized (and subsequently the Arab Spring) the ensuing power vacuum has unleashed anarchy on the entire Middle East. As Cockburn makes clear, this often takes the form of local warlords using militias to take power along sectarian lines. Which makes it all the more striking when a well organized, ambitious, and highly ideological power emerges from those turf wars. It's striking how Cockburn concludes the book: "The demons released by this age of chaos and war in the Middle East have become an unstoppable force". Even when a demonic force is defeated that demon will simply find a new host.
Cockburn has a great sense of analogy, and one that keeps recurring is "Somalianisation" - the idea that in the wake of a failed state the expected outcome is the death of nationalism as a motivating ideology, the reassertion of sectarian identity, and the formation of militias that are strong enough to control territory but not strong enough to assert power at the national level.
At the national level it's a form of stalemate, but for the people living through it the result is brutal sectarian purges and repression. Cockburn devotes most of this book to talking to the people living through it and sharing their stories. That's what forms his understanding. One of the dumbest bigotries that Americans had going into Iraq was that Iraqis were somehow politically simplistic, and just needed some paternalistic coaching to reach the level of a western-style democracy. What Cockburn makes clear is that living under a brutal dictator or the whims of a local warlord forces one to have keen political instincts, because such instincts are the basis of survival.
Finally, I couldn't help but feel lament from reading this. Lament for the future of conflict journalism and how we come to understand the real world impacts that American foreign policy can have. One of the latter narratives to emerge in this book is that "coverage" of foreign conflicts has largely come to entail relying on local video footage. There's nothing inherently wrong with video footage, but by nature it is lacking context and perspective. Moreover, it creates incentives to engage in warfare with an eye towards spectacle. This can go in a couple directions. For the Islamic State, this meant publishing acts of horrific brutality with an eye towards increasing recruitment and sowing fear among their rivals. For militias looking to garner Western support, this means using shocking video footage of enemy atrocities to stir up a narrative of "humanitarian intervention". My lament is that with these competing approaches, there may no longer be a place for the Patrick Cockburns of the world. I hope I'm wrong about that.
April 8, 2018
This is a superb book, covering the various wars across the Middle East since the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 following 9/11. As a journalist covering these conflicts on the ground for UK newspapers Cockburn's insight into how the policies pursued by the US and it's allies interacted with conditions on the ground is fascinating.
The narrative Cockburn presents is full of analysis, but also has the detail that comes from contact with the Afghan, Syrian, and Iraqi people living in the conflict zones. In this sense it is not an academic book but rather a journalistic account and therefore a lively and engaging read.
What Cockburn makes clear is the various ways in which the West has misunderstood the situation it found in the Middle East, failed to understand the goals of the various other groups involved, and as a result implemented misguided policies full of unintended consequences.
This is particularly true of Saudi Arabia and Turkey where Cockburn brings out the contradictory nature of their engagement in the Syrian civil war and their roles in the growth of Islamic State.
A brilliant corrective to the received wisdom of the last 15 years presented by western governments and the media.
The narrative Cockburn presents is full of analysis, but also has the detail that comes from contact with the Afghan, Syrian, and Iraqi people living in the conflict zones. In this sense it is not an academic book but rather a journalistic account and therefore a lively and engaging read.
What Cockburn makes clear is the various ways in which the West has misunderstood the situation it found in the Middle East, failed to understand the goals of the various other groups involved, and as a result implemented misguided policies full of unintended consequences.
This is particularly true of Saudi Arabia and Turkey where Cockburn brings out the contradictory nature of their engagement in the Syrian civil war and their roles in the growth of Islamic State.
A brilliant corrective to the received wisdom of the last 15 years presented by western governments and the media.
October 7, 2018
There are many accounts out there of journalists plunging themselves into war zones, seeking the truth of what is actually going on. In almost every account Cockburn retells, he blatantly flaunts an immense anti-American bias. There’s nothing inherently wrong with your work coming across as anti-American if that is the natural, objective conclusion you reach from your work. Cockburn is a crystal clear copy of those who seek to demonize everything about the West and elevate any actor who is anti-West to a moral high ground. Most notable example of this is Cockburn’s dog whistling to Assad supporters in his portion on Syria which was incredibly misinformed.
Take away that, however, and it’s a decent book. Good writing style. Very interesting. And if there wasn’t such an “in your face” bias, I would appreciate the criticism of American foreign policy a lot more because there are some valuable lessons in the book, taken at face value.
Take away that, however, and it’s a decent book. Good writing style. Very interesting. And if there wasn’t such an “in your face” bias, I would appreciate the criticism of American foreign policy a lot more because there are some valuable lessons in the book, taken at face value.
June 6, 2017
Clearly, George Bush Sr. made a grave error in invading Iraq. Patrick Cockburn chronicles how the hydra-headed monster called ISIS came to be - not just in a sudden appearance, but over a period of about two decades.
He describes in great detail, how the climate came to be such that the Middle East is a complex entity, plagued by violence and factionalism. He mentions the poorly executed campaigns from the UN, the US, Britain and France. The interesting thing is that there is no one single reason for the conflict, it's a series of events much like a snowball causing an eventual avalanche.
The following chilling words pretty much sum it up:
"The demons released by this age of chaos and war in the Middle East have become an unstoppable force."
He describes in great detail, how the climate came to be such that the Middle East is a complex entity, plagued by violence and factionalism. He mentions the poorly executed campaigns from the UN, the US, Britain and France. The interesting thing is that there is no one single reason for the conflict, it's a series of events much like a snowball causing an eventual avalanche.
The following chilling words pretty much sum it up:
"The demons released by this age of chaos and war in the Middle East have become an unstoppable force."
April 5, 2019
A devastating criticism of Western interventions in Islamic countries, and the failure of Western governments to learn from previous mistakes. Based on Patrick Cockburn's contemporary notes and diaries, this book covers the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen, and the brutally suppressed Shia uprising in Bahrain. There are also mentions of Somalia and Chechnya for good measure. During the period covered by this book Patrick Cockburn (son of Claud, who older readers might remember!) was the award-winning Middle East correspondent for The Independent newspaper, and spent a lot of time in the region, close enough to the hot spots to report accurately, whilst somehow avoiding personal injury! An essential read for all those interested in the contemporary Jslamic world.
June 2, 2021
El libro es una compilación de apuntes, diarios y artículos escritos por Patrick Cockburn, desde 2001 hasta 2015.
No es un libro fácil de leer, simplemente no es un tema fácil de entender. La narración y las opiniones del autor sobre un acontecimiento, suelen repetirse porque tienen consecuencias posteriores y en otros lugares geográficos.
Dependiendo del interés del lector, los conflictos, personajes y términos relevantes se pueden investigar de forma paralela para tener una mayor comprensión y se puede encontrar mucho material de apoyo extra, pero las bases, y análisis de este libro por si solo, son un excelente punto de inicio para quien quiere informarse sobre los conflictos que han llevado a esta zona al extremo en que hoy se encuentra.
No es un libro fácil de leer, simplemente no es un tema fácil de entender. La narración y las opiniones del autor sobre un acontecimiento, suelen repetirse porque tienen consecuencias posteriores y en otros lugares geográficos.
Dependiendo del interés del lector, los conflictos, personajes y términos relevantes se pueden investigar de forma paralela para tener una mayor comprensión y se puede encontrar mucho material de apoyo extra, pero las bases, y análisis de este libro por si solo, son un excelente punto de inicio para quien quiere informarse sobre los conflictos que han llevado a esta zona al extremo en que hoy se encuentra.
February 6, 2026
This book was painfully honest regarding the brutality and atrocities that occurred throughout the Middle East from the ‘90s to the aughts. Cockburn doesn’t pick sides with his unbiased journalism, but his findings reveal a deep rooted western influence, particularly the US and UK, that pits religious and ethnic groups against each other, all the while indiscriminately bombing and terrorizing regions air support and boots on the ground.
In many cases, these regions are much worse than they were prior to western involvement. I find Cockburn’s determination and storytelling brave, as many of these settings were more than dangerous. Unfortunately there are few happy endings, but one narrative remains throughout: the myth of the US as a savior.
In many cases, these regions are much worse than they were prior to western involvement. I find Cockburn’s determination and storytelling brave, as many of these settings were more than dangerous. Unfortunately there are few happy endings, but one narrative remains throughout: the myth of the US as a savior.
June 18, 2018
This book does an amazing, thorough job in chronicling the conflicts in the Middle East throughout the years. It’s a thorough and honest analysis of the devastating role the UN, the US and its allies have had on a region they’ve all refused to truly understand.
Patrick Cockburn himself is amazing. I admire him because I do not have an ounce of the drive or bravery he has to cover these conflicts with such clarity and honesty. I only have respect for him.
Patrick Cockburn himself is amazing. I admire him because I do not have an ounce of the drive or bravery he has to cover these conflicts with such clarity and honesty. I only have respect for him.
October 13, 2025
Agreeing with most of the other reviewers here that this is an eye-opening and excellent book. With time, it even looks a little bit tame with regards to the conflict in Syria, where the blame of Western powers and Gulf States and Turkey has only become blatant and in fact 'old news.' Some reviews complain about the rehashing of old conflicts, but there is a thread that binds together the conflicts across the Greater Middle East, from Morocco to Pakistan.
March 8, 2017
The truth is often very sad and ugly. Every adult should read this book and then we need to start demanding answers. Our leaders seem to have little understanding of the Middle East and every time they stick yet another finger in the pie, hundreds of thousands die. When you lie down with dogs you get fleas, we have a lot of fleas.
November 7, 2023
incredible journalism from patrick cockburn. a deeply saddening, provoking, nuanced, and intelligent account of the political crises in the middle east, spanning decades. such an important read for understanding the middle east and the islamic world today, and an urgent call for the west to discard it’s continuing ignorance, military imperialism, and orientalism.
June 11, 2017
An incredible, and incredibly depressing history of the Middle East covering the last ~15 years. Highly recommended for an overview of all the terrible decisions and actions by a wide range of characters that have brought Iraq, Syria and surrounding countries to where they are today.
July 13, 2019
An honest journalistic view of how the middle east has fared since 9/11. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to get to the depth of the Shia Sunni conflict and how this religious divide pitted people against each other. There is no god in those places!
July 12, 2020
it’s good but a sort of inevitable consequence of making the point that all these wars are connected and share features is that the book just becomes a sort of repetitive tragedy that goes on for a long time
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