The 2003 Iraq war remains among the most mysterious armed conflicts of modernity. In The Iraq War, John Keegan offers a sharp and luc...
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Feb 14, 2010
Kim
rated it: 
The biggest problem with the book is that it ends in 2003. Since it was published in early 2004 I guess I should have expected that. Let's just say it doesn't go very far into the 'insurgent aftermath.' Keegan starts with a quick overview of the 'land between the river,' how and when Iraq came into existence, and the rulers, kings, tribes, and religious and racial makeup of the area in the times leading up to the arrival of Saddam. Good stuff. Certainly not indepth but a nice introduction. He di
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Apr 10, 2011
Brian
rated it: 
The Iraq War written by John Keegan is a tremendous book. Maybe because I have a huge amount of interest in the military and weapons but i still think this book is really interesting. Also for all of you that doesn't know John Keegan is a respected expert in military affairs who has done a lot of studying of the Iraq War. This story is not only about the fighting going on in the war but things about how Saddam Hussien took control. After taking control he also tried to create WMD (Weapons of
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Jan 09, 2012
José
rated it: 
Required reading for anyone that wants to discuss the Iraq war with me. Mercifully, Keegan allots very space to the actual combat phase of the war (it was brief and the Iraqi army basically melted away). He focuses instead on the history (starting more or less around the time of the demise of the Ottoman Empire) that led us to the event. For those that have forgotten the specifics of the Bush-Blair justification for the war, Keegan provides a concise refresher. He expresses particular contempt f
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Feb 20, 2011
Josh
rated it:
Typical Keegan: insightful with a keen strategic eye and appreciation of the background that makes a conflict happen in the form that it happens, but at times repetitive and in need of better editing.
The book also suffers from being published too soon after the war's conclusion and thus is unable to take into consideration the insurgency that happened afterwards (though I've heard later editions do add some on this issue). It also doesn't delve very deeply in the intelligence used t More...
The book also suffers from being published too soon after the war's conclusion and thus is unable to take into consideration the insurgency that happened afterwards (though I've heard later editions do add some on this issue). It also doesn't delve very deeply in the intelligence used t More...
Feb 06, 2012
Sean
rated it: 
Written almost right after the mobile campaign ended, and is currently his most unpopular book. I think the word I would use the phrase Napoleon reserved for Talleyrand: “shit in a silk stocking.” The battles descriptions are lucid, but Keegan does for Blair and Rumsfeld what he did for Wellington. He takes them at their word on everything, making them heroes. For this reason he is over-awed at the quick conquest and concludes that “the reality of the Iraq campaign of March-April 2003 is, howeve
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Feb 06, 2009
Karl
rated it: 
The war in Iraq ended in 21 days. Why do kooks years later still refer to the war in Iraq as if it is still raging? I guess when you call something a War on Drugs, anything not nice can be called a war. Face it. The US won. Fast. 21 days. And even after all these years after the war, the US has still lost very few soldiers compared to any single battle of World War II! The democracy in Iraq may be ugly, but not as ugly as the genocidal dictatorship that threatened to set the Middle East ablaze.
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Oct 17, 2008
Joshua
rated it:
The beginning of the book was especially insightful. It basically was a quick overview of the history of the region, including a more in depth look at the rise of Saddam Hussein. At times it was difficult to keep up with all the names and places, pretty dense material, but I do remember some of the major points. I would probably need some more exposure to the history before I could remember the details.
The second half of the book was not as good as the first. The second half focused on More...
The second half of the book was not as good as the first. The second half focused on More...
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Dec 27, 2011
Northman
rated it:
I got no new information out of this book. I'm not sure I was expecting to get any though since I've read a lot about the subject. There was a good bit of information, background and such in this book. If you're looking for a starter on the topic I would recommend this.
Nov 11, 2011
"Essential reading for understanding the ongoing conflict." - Booklist
Listen to The Iraq War on your smartphone.
Listen to The Iraq War on your smartphone.
Jul 13, 2008
Ray
rated it:
Decent description of the State of Iraq, just not what I expected from the title. Development of the origins of the country of Iraq from the demise of the Ottoman Empire, development of the rise of Saadam, and description of Gulf War I and II. But I was more interested in the decision making process of how we ended up going to war, what was really known, and by whom, and when, more than hearing about which brigade and which regiment from the U.S. or Great Britian was assigned to a particular s
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Feb 09, 2008
Nikki
rated it:
Very informative except that it was published in 2004 so it really can't be called a comprehensive look at the "war" since it's still going on. Soft on neoconservatism, soft of intelligence breakdowns. Does a good job of giving the mood of the time in the white house and the US congress (which were very closely aligned, at least publicly, in the beginning, despite what leading democrats said later about their "true feelings" at the time). Gives good insight into the split
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Aug 15, 2008
Chris
rated it:
A fascinating book on a "mysterious war" that was a non-war. A quick read and very informative. Highly recommended. But some of the pro-military perspective (he IS a military historian) can grind on peace-niks like myself. It's a military history of the conflict and as such magnifies the accomplishments of the "successful" aggressor. I read the 2004 version, which it seems did not take into account the gruesomeness of the insurgency and sort of coated the initial invasio
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Sep 02, 2009
Dr.
rated it:
The only strictly military history of the current gulf war that I know of.
Jan 29, 2012
Frank
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A very explanatory account of the difficult war in Iraq, its source, complications and consequences; what I found even more interesting was the update proscript, which becomes more important than any opposition to the war; I wonder whether expectations have not changed yet, it is interesting to note the great deal of countries depending so much in the aftermath of this war. I suppose after reading this book, it's all up to us to decide whether to back France's and Germany's decision or simply t
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Dec 16, 2009
Caleb
rated it:
A thorough account of the military invasion from one of the world's leading military historians. Perhaps too much detail for the lay person, even if it is described in non-technical terms. My personal preference would have been for more political and historical analysis. I probably should have realised it was a military history first and foremost, and thus not really my cup of tea. More coverage of the insurgency aftermath and the tactical mistakes undertaken during the occupation is sorely need
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Jan 29, 2012
Kyle
rated it:
This book is fairly limited in scope. There's a decent western perspective history of modern Iraq, followed by an unsatisfying coverage of the rhetoric leading up to the war and then finished with Keegan's typically excellent description of the actual campaign. It really limits itself as redards the post war story, so this book is already somewhat dated. I get the sense that this was dashed off in a bit of hurry to be one of the first accounts of the war, and in doing so, Keegan missed what w
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Jul 16, 2008
Myrivername
rated it:
An unbiased account of the invasion of Iraq, from a mostly military perspective. I like that, while the book discussed some errors that were made, it mostly just said what happened and let the reader make his/her own judgements
Sep 13, 2010
Lamont
rated it:
Succinct history of Iraq and the Iraq Wars. Most interesting was the older history of the country and the region. Some parts were repetitious, making chapters feel like published articles linked together.
Feb 03, 2012
Jan 26, 2012
Dec 31, 2011
