This book is very well researched and very well written. I came away with a much better understanding of the Iraq/Afghan wars. I especially found it helpful to see what was happening behind closed doors--conversations between the President and the CIA, disagreements between the Secretary of Defense and military leaders, etc. I'm sure I will find myself returning to this book again in the future.
For all things good and holy, do not make this your only reading of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. There is a reason why this book is only 200-225 pages. It is entirely concerned with proving George W. Bush’s incompetent leadership and the lethal flaws of neoconservatism based on the leadership of wildly arrogant elitists rather than its ideals. Anderson is a more than competent writer, even if he is far below the soaring achievement of Samantha Power’s investigative journalism.
Read this book while taking Professor Anderson's course on the US after World War II. I learned a ton from this book that I never heard. As someone who grew up during the conflict, the book was really eye opening for me.
Anderson provides a harrowing look inside the belly of the beast that was responsible for an estimated 200,000 dead Iraqi civilians over WMD that didn't exist. As someone who didn't live through 9/11 and wasn't alive for the Iraqi war, the abstract idea of a corrupt government is exposed under Anderson's bright analytic light. The excerpts, the quotes, the data is all undeniable. I recommend this book to literally anyone who asks the question "why did 9/11 happen?". American imperialism examined at its finest.
Anderson says his sources are from google. That anyone could look them up, while I admire him doing research, I don't think this "history" can be considered scholarly. Also as these events continue to unfold I think his choice to call this book a history is wrong.