Places and Names: On War, Revolution and Returning by Elliot Ackerman - 4 stars

[Booknblues]

While this would qualify as 21st century, I am putting it in August, other books because, I finished it on the last day of July.

I thought Elliot Ackerman's book Places and Names: On War, Revolution, and Returning would be an excellent choice for rounding out my knowledge of Syria, but I can't say that this is true. Rather it addresses the very 21st century issue of war in the Middle East and specifically the effects on the participants:

"Along the periphery of Syria’s civil war, I often meet veterans of the last decade’s wars, wanderers amidst the Arab Spring’s upheaval. Places like Tahrir, Aleppo, Tunis, and Taksim possess a new and yet familiar allure, promising to replace names we’ve let go: Ramadi, Helmand, Haditha, Khost. When we meet, we talk about the other things we’re doing: field researcher, writer, photojournalist, whatever. Our current “professions” are often described with a shrug of the shoulders, followed by a spell of silence, as if our true profession is the unspoken one—the one we left behind."

Ackerman is very familiar with war in the Middle East as he was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. He has difficulty leaving it and has returned to view the struggle against ISIS in both Syria and Iraq as a journalist. His book is as much a memoir as it is an investigation and we travel with him back and forth through his experiences in the past and present.

Here is a conclusion he makes after observing Iraq's Special Tactical Regiment in action:
"
“What did you think?” Tahrir asks. Before I can answer, he continues, “They’re as good as most Americans.” I can’t disagree, but the conclusion is unsettling. With select units like the Special Tactical Regiment, the United States has managed to create a security apparatus built in its own image. These elite groups are well trained and well equipped and have won decisive battles against the Islamic State in Fallujah and Ramadi. They will do the same in Mosul. But winning battles was never the US military’s problem. The problem was always what came after, the rebuilding."

While this book was not quite what I was expecting , I found it interesting and engaging.