The Iraq War Reader: History, Documents, Opinions

A single-volume reference containing analysis and commentary on the 2003 war with Iraq that cuts through media hype and government spin with the aim of providing a balanced picture of the conflict. Despite the torrent of coverage, woefully little attention has been paid to the history of the region; the policies that led to confrontation; the complex problems affecting decision-making in the Middle East; and the daunting challenges that will confront America and the Middle East following the crisis. In this collection, the co-editors of the acclaimed "Gulf War Reader" have assembled essays and documents that present an eminently readable guide from every perspective. Contributors include Noam Chomsky, Christopher Hitchens, Arundhati Roy, Terry Jones, Thomas Friedman, Susan Sontag and many more. They offer an engrossing saga of how oil economics, power politics, dreams of empire, nationalist yearnings and religious fanaticism - not to mention naked aggression, betrayal and tragic miscalculation - have conspired to bring about the fateful collison of the West and Arab world over Iraq.

From the editors of the 1991 anthology The Gulf War Reader comes a comprehensive guide "to the most urgent foreign policy questions of our time." Culled from a wide variety of sources, these essays, commentaries, and official documents cover the entire scope of the conflict with particular attention paid to the history and policies that led to the war. Divided into four sections and stretching from 1915 to the eve of war in 2003, the book offers viewpoints by pundits, politicians, professors, and journalists from every conceivable perspective and political persuasion, including many who participated directly in the events. Part One, "Sins of the Fathers," deals with the modern history of the Middle East, beginning with the end of World War I and the betrayal by the Allies that led to the carving up of the region and to many current problems. It also explains how and why the United States developed a working relationship with Saddam Hussein in the first place. Part Two, "Aftermaths of the Gulf War," covers the years 1991 through 2001 and focuses on the breakdown of the inspections, the effects of the sanctions, and Hussein's efforts to develop nuclear weapons. Part Three, "War With Iraq," covers the debate (mainly from a domestic perspective) over whether to attack Iraq, and if so, whether to act unilaterally or multilaterally. Part Four, "Through a Glass Darkly," offers various looks into the future, including what sort of society and government will take the place of Hussein's regime and what role the United States now plays in the world. Impressive in its breadth and depth, this is an excellent one-volume compendium on a complicated and important subject. Even those who kept current on these events as they unfolded will find much to learn in these pages. --Shawn Carkonen