The Secret History of the Iraq War

by Yossef Bodansky

Book Overview

In the months leading up to March 2003, fresh from its swift and heady victory in Afghanistan, the Bush administration mobilized the United States armed forces to overthrow the government of Iraq.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060736798
• ISBN13: 9780060736798
• Release Date: June 2004
• Publisher: Harper
• Length: 570 Pages
• Weight: 0.84 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.7" x 6.5" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

An Interesting View that Should be Read

The more about Iraq that I read, the more I have to admit that I simply don't have any idea about what's really going on over there. In fact, in this book I find some major contradictions. On the one hand he discusses the American involvement as being fundamentally flawed by a failure to understand the overall situation. But he also says that America had a viable, urgent, imperative to go to war with Iraq when it did. He states that the Iraqi populace is willingly embracing traditionalist radical Islam as the sole power capable of shielding them against American encroachment. Yet, the divisions of Kurd, Shiite and Sunni seem so large as to prevent any legitimate use of the term "the Iraqi populace." The author's bringing to the fore a litany of facts, most of which I've confirmed from various web sites, that are indeed "secrets" so far at our television media seem to cover the story, are worth the price of the book by themselves. But I would have liked to have seen a little more supporting evidence on these points. It's certainly clear that winning the peace after the war is proving more difficult than planned. (Or was it planned at all?) But it isn't clear just why. In talking to some recent Iraqi visitors to this country, they are asking only why it took the US so long to come in and wipe out Saddam. They say that the troubles are only being caused by a handful of fringe groups who are afraid of losing power themselves. This is a book you can't afford to miss, yet don't make this the only book you read.

A Must Read for any one seeking the truth.

Bodansky did it again. And since he foresaw the rise o bin Laden and the attacks on America so accurately in the past, his revelations of the US intelligence failures before and during the Iraqi war and his conclusions should signal a wake- up call to us all. He closes not only the wide gap left by the 9/11 Commission's report regarding the Saddam- al Qaeda's connection, but also helps us understand why and how the US ended unnecessarily in a weaker position after the war in Iraq. In The Secret History of the Iraq War, Bodansky lays out in a meticulously researched and frightening page-turner, the details of the US intelligence failure in providing accurate information and analysis to the White House, the US defense forces and Congress. Every American should read this convincing book to fully understand the danger the US is facing today because of the failure of our intelligence services. Their dreadful performance put not only Americans in danger but also the people of the Middle East and beyond. His clear message, similar to the 9/11 Committee's conclusion is that unless we manage to revamp our intelligence services the US' future is rather bleak. The Secret History of the Iraqi War is a must read for anyone concern with US national security. Rachel Ehrennfeld, author of Funding Evil, How Terrorism is Financed and How to Stop It. Bonus Books, 2003.

Another winner by Bodansky

For those whose sole source for news and analysis is from the media -- don?t read this book -- as it extensively relies on human intelligence, private sources, and many years of proven experience in reliably predicting events of existential import for the U.S. and its allies.Bodansky?s prescience accurately forecast the Bin Laden attack on the U.S. two years prior to September 11 and even then we found some rather dense people scoffing at the absurd thought of a Bin Laden attack on the U.S.Bodansky?s information is for the most part confirmed by the July 7, report of the Senate?s Select Committee on Intelligence or not addressed at all due to admitted inadequate intelligence. This highlights, by the current and past U.S. administrations, the salient question of unsatisfactory attention to details, perhaps subordinated to perceived political necessities.Bodansky elucidates the specter of an imperial Iran engaged in combat with the U.S. for control of the Levant and ultimately the energy producing Gulf countries. He clarifies the trap that the U.S. has entered and the predictable coalescing of Iran, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq into a Shiite force reminiscent of ancient Persia. Reacting to Bodansky, the ultimate word smith, is not to emulate an ostrich but to understand the jeopardy facing the U.S. and act, not politically nor subject to election campaign pressure, but with pragmatic solutions that offer hope to this catastrophe in which we are engaged.

Single Best Narrative/Analysis of Iraq, the War on Terror

If you've read Yossef Bodansky before than you probably know what to expect. Mr. Bodansky wrote about Islamists training to use hijacked airliners in suicide operations against American and Western targets in 1992 when barely anyone was talking about Islamist terrorism in general, much less specifically forecasting "spectacular" attacks using the techniques the world witnessed on Sept. 11th. Mr. Bodansky is easy to ignore because the subject material is so difficult to understand. This book, like his previous ones, is not a primer on the subject of the Middle East and Islamist terror--what is is deeply incisive, unique in its analysis and conclusions, and, thanks to the author's wide range of sources (often unnamed by necessity) it produces a number of genuine "exclusives" that you won't read anywhere else. As one reviewer critiqued, major claims, though sourced, are not necessarily footnoted. If this is an excuse to ignore his work, go ahead, but do so at your own peril--not enough people took note, after all, from Bodansky's 1993 clarion call about suicide plane hijackings or the burgeoning Islamist terror threat to the West. As opinionated as the tome may be, it is also strikingly apolitical--it bears out key rationales of the Bush Adm. for going to war, but aggressively shreds high-level decision-making by Washington and the intelligence community, at the same time.Did you know that US Marines turned up unnaturally high levels of cyanide and mustard agent in the Euphrates? Have you read Russian military intelligence (GRU) analysis of the American experience in Iraq? Do you know what captured Arab Liberation Front (ALF) operatives revealed to Israeli interrogators about Iraqi-al Qaida cooperation, subsequently confirmed by Turkish and British intelligence? Read the book.

A knowledgeable reviewer

A "reviewer" of Bodansky's book, only identified as being from Silver Springs, Maryland, failed to review the Bodansky book, The Secret History of the Iraq War, but merely based his star-rating of the book on the fact that my own review (shown on this page)endorsed it. This fairly cowardly approach -- failing to acknowledge the critic's name -- noted that Bodansky had written for my own publications, which is true. It was for that reason that I identified myself in the review; and Bodansky noted in his book that he also wrote for my Defense & Foreign Affairs group of publications.The reason I have published articles by Bodansky, and the reason I read thoroughly his new book, and rated it so highly, is because I have seen first-hand how diligently he researches his topics, and how ruthlessly honest he is in his assessments.Perhaps it would be best if reviewers admitted whether or not they have read the books in question, and whether they have any competence to judge the content.