The Strongest Tribe: War, Politics, and the Endgame in Iraq

by Francis J. "Bing" West Jr.

Book Overview

In Iraq, the United States made mistake after mistake. Many Americans gave up on the war. Then two generals--David Petraeus and Raymond Odierno--displayed the leadership America expected. Bringing the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1400067014
• ISBN13: 9781400067015
• Release Date: August 2008
• Publisher: Random House (NY)
• Length: 417 Pages
• Weight: 1.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.5" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Must Read

Having read Bing West's books, No True Glory and The march to Baghdad I find this book to give the most detailed account of the war. It tells how at a time when the situation appeared to spin out of control, our soldiers and marines paved the way to victory and did not wait for the braintrust of generals and political leaders to formulate a plan.Field commanders making critical decisions to meet the needs of their men and their area of responsibilty. The war is covered with no area uncovered.. Mistakes made both on a military and political level are exposed. Mr. West favors no General or political leader and sticks to the crust of the matter, winning and how we achevied it. I both enjoyed the book and at times was frustrated by the lack of many leaders who did not and will not get the outstanding effort made by our armed forces. The reader will swell with pride and also feel like he/she was punched in the gut reading about the loss of life. I highly recommend this book to everyone and wish this book would be used as a study guide in schools to teach and understand the complex world that Iraq is. Every one has a opinion on Iraq but few know anything about life there. This book explains the inner world of Iraqi politics, corruption, and basic survival for it's people. The book is a great tribute to the can do sprit of the our troops and men like Major Doug Zembiec and so many more.

a must read

Bing West is a recognized authority on counter insurgency, and he learned it the hard way, beginning in the rice paddies of Vietnam, with a rifle in his hands. Every word he writes was earned the hard way. It never seems to fail in this country over the last 45 years or so. No matter what the circumstance, two broader groups end up disgracing themselves time and again. Those two groups are the elected politicians and the elite media. It should be no surprise in comparison that the US Military is held in such a high regard. They've earned their praise, adapting faster and learning more quickly than the elected leaders can adjust. In an election year, I can think of no better book to inform oneself. As we transition from one administration to another, it is important to note the historical records of the candidates. Now that the surge has taken effect and the end game in Iraq is on the horizon many politicians will crawl out from under the rock they've been hiding under and try to spin the situation to their advantage. As we go forward, only John McCain can look the American People in the eye and stand by his record. But he will be the first to tell us that it was on the backs on the american soldiers and marines that victory was made possible. After all, he knows what it is to sacrifice for your country.

Deeply insightful overview of the war in Iraq

I purchased this book with some apprehension, because I was somewhat disappointed with the author's earlier book, "No True Glory." It rather annoyed me to read a whole slew of gunfights between the Marines and insurgents in Anbar Province but have no maps to give me some sense of how the engagements were unfolding. Fortunately, Bing West's account of the war up to the present time in Iraq doesn't get down into the weeds like "No True Glory" so the handful of maps he provides are basically adequate for the narrative. Reading "the Strongest Tribe," I find myself thinking two different things. One is "Finally! we're getting it right in Iraq!" The other is "Why did it take this long to get it right?" I think West's book is invaluable for anyone who wants (as I so badly did) a good idea of the ebb and flow of the conflict and the various strategies that we employed before finally hitting (or should I say rediscovering) the methods that appear to be working so well over there now: using American soldiers to provide security for the Iraqi population and winning their trust and using that trust to get intelligence on the insurgents and terrorists. I don't really have any major criticisms of the book. West might give the Marines more attention in his account than their actual share of the fight would justify. But if that is a bias, it's understandable since the Marines were at the forefront of the bloody fights in Fallujah and played the lead role in pacifying Anbar. Moreover, West is a former Marine himself and it is logical he would gravitate toward them and have his best contacts with there as well. In any case, if there's a bit of bias, it's only very slight. Another thing I really wish would have been a more in-depth discussion of the so-called "Haditha Massacre." West spends about a chapter on the episode, but it's just a quick tour of that event. Those seeking to have better insight into it would do well to watch the Frontline documentary that was on PBS about incident. I do think that West is exactly on point in excoriating the press and politicians like Jack Murtha for rushing to judgment against the accused Marines. I look forward to the first serious book about what happened in that small Iraqi town, because something as complex as what took place there deserves a book. A final nitpick is an error at the beginning of the book where West lauds General Eisenhower for making the hard call of resisting a British demand for a cross-channel invasion of Europe in 1943. West gets it totally wrong there. It was the United States that wanted this attack, not the British. But that's just a minor failing. So I would strongly recommend "the Strongest Tribe" both to people in the military and the national security community as well as to Americans who want to have a good solid grasp of what's been going on in Iraq, the mistakes we've made, and the fact that we've turned the corner there. One thing I can absolutely assure you of is t

Bing West -- the strongest writer

With this third installment on the war in Iraq, Bing West does his best job yet of articulating the complex relationships between the local Iraqi tribes, the fledgling national government, the American political melee -- and how incredibly our fighting men and women have performed amid the chaos. He weaves together the many tales cogently and brings to life the situation on the ground in Iraq as well as in Washington -- pulling no punches and telling it as he sees it. A refreshingly honest and insightful read.

Educational Masterpiece on the Iraq War

Bing West's latest literary work, The Strongest Tide, follows in the footsteps of his other excellent books on the Iraq War, The March Up, and No True Glory. Besides allowing the reader to sense combat through the eyes of our brave warriors, the author's observations and comments unravel this complicated conflict from top to bottom across the entire military, political, and economic spectrum. The Strongest Tide serves as a educational masterpiece on America's involvement in Iraq. The author has impeccable military/political credentials. He writes from the front lines instead of the comfort and safety of the green zone. This book should be required reading at this nation's war colleges and every governmental component involved in the Iraq war I highly recommend it to anyone else interested in the truth of what's going on there.