Excellent book - another one for my IR of the Middle East class. All I can say is "wow." I never agreed with the Iraq War, but never really had any facts to back up my opinion other than personal feeling. However, after this book, it is plainly obvious that we never should have started this war. The Bush administration created a huge $3 trillion mess for the American people to pay for. It's ludicrous. All the people who were properly qualified to turn Iraq around were overlooked or dismissed so "loyalists" could be in control. Is this the beginning of the 20th century? when the huge political machines controlled America, where nothing but your party affiliation mattered. After this and "The Looming Tower" I am thoroughly disgusted with the Bush administration and disgusted with humanity in general. All nations and peoples resort to violence when they don't get their way, and rather than put the good of all first, they cater to their personal interests and egos. Sorry for the tirade. I do feel I should read another book from a different viewpoint, though, because one should always see both sides before completely making one's own mind. I'll get around to it sometime I suppose. ( )

Brilliant: "Imperial Life in the Emerald City" will undoubtedly go down in history as a classic of political journalism, war reporting, and political satire. It is extremely informative, fast-paced, darkly (and depressingly) humourous at some points, and well-written. I couldn't put this book down. The author does an admirable job at telling his story in a manner that is not bitter, though he and essentially anyone esle present in Iraq currently or during the period of time in which the book was set certainly has a right to be. Though some could probably make a case that the author is "biased," I don't believe that really had an impact on the book itself, for nearly everything he says is backed up by people with on-the-ground experience in Iraq or Washington, and these individuals come from a variety of political backgrounds (most were conservative). Perhaps the most compelling aspect of this book is that it leads one to believe that, had certain things been done differently in 2003-2004, the occupation could have indeed been a short one and the insurgency would have been far shorter and less effective. But re-writing history isn't what Chandrasekaran is concerned with. His goal is simply to inform. If you want to know why things turned out the way they have in Iraq, it is essential that you read this book.

This is a grimly funny, monumentally depressing chronicle of the incompetent and ill-fated attempts of the Coalition Provisional Authority to remake Iraq. It's probably a particularly useful book for anyone who still finds anything to admire in the Bush Administration. ( )

A damning indictment of the US military occupation, this book is both entertaining and informative. Although Chandrasekaran is highly critical of the US officials charged with running the country, he writes calmly and clearly, without resorting to the simplistic cliches one might expect. ( )

Read this and get some first-hand understanding about the difficulties we've had in accomplishing statecraft from within. Rajiv Chandrasekaran is a Washington Post reporter who covered the CPA's attempt to restore order in Iraq. His balanced account shows some clear blunders. We dissolved the military, creating 40,000 unemployed former soldiers. We banned Baath party members, including most of the former government and technical specialists, from important jobs. We may have created more division through the quota-based approach we attempted to use in establishing representative democracy. I believe the restored hospital I heard about in e-mail forwards was the one that was restored within the Green Zone. Chandrasekaran adds interest to the politics through his description of the personalities and daily life in Sadaam's former protected area. Many of the stories are ironic - such as the former St. John's professor who arrived without having read anything about Iraq. Most of the stories about our decisions and business dealings describe actions that range between sad and reprehensible. ( )