Good Reading: Winning the War, Losing the Peace

Just wanted to let everyone know about a very interesting book that was just published. The book entitled The Occupation of Iraq: Winning the War Losing the Peace, is particularly interesting as it was written by Ali Allawi, who for thirty years was an opposition leader against the Baathist regime. After the fall of Saddam, Allawi held several high-ranking positions including posts as finance and defense minister. Here then we have one of the most comprehensive accounts by an Iraqi insider on the U.S. occupation of Iraq.

The book itself examines what the U.S. did or didn't know at the time of the invasion, the reasons for the confused policies enacted and the emergence of the Iraqi political class during the transition period. Allawi also tracks the rise of the insurgency and analyzes the relationship between the Shias, Sunnis and Kurds.

I definitely recommend picking up this book at your local bookstore or if you would rather purchase it online, consider doing so from this link, as a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Education for Peace in Iraq Center. For other reading recommendations be sure to visit EPIC's Best Books on Iraq site.