"Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq" By Thomas Ricks 512 pages Penguin Group Publishers Paperback: $12.80 at www.barnesandnoble.com
One of the many problems with literature written during an ongoing war is that it mainly comes in the form of personal narratives written by somebody who has served in Iraq or in the sanitized language of an armchair general who makes broad observations. Thus, it's a blessing when someone publishes a book that not only uses personal narratives, but also combines them with in-depth ground experience in Iraq and significant contacts with military servicemen.
"Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq," written by Thomas Ricks in 2006, was recently published in a more affordable paperback version last month. In the book, Ricks explains the United States' military blunders in Iraq by analyzing the results of the first Gulf War, the decision to engage in war a second time and finally the invasion, its consequences and the military malpractices, which, instead of pacifying a population, have incited it to the point it is at today.
Ricks is a highly connected reporter and prominent writer for The Washington Post. The well-read journalist has a collection of 2,000 books. He has the military knowledge of an Army officer - he predicted an ambush in Iraq before the convoy commander he traveled with did. When this knowledge is combined with the massive amounts of field access and interviews he gathered from the Army, he is able to produce a very thorough book.
Instead of relying on broad, sweeping statements, he chose to follow personal narratives. While the book has 19 chapters, it's divided into hundreds of smaller vignettes - small accounts on their own - but when the recollections are brought together, they form a very cohesive picture of the war. While this style makes the "cast of characters" exorbitant, the reader is able to associate good actions with specific people and bad actions with others.
Likewise, while Ricks' military knowledge is impressive, he doesn't trouble the reader with technical details, and even someone with very little knowledge of military matters can easily understand Ricks' points, making his book all the more definitive.
Since Ricks' account ceases between late 2005 and early 2006, the reader has the opportunity to see what the United States has done differently to improve the situation and what hasn't changed. For instance, one of Ricks' star characters, then-Lt. Gen. David Petraeus, whom Ricks lauds for his success in Mosul, is currently in charge of all U.S. forces in Iraq. Likewise, one of the worse-off generals in the book, then-Maj. Gen. Ray Ordierno, is now the second-in-command. After reading many of Ricks' critiques, one can see through the papers (and maybe some of Ricks' own articles) what the U.S. has done to change the policies and procedures and how effective have they been.
After every operation the U.S. Army performs, from the lowest squad battle to a grand invasion, it conducts an After Action Review where all the details are scrutinized and everyone decides what they did right, what they did wrong and how they could have been better. "Fiasco" is much like a military AAR. Ricks shows, using personal narratives, what the military has done right, what it has done wrong and, through the juxtaposition of the two, what the military can do better.
This was a book that every 10 or 15 pages I had to put down and think, and the very fact that a reader has to stop and think is probably the best compliment that Thomas Ricks could receive.
