Reconstructing Iraq

March 1, 2011

In May 2003, President George W. Bush stood on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln and proclaimed triumphantly "Mission Accomplished" regarding his invasion of Iraq to topple Saddam Hussein mere weeks before. However, as Rudd (strategic studies, U.S. Marine Corps Sch. of Advanced Warfighting), an insider, demonstrates, the United States had misjudged the nature of Iraqi society and the enormity of the task of rebuilding the country and transforming it into a stable region. Rudd provides a detailed account of the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA), set up in April 2003 for the transition, and its leader Jay Garner, a retired army lieutenant general charged with managing the immediate post-Saddam regime. Rudd, who joined ORHA as field historian at Garner's invitation, demonstrates the enormity of the task of reckoning with postconflict Iraq. Garner's tenure was brief: Rudd documents Garner's falling out with the Bush administration and what Rudd considers the disastrous steps taken by the successor Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), led by Ambassador L. Paul Bremer. VERDICT Although Rudd is a Garner insider, his book does not offer many revelations. The author praises Garner but comes across as evenhanded. Readable and accessible, this is a good choice for general readers interested in our recent involvement in Iraq and for academic libraries collecting comprehensively.--Nader Entessar, Univ. of South Alabama, Mobile

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