Operation Iraqi Freedom: A Strategic Assessment

It is impossible to understand American decisions about Saddam Hussein - to support him in power after the Islamist revolution in Iran, to leave him in power after the Gulf War, to remove him from power after the September 11 attacks, and, most crucially, the commitment to undertake an experiment in Arab democracy - without understanding the context of American policy toward the Middle East. Iraq has always been a piece of a larger puzzle. In Operation Iraqi Freedom, Thomas Donnelly clarifies what happened on the battlefield during that conflict and places the tactical and operational aspects into the broader context of America's strategy in the Middle East. Donnelly provides a coherent understanding of what happened, why things happened as they did, and what the larger strategic and military implications of the war are. He begins with a review of past policies and notes the deepening engagement of U.S military forces in the region over the Iraq war - both the invasion and toppling of Saddam Hussein's dictatorship and the extended counterinsurgency campaign that followed. The aftermath of the war in Iraq has long-term implications for the future of U.S. military doctrine and foreig role the United States plays in the global order now. As part of his research, Donnelly traveled throughout Iraq, visiting U.S. military bases and posts and interviewing his extensive contacts among key military officials.