Review (PDF) Imperial Life In The Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone
The Green Zone, Baghdad, 2003: in this walled-off compound of swimming pools and luxurious amenities, Paul Bremer and his Coalition Provisional Authority set out to fashion a new, democratic Iraq. Staffed by idealistic aides chosen primarily for their views on issues such as abortion and capital punishment, the CPA spent the crucial first year of occupation pursuing goals that had little to do with the immediate needs of a postwar nation: flat taxes instead of electricity and deregulated health care instead of emergency medical supplies. In this acclaimed firsthand account, the former Baghdad bureau chief of The Washington Post gives us an intimate portrait of life inside this Oz-like bubble, which continued unaffected by the growing mayhem outside. This is a quietly devastating tale of imperial folly, and the definitive history of those early days when things went irrevocably wrong in Iraq.
Paperback: 365 pages
Publisher: Vintage Books; 1st edition (September 4, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0307278832
ISBN-13: 978-0307278838
Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.8 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (248 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #230,761 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #265 in Books > History > Military > Iraq War #422 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > International & World Politics > Security #4180 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > Specific Topics
Here's how it works. You have a degree in, let's say, English Literature, and your resume says that your entire work experience has been working on the campaign of Republican senator Schmurtz. You apply for a job working for the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) in Iraq, and sigh in relief at passing the hardball questions asked of you like, "How do you stand on Roe vs. Wade?", and "Whom did you vote for in the last presidential election?" Finally you end up in Baghdad's green zone, and are put to work designing a new traffic code, or trying to set up a computerized stock exchange.Maybe your name is James Haveman, a 60 year old social worker. I don't know if we have a job for you. Wait, you are a true party loyalist? How about taking over the Iraqi health care system? Currently we have a gentleman running it named Frederick Burkle, Jr. He's a physician with an MA in public health, postgraduate degrees from Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, and UC Berkeley. He specializes in disaster-response issues, a subject he taught at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. The problem with him is we aren't sure he is a Republican loyalist. So Jim why don't you go over and take his place?I am definitely not making this up. If this were a novel by, say, Carl Hiaasen, it would be the funniest book of the year. Tragically, this is real life. I finished this book right after reading "Fiasco", and don't know if I can take many more recountings of the disaster that is Iraq.The folks that were sent to Iraq to build a new nation made all the wrong decisions at just the right time. They were literally trying to turn Iraq into a little USA. The new traffic codes and the new regulations for the stock exchange? The Iraqis read them through, and carefully filed them in the circular file.
This book was so absorbing that it kept me up past midnight. I had to finish it. It is unique, focusing in a very easy to read way on the terrible errors committed that made Bremer's rule a complete failure.The author documents both the unreality of the Green Zone ("The fear on the faces of American troops was rarely seen by the denizens of the Palace") and the terrible errors that resulted from arrogance, ignorance, and plain bureaucratic in-fighting.The author opens by concluding that most of those serving in the provisional authority simply gave up and went through the motions. He calls them a motley bunch, most qualified by allegiance to the neo-conservative wing of the Republican Party, rather than actually being competent or even relevant. The author makes an informed speculative judgement that fully half of those serving, many callow youths, got their first passport to take the political appointments in Iraq. Great line from one disillusioned staffer: "I'm a neo-conservative who has been mugged by reality."Bremer screwed this up, but it was Dick Cheney who chose him for the job and got General Garner fired. Dick Cheney also personally directed the removal of Tom Warrick, the only person in the US government that actually understood Iraq in all its nuances, from the Garner team, largely to protect Chalabi--a thief and a liar according to CIA and State, a willing accomplice who sucked up to Cheney--and block objections to Chalabi being installed as the leader.The author also reports that Doug Feith kept General Garner ignorant in order to promote Chalabi as the one with the answers.
Imperial Life in The Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone ZONE DIET: Zone Diet Cookbook (Includes 50 Zone Diet Recipes For Every Meal) (Antioxidants & Phytochemicals, Food Allergies, Macrobiotics, Food Allergies, ... Zone diet food, Zone diet for beginners 1) Green Smoothies - Top 200 Green Smoothie Recipes: (Green Smoothies, Green Smoothie Recipes, Green Smoothie Cleanse, Green Smoothie Diet, Green Smoothie for Everyday, Healthy Juice) ZONE DIET: Zone Diet For Weight Loss & Better Health (Includes a 7-Day Meal Plan to Lose Weight Now) (Antioxidants & Phytochemicals, Food Allergies, Macrobiotics, ... diet food, Zone diet for beginners Book 1) 10 Day Green Smoothie Cleanse: Lose 15lbs with 10 Day Green smoothie diet For Weight Loss. Weight loss green smoothie recipes,green smoothies: Sip Up, Slim Down ! Lose upto 15 Lbs in 10 Days! 10 Day Green Smoothie Cleanse: Detox Your Body with 10 Day Green Smoothie Cleanse and Lose Weight with Low Carb Cookbook (smoothies, green smoothie recipes, ... cookbooks, smoothies , sugar detox) La Espana Imperial/ The Imperial Spain (Spanish Edition) The Feed Zone Cookbook: Fast and Flavorful Food for Athletes (The Feed Zone Series) Zone Diet: The Ultimate Beginners Guide To The Zone Diet (includes 75 recipes and a 2 week meal plan) (Antioxidants & Phytochemicals, Food Allegies, Macrobiotics) Zone Diet: The Ultimate Beginners Guide to the Zone Diet: Includes 75 Recipes and a 2 Week Meal Plan Pop-Up NYC Map by VanDam - City Street Map of New York City, New York - Laminated folding pocket size city travel and subway map, 2016 Edition (Pop-Up Map) The Green Zone Conversation Book: Finding Common Ground in Conversation for Children on the Autism Spectrum Green for Life: The Updated Classic on Green Smoothie Nutrition Inside the Danger Zone: The U.S. Military in the Persian Gulf, 1987-1988 Decisiones: A look inside the legal battle between Salsa music legends Willie Colon and Ruben Blades, and an Iraq War Veteran caught in the middle, fighting for his honor and reputation. Why We Lost: A General's Inside Account of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars Pokemon Emerald (Prima Official Game Guide) The Very Best of Traditional Irish Cooking: More Than 60 Classic Step-By-Step Dishes From The Emerald Isle, Beautifully Illustrated With Over 250 Photographs Irish Food & Cooking: Traditional Irish cuisine with over 150 delicious step-by-step recipes from the Emerald Isle GPU Computing Gems Emerald Edition (Applications of GPU Computing Series)
