Book Description
Like its World War II namesake of Leyte Gulf fame, USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 58) was a small combatant built for escort duty. But its skipper imbued his brand-new crew with a fighting spirit to match their forebears, and in 1988 when the guided missile frigate was thrust into the Persian Gulf at the height of the Iran-Iraq War, there was no better ship for the job. Forbidden to fire unless fired upon, Captain Paul Rinn and his crew sailed amid the chaos in the Gulf for two months, relying on wit and nerve to face down fighter jets and warships bent on the destruction of civilian vessels. Their sternest test came when an Iranian mine ripped open the ship's engine room, ignited fires on four decks, and plunged the ship into darkness. The crew's bravery and cool competence was credited with keeping the ship afloat, and its actions have become part of Navy lore and a staple of naval leadership courses ever since.
This is the first book to record the Roberts' extraordinary tale. After years of research and interviews with crewmembers, journalist Bradley Peniston chronicles the crew's heroic efforts to save the ship as they fought flames and flooding well into the night. The author also describes the frigate's origins, its operational history, and the crew's training. Peniston's personal approach to the subject not only breathes life into the historical narrative but gives readers an opportunity to get to know the individuals involved and understand the U.S. retaliation to the mining and the battle that evolved, setting the stage for conflicts to come. Foreword by Adm. William J. Crowe, USN (Ret.)
Customer Reviews:
Very well written.......2007-01-27
I am very impressed by No Higher Honor. It is interesting, well written, and an engaging read. No Higher Honor is an overdue tribute to a group of heroes that deserves to be remembered.
Anyone interested in naval history should read this book. I heartily recommend it.
The real modern Navy.......2007-01-10
I was there and this book captured the entire ordeal as well as it could be captured. Bradley did a wonderful and thorough job collecting data and memories. I now know far more about the whole incident than I knew when it happened. I'm grateful that our story got told, but more grateful that it was told so well.
Wonderful Book.......2006-08-25
Tom Reinert is my nephew so I had heard a lot about the "Sammy B" and its accident. However, there was so much more that I was unaware of. Pres. Reagan's response was much greater than I originally thought (at the time I wondered why he only went after 2 oil rigs). There was also a lot of interesting info about details of the Gulf that I was unaware was happening at the time. Kudos to the author for a story that needed to be told!
No Higher Honor: Saving the USS Samuel B. Roberts.......2006-08-18
I really enjoyed this book. My son is now serving on the USS Samuel B. Roberts, so that made it even more interesting. I also bought the book for him and he is looking forward to reading it.
Great book, Very well written.......2006-07-31
This is a must have for every US Navy sailor.
Book Description
In b /b b i The Longest War /i /b , Dilip Hiro describes the causes and courses of the Iran-Iraq military conflict and its effect on the two antagonists, as well as the rest of the world. He reveals the intricate twists and turns of international diplomacy and the i realpolitik /i behind the rhetoric, providing a comprehensive and admirably balanced account of the political and military aspects of the "longest war."
Customer Reviews:
Good Book.......2007-08-22
An interesting book on a subject that does not have a lot of coverage. It's chapter arrangement by actor is sometimes confusing but in the end I saw why the writer used that method rather than a strictly chronological narrative.
One error in the book was that it talked about Reagan campaign staffers meeting with Iranians in Paris prior to November 1980 elections. This story has been debunked by many reliable sources.
A story of power politics and political hypocrisy .......2004-11-28
Now that the U. S. led coalition has invaded Iraq and removed Saddam Hussein from power, the current fashion is to demonize him as much as possible. However, there was a time when the United States was strongly allied with Iraq when it was at war with Iran. The Iraqi invasion of Iran was launched by Saddam Hussein at a time when Iran appeared weak. His goal was to achieve a quick victory and gain control over the Shatt al Arab waterway and perhaps even some of the Iranian oilfields. Therefore, there was no doubt that Iraq was the aggressor.
However, this was a serious miscalculation on the part of Hussein, Iran did not fold and was able to counterattack and even occupy significant segments of Iraq. Once it appeared that Iran was militarily gaining the upper hand the United States weighed in heavily on the side of Iraq, even launching military attacks against Iranian forces in the Persian Gulf. In fact, it can be strongly argued that American support kept Iraq from being defeated. All throughout the war, U. S. spy satellites provided regular intelligence on Iranian troop movements, enabling the Iraqi forces to anticipate their attacks. The second reason why Iraq was able to fend off the Iranians is due to their extensive use of several types of poison gas in combat. Therefore, as is explained very well in this book, the United States was allied with a nation that launched an aggressive war against another nation and used poison gas, an explicit violation of several major international treaties. However, because an Iranian victory was considered contrary to U. S. interests, these actions were met with implicit approval.
The Iran-Iraq war was the longest declared war of the twentieth century, lasting eight years and ending right where it started. The political machinations among all the nations in that area were extensive, and they were very complex. Hiro explains the background of the shifting and partial alliances among the Muslim nations, detailing why each nation adopted the policies that they did. Considering that Iraq has been involved in two wars since then, one where Iraq invaded Kuwait and was clearly the aggressor, the Iran-Iraq war has not received the attention that it should. Many nations were eager to engage in commercial relations with Iraq during the conflict, even against stated international embargoes. Those contacts continued after the first gulf war, when Iraq was hit with economic sanctions. Some of these violations are now coming to light, but the origins are clearly described by Hiro.
With American troops now fighting in Iraq under the pretext that Saddam Hussein possessed chemical weapons and was willing to use them, it is forgotten that he received tacit approval when he used them against the Iranians. Given the dependence of Iraq on American assistance in the middle years of the Iran-Iraq war, Iraq could not have ignored a strong statement of U. S. disapproval of their use of chemical weapons. The U. S. sided with Iraq because it considered strong Iranian influence in Iraq to be contrary to the national interest. Now, recent reports are that Iranian agents are exerting strong influence in Iraq and the Iraqi Shi'ites are poised to take power in Iraq. This may lead to a religious based government in Iraq with close ties to Iran. Therefore, the American invasion may accomplish an Iranian goal that eight years of war could not.
Good synopsis of the Iran-Iraq conflict.......2004-11-23
"The Longest War" by Dilip Hiro provides a thorough political history of the Iran-Iraq conflict. Those with little to moderate exposure to the war will probably find it interesting, while more knowledgeable students of the era will most likely gain little insight, as it is largely based on press clippings.
Readers of other military histories will be disappointed to find a lack of primary evidence into motives; however, it is important remember that such evidence was not available at the time of publication, as it is with, for example, a history of World War II.
One interesting factor about this book is that it was (apparently) written prior to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1991. This has positive and negative effects. For instance:
(1) Hiro does not have the benefit of being able to use future events to improve his analysis. For example, given the later invasion of Kuwait, Sadaam Hussein's invasion of Iran seems much more like a megalomaniac stab at natural resources (and their commensurate power) than the establishment of a bulwark against Shi'ite Islamism.
(2) Hiro's analysis does not suffer from bias created by later events. For example, American support of the Iraqi regime in the latter stages of the war is presented in the context of (a) Cold War competition with the Soviet Union, (b) protecting American interests in the gulf states from Iranian interference and (c) the political climate in America following the Iran-Contra affair. Today, it is common to see such support described as misguided or even hypocritical, given what happened in 1990-1 and in 2003. Hiro lays out reasons for American support to Iraq that were indeed very rational given what was known to American policymakers at the time.
A good read.......2004-09-24
Despite its small and squeezed font, the content is attractive as the book thoroughly covers the 8-year Iraq-Iran war.
With a good amount of information, mostly from news reports, Hiro produces an account of the history of animosity between the two oil rich neigbors.
Hiro extensively covers statements by Iraqi and Iranians officials and also includes statements by officials of foreign governments who were involced in the conflict.
Hiro, however, fails to describe the brutality of the Saddam Hussein regime and at times writes that the deposed Iraqi dictator enjoyed popular support. This is, by most other accounts, far from the truth.
Despite its extensive coverage, the book sometimes quickly surveys important issues such as the Iraqi usage of WMDs.
Hiro also reports, with minimum details, the tip of the balance in Iraqi favor. He does not provide enough information about the Iraqi military operations that reversed the course of the war.
Overall, the book is one of a few that documents one of the longest wars in modern history.
Very Detailed,Informative, and a timely piece........2002-10-01
As Pres. Bush tries to talk everyone into supporting an attack on Iraq, this is a wonderful book for getting a little background on Saddam Hussein and Iraq. It doesn't give too much detail over his chemical weapons program, except how the use of Nerve and Mustard gas on the front was the tool that gave Saddam the ability to push the Iranians out of Iraq(and influence Iran's ability to recruit for the frontlines). The book uses GDP and other economic indicators throughout the middle east repeatedly to tell how the war was affecting the populaces involved. A very interesting read.
Product Description
In May 1987, an Iraqi plane fired two missiles into USS Stark, a lone U.S. Navy frigate on patrol in the Gulf. The missiles severely damaged the ship and killed thirty-seven sailors. This deadly attack, which Iraq claimed was accidental, brought heightened attention to the Persian Gulf and heralded the beginning of a new era in U.S. Middle Eastern policy. From then until the end of the Iran-Iraq War, American forces carried out an unprecedented series of military operations in the Gulf. A planned tanker protection mission evolved into a naval quasi-war with Iran and culminated in the largest sea-air battle since World War II.
Inside the Danger Zone is a history of U.S. military involvement in the Persian Gulf in 1987 and 1988--a time of burning ships, air strikes, and secret missions--the prelude to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, Desert Storm, and the most recent U.S. invasion of Iraq. Based largely on first-hand accounts from veterans of that era, it is an up-close, detailed report from the front lines of a guerrilla war at sea. Many of the dramatic incidents of this period are told in depth, with new information and details never before seen in print.
Customer Reviews:
A good historian..........2007-09-24
can write a book that clearly, succinctly, and engagingly tells the story in question. Lee managed to do that at every turn. I'm not a history buff. I routinely did poorly in history in part because the people that wrote the books knew a lot about their subject, but little if anything about how to tell a story. He knows how to do both.
The best thing about this book is that it tells the story from the bottom up. He interviewed the people who were actually there. Men that fought and bled at the battles in question. The events are made more real by the anecdotes and bracketed where necessary by higher level political goings on. It gave great insight into how ships are run and decisions are made in the 20th century military.
I highly recommend this to anyone interested in seeing what went on during the Tanker Wars and who might want a glimpse into the early days of our current involvement in this part of the world.
Excellent.......2007-08-20
I am another reader who was very involved in these events. Excellent book which required an extensive amount of research into a little known period of recent history.
Informative, Well Researched, And a Good Read.......2007-07-04
I was there. I am former U.S. Navy Petty Officer Mark Haynes, and was aboard the USS Fox during the summer of 1987. After the attack on the USS Stark, the USS Acadia was dispatched to the Persian Gulf to begin repairs on the ship. The Acadia needed an armed escort, and that's how my ship, the Fox, found its way into the gulf. It was a very tense time for the sailors in the Persian Gulf, and a scary time for me, as it was my first deployment. I wrote a book about my own experiences aboard the Fox during that time, called Liberty Call - USS Fox (CG-33). Although that work was never published, the author of Inside the Danger Zone found it online and contacted me for permission to quote my work in his. I gladly gave him permission. Harold drew from a large number of personal accounts such as mine, and has written an all encompassing book about this important part of US Naval history. Harold's work is a page-turner. Based to a large extent on first-hand accounts from sailors and officers who were there, this book offers what the news stories of the time could not - an inside look at the actions and emotions of the military personnel that were in the heart of the conflict. Inside the Danger Zone is not just history, it is drama. Highly recommended.
A seminal contribution .......2007-06-09
"Inside The Danger Zone: The U.S. Military In The Persian Gulf, 1987-1988" by Harold Lee Wise (Adjunct History Professor at Elizabeth City State University in Elizabeth City, North Carolina) is a model of scholarship in describing and documenting a history of United States military involvement in the First Gulf War that began in May 1987 when an Iraqi plan fired two missiles into the USS Stark (a lone American navy frigate on patrol in the Gulf) resulting in the death of 37 sailors and major damage to the vessel. It was a time of 'burning ships, air strikes, and secret missions' that served as a prelude to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and the American and Allied response code-named Desert Storm That resulted in the defeat of the Iraqi occupational forces, the liberation of Kuwait, and sowed the seeds for the next war that would come as a part of the American 'War on Terrorism' after September 9, 2001. This chronological account is enhanced with a list of acronyms, extensive notes, a lengthy bibliography, and a comprehensive index, making it a seminal contribution and strong recommendation for personal, academic, and community library American Military History collections and critically important reading for non-specialist general readers wanting reliable historical background information to America's continuing military involvement in Iraq under the present Administration..
Outstanding Research, Compelling Story.......2007-05-24
Someone who was involved in the hostilities with Iran during the 1987-88 period recommended this book to me, and I'm very glad he did. This well researched fairly handled story of the tensions, mistakes and victories of the largely unknown skirmishes between Iran and the United States during the Iraq-Iran War stands out as an early indicator of some of the problems we face yet today. It also serves as a warning that gutting our military, as has occurred during supposedly peaceful times, and as was done with our minesweepers and response teams after the Vietnam War, can come back to haunt us, as we are seeing again in the Iraq War today. Some peace dividend, huh? Thank God for the brave SEALS and Commanders who used creative ingenuity and sheer guts and skill to outfit and place an oil service barge named Hercules where it would do the most good - striking out of the darkness at the minelayers Iran had denied existed. This is not a pretty story; mistakes at the command level, errors at the presidential level. Ships sunk, Sailors dying. A commercial jet accidently shot down in flames. But this is a story which must be told. It showcases the fear of young soldiers and sailors in harm's way for the first time, the raw kids trained but inexperienced, who see firsthand the hatred of people they don't know. Then there's the grizzled pro, the hardened hero who understands duty, the guy who expects to earn his Hazardous Duty Pay and doesn't ask for reward -- just completion of mission.
INSIDE THE DANGER ZONE provides a useful and informative backdrop for the Persian Gulf conflicts of today. Harold Lee Wise has done an outstanding job preparing INSIDE THE DANGER ZONE. Hopefully, this country learned some lessons and will not repeat its mistakes.
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Journey to Heading 270 Degrees
Ahmad Dihqan , and
Paul Sprachman
Manufacturer: Mazda Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1568591969 |
Customer Reviews:
Iran-Iraq War Novel.......2006-09-14
This novel describes Saddam Hussein's war on Iran in the 1980's from the point of view of an Iranian soldier. In some ways it resembles Anthony Swofford's non-fiction book "Jarhead." In both books the central character is somewhat alienated, and not a "true believer" in the war he is fighting. Dehqan's hero, Naser, takes time from school and goes to the front to fight alongside his friends. After searing scenes of combat, in which many of his friends are killed, he gets on a bus and goes back home. Dehqan is a master of understatement and the contrast between the action described and the calm language used to describe it is striking. The original Persian version of this book sold thousands of copies in Iran and is described as "one of the most popular Persian novels about the Iran-Iraq war." The translator provides an illuminating introduction which puts the novel into context -- political and religious leaders in Iran were emphasizing the glory of martyrdom. This book was a deliberate rejection of the attempt to politicize and glorify the soldiers and their sacrifices.
I found it to be a good read, and a fascinating glimpse into a very different culture.
Book Description
The Iran-Iraq War, which ended in August 1988, one month short of its eighth anniversary, was one of the longest, bloodiest and costliest Third World armed conflicts in the twentieth century. Professor Karsh addresses the causes of the Iran-Iraq War, unpacking the objectives of the two belligerents and examining how far objectives were matched by strategy. He assesses the war's military lessons regarding such key areas as strategy, tactics and escalation and in particular the use of non-conventional weapons, Finally, he examines the utility of armed force as an instrument of foreign policy.
Customer Reviews:
The Cliff Notes of military history.......2006-04-03
The "Essential Histories" series from Osprey could easily be compared to the Cliff Notes series. They'll give you a nice introduction to a topic you are not familiar with, but no real depth. Most volumns are under 100 pages; therefore, don't expect many "man in the trenches" stories.
This volumn is a nice introduction to a recent war, and presented a bit better than most in the series.
Superficial.......2005-08-08
This is one of the few volumes to cover a sadly under-reported war. While it would be a good introduction to someone unfamiliar with the conflict, it is a bit shallow for those who already know a little. Karsh does a good job of analyzing the motives and thinking of both sides, without comment on the ethics of either. I found Dilip Hiro's book more informative. Even though Hiro is frankly trying to make a political point, there is a lot of hard data there if you are willing to sift it out.
The coverage of particular battles was sketchy, and the typical short format of Osprey precludes a lot of analysis and documentation. The Iran-Iraq war has yet to be described or analyzed by someone of the stature of David Glanz. Therefore, this book gets more stars than I would normally award, simply because there are so few other book worth reading on the Iran-Iraq war.
Excellent introduction to a nearly unheard of war .......2004-09-28
I bought this book when it first came out before the current occupation of Iraq. Not only does it help explain some of the current situations now faced in Iraq, but it is perhaps one of the best Essential Histories written. Explaining in depth in the reasons for the war, and up to the use of childern by Iran in suicide offensives, the author is able to keep the reader interested and informed without overwhelming one with information.
Osprey shows that one of its many talents is covering obscure wars (in this case for those of us in the west) for those who want a deeper understanding of how such seemingly unheard of conflicts affect the modern world.
First Act of a Three Act Tragedy.......2003-04-22
As I write this review, the United States and its coalition partners have recently deposed Saddam Hussein. It looks as though a long occupation is about to begin and I wanted to learn more about Iraq and its recent history. I turned to this Osprey Essential History of the Iran Iraq War because I wanted a quick overview of this conflict.
The book is 91 pages and is the typical Osprey sized paperback with plenty of pictures and maps. Without the maps and photos, the book is about 50-60 pages long and it took me about two hours to read.
The War was approximately 8 years long and there were a million or more casualties. That is a lot of history to cram into this slim volume. To be able to do this, the author had to take the grand strategic view of the War. For those looking for nitty gritty of the War, this is not the book for you. There are no Angus McBride illustrations of T-72's or Iranian uniforms. This book tells its story from the lofty height of senior leaders and nation states.
This book reminds me of one of those intense articles on history, economics and politics that one can find in a great magazine like the Economist. I own more than a 100 Osprey books and this is the best writing that I have ever come across in one of their books. Karsh's prose is economical and thought provoking.
Having finished this book, I had to re-evaluate my understanding of both Saddam Hussein and the Ayatollah Khomeini. They are both much more complex characters than I had understood. This is an introductory book on the War and it has inspired me to go out and learn more about the conflict. Highly recommended and very timely.
Pro-Iraqi Bias.......2002-07-05
One of the most difficult subjects for any historian to deal with - and one that many suggest should not even be undertaken - is recent history. Writing about recent history has far more risk of bias and lacks the documentary evidence that that the fullness of time tends to bring forth. In the Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988, Mideast scholar Dr. Efraim Karsh attempts to summarize the main points of this brutal, but ultimately indecisive, contest of nations. The result of Dr. Karsh's study is interesting, but may well disappoint many readers. First, the military details and analysis are rather sparse, which is not unexpected given the closed nature of both Iraqi and Iranian sources. Second, Dr. Karsh clearly has a pro-Iraqi bias that tends to skew his analysis of political motives and intentions. Overall, this volume succeeds in delivering a useful summary of the Iran-Iraq War, but readers will probably not be as satisfied as they would reading an Osprey Essential History on the First or Second World Wars.
The Iran-Iraq War begins with an introduction, a chronology, a short background to the war, and a brief synopsis of the warring sides. The actual military campaigns are covered in two chapters totaling 40 pages. The author then uses several short chapters to cover selected topics: Iran's use of boy soldiers, the Iraqi and Iranian national war efforts, the campaign against the Kurds and how the war ended. The author's conclusion is entitled, "a costly exercise in futility," which tends to sum up his opinion of the war. There are a total of 9 maps (the Mideast in 1980, the Iraqi invasion of Iran in 1980, Iran's recapture of Khuzestan, the deployment of the Iraqi corps in 1982, Iran's Dawn Offensives, Iran's capture of Fao, the tanker war, Operation Karbala 5, and Iraq's final offensives in 1988). Unlike most Osprey titles, these maps are not very useful since they don't convey very much information. Nor are the photographs very exceptional; few are actually related to the fighting and most depict only rather bland images. Finally, the bibliography does not list any primary sources or even Iraqi or Iranian periodicals (presumably the author is conversant in regional languages) and lists rather standard secondary sources like Anthony Cordesman. While Cordesman is a good source on this subject, it is not clear that the author did much original research. Considering that there are officer émigrés (such as at least one Iraqi corps commander) from both nations now in the west, the author might have included some interviews with these individuals.
While the author covers all the major battles of the war, the coverage appears little deeper than what one could glean from contemporary newspaper accounts. Not one military unit on either side is even mentioned by name, nor are any military leaders other than Iraqi general Rashid mentioned. This account is of a war of faceless, nameless ciphers. Given that some information is available in the west on some of the early armor battles and on the Republican Guard, the author seems to have done little to enrich the military side of this account. The brief section on opposing armies really only addresses the relative forces in quantitative terms, without even touching doctrine or tactics. The Iranian army, having been trained by the US, was far more dependent on air support and artillery than the tank-heavy Soviet-trained Iraqi army.
The author's pro-Iraqi bias is hard to swallow. In Dr. Karsh's view, Saddam Hussein had little choice but to invade Iran in 1980 since the Revolutionary regime was a threat to his own political survival. Furthermore, the author views Hussein's main mistake as opting for overly-limited objectives, instead of really crippling Iran's military power by going for a full-scale invasion. While the author concedes that Hussein does perpetuate a personality cult and did kill thousands of Kurdish civilians with poison gas, the Iraqi leader is consistently presented as an essentially normal leader. In the conclusion, the author again paints Iraq as being "forced to" invade Kuwait in 1990. Wait a minute! No choice but to invade? Saddam Hussein presented as a normal leader? How about the far more realistic assessment that Saddam Hussein was (is) a criminal dictator who seized the opportunity to seize some oil-rich areas in Iran when the Iranian Revolutionary had disrupted Iran's military defenses. The Shatt-al-Arab waterway dispute that the author mentions was only the Iraqi cassus belli, but he fails to mention that the Iraqi drives toward Ahvaz and Abadan were designed to grab major oil producing areas, not just remove threats to Iraqi transshipment routes. Had the Iraqi aggression succeeded, Saddam Hussein would have increased his control over the Mideast oil supply by grabbing important Iranian oil fields. He tried the same thing in 1990 in Kuwait. Saddam Hussein's motives and intentions are clear: use force to grab oil resources from weakly defended areas. Readers should also note the omission of certain Iraqi provocative acts, in particular the 1987 "accidental" missile attack on the USS Stark (but the author does mention the mining of the USS Samuel B. Roberts by the Iranians). If this account is to be believed, Iraq "saved" the other Gulf States from Iranian aggression and had been forced into a difficult position from which military force was the only answer. This type of bias, combined with inadequate coverage of the military aspects of the war, reduces the Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988 to the second tier of secondary sources.
Book Description
Nations at War provides a scientifically-derived explanation of war. It develops this explanation by reviewing data-based studies of international conflict, analyzing war from the fifteenth to the twentieth centuries, and identifying factors such as geography, regimes, military capabilities, alliances, and trade associated with both the onset and destructiveness of these conflicts. Two wars (the Iran/Iraq war of 1980, and World War I) are examined in detail in an effort to show how wars begin and sometimes expand to include other states. This unique book collates and synthesizes the findings of over five hundred scientific studies of war.
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The Persian Gulf War: Lessons for Strategy, Law, and Diplomacy (Contributions in Military Studies)
Manufacturer: Greenwood Press
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0313267103 |
Book Description
Although the stability of the Persian Gulf region has been of rising importance since World War II, it was during the 1980s, when the Iran-Iraq War threatened to upset the balance of power in the region, that its importance became even more magnified. This collection of essays surveys the current state of that region, placing into clearer perspective the political, security, and diplomatic dimensions of the recently ended war. By reevaluating the political landscape of the Gulf, the book produces a gauge for better assessing those factors and forces that affected the conflict's outcome and that will continue to influence future political and security developments in the region. The volume begins with an introduction by the editor that examines the geography of the Gulf and the primary geopolitical factors that influenced perceptions of the region during the war. The essays are then divided into two sections covering Strategic and Political Dimensions and Diplomatic and Legal Dimensions. Topics covered in the first section include the roots of the crisis, Soviet, Israeli and Arab Gulf states' interests in the conflict, U.S. policy in the region, and the role of U.S. military forces. Section two discusses the reflagging of Kuwaiti tankers, the United Nations' involvement, and the cease-fire negotiations. The book concludes with a selected bibliography and an index. This study will be an important resource for courses in political science, diplomacy, and Mid-East history, as well as a significant addition to both public and university libraries.
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- imedio killed the radio star
- Excellent read.
- Fascinating window into a unique and sometimes brutal culture
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The Ministry of Culture: A Novel
James P. Mullaney
Manufacturer: Thomas Dunne Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0312354460
Release Date: 2007-05-01 |
Book Description
In his debut novel, James P. Mullaney brilliantly portrays the lives of two men, one an American and the other an Iraqi, each caught up in the turmoil of the Iran-Iraq war. Over the course of just a few days, each will seek a way to change the course of a violent conflict that has irrevocably altered their futures.
Journalist Michael Young has come to Baghdad to cover the war and the seemingly relentless pattern of violence in Iraq. His return has also given him the chance to reunite with Daniella, a British-Iraqi journalist whose family history has drawn her back to a city that offers her only danger and distrust.
Ibrahim Galeb al-Mansur has devoted his life to the study of art. But the government’s repression and paranoia have destroyed his family and
silenced his talents. Forced to paint the enormous murals of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein that appear throughout the country, he finds refuge each night among insurgents plotting the overthrow of the brutal dictator.
The Ministry of Culture is a compelling, sometimes unsettling look at the history of Iraqi politics, the complicity of Western governments, and the universal question of how much a person can endure -- and what is art’s worth -- amidst the violence of war.
Customer Reviews:
imedio killed the radio star.......2007-08-09
i like the cover,so i am buying the book. good luck jim.
s. martinez
Excellent read........2007-05-25
A fantastic story woven into a very well researched historical period. At times shocking and disturbing. A must read.
Fascinating window into a unique and sometimes brutal culture.......2007-05-22
An intelligent and well written novel with fully fleshed out characters submerged in a time and culture where the stakes are high. A must read for those who enjoy a story of both excitement and richness. The writing is poetic and stays with you long after you finish the page.
Book Description
Iraq and Iran are the two most important states in the Gulf region, given their population size, military strength, and the potential threat they pose to other states in the region and the United States. This book enhances our understanding of the troubled relationship between Iran and Iraq, placing it in historical context, examining the rapid deterioration leading to the eight-year war that started in 1980 and the effects of that trauma, and exploring the ongoing issues that currently bedevil bilateral relations. The authors cover such central issues as how each side has sought to use opposition groups in the other state to weaken it, ethnic divisions, the role of outside states (especially the United States), and a fascinating account of how the war affected a generation of Iraqis and Iranians. The role of the U.S. in the region and how U.S. policy has affected the two states are also considered. This book provides a basis for understanding the background of a tumultuous relationship that is entering a new era.
Books:
- Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid
- Pickett's Charge--The Last Attack at Gettysburg
- Principles of Anatomy and Physiology w/ Brief Atlas
- Rebels from West Point
- RED ROAD FROM STALINGRAD: Recollections of a Soviet Infantryman
- Rescuing Da Vinci: Hitler and the Nazis Stole Europe's Great Art - America and Her Allies Recovered It
- Robert E. Lee on Leadership: Executive Lessons in Character, Courage, and Vision (On Leadership)
- Sherman: A History of the American Medium Tank
- Simon Bolivar: A Life
- Slacks and Calluses: Our Summer in a Bomber Factory
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Recommended Books
- Forced Founders: Indians, Debtors, Slaves, and the Making of the American Revolution in Virginia
- The White Rectangle: Writings on Film
- Miro Lithographs
- Mary Emmerling's Quick Decorating: Fast and Easy Projects for Every Room of the House
- Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches
- The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't
- The Cat Who Tailed a Thief
- Mary Gilliatts Dictionary of Architecture and Interior Design
- Morphosis: Volume IV
- Beguiled by the Wild: The Art of Charley Harper
Inside the Danger Zone: The U.S. Military in the Persian Gulf, 1987-1988
Carrier Battles: Command Decision in Harm's Way
Around the World With the U.S. Navy: A Reporter's Tale
Fire at Sea: The Tragedy of the Soviet Submarine Komsomolets
Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy
