How America Lost Iraq

A reporter in Iraq shows how the U.S. squandered its early victories and goodwill among the Iraqi people, and allowed the newly freed society to slip into violence and chaos. Reporting for antiwar Pacifica Radio, he interviewed regular Iraqis and found wide support for the Americans. Then, in early 2004, the U.S. military initiated a bombing campaign against the population of Fallujah, increasing support for an armed resistance. The attack confounded many anti-Saddam Iraqis, and plunged the nation into chaos. Now, 50 percent of the U.S.-trained Iraqi army has either mutinied or refused to fight; the Iraqi public has sustained appalling civilian casualties; corporate contractors including Halliburton and Bechtel have failed to supply Iraqis with the basic necessities of daily life; and a respected poll shows that 82 percent of Iraqis want the U.S. to leave.--From publisher description.