The Iraq War

"...a masterful work, thus far without peer in its field."--Army magazine

"The definitive work on the war in Iraq.... Essential [for] upper-division undergraduates and above interested in strategic studies and military history."--Choice

In April 2003, a stunned world looked on as the armed forces of the United States and Britain conducted a lightning-fast military campaign against Iraq. Confounding predictions of failure, the Anglo-American victory brought down not just the Iraqi regime, but also much of the conventional wisdom about modern war. But even as U.S. and British forces occupied Basra, Tikrit, Mosul, and Baghdad, the Iraqi nation slipped into anarchy--and new military and security challenges emerged. In this book, respected military analyst Anthony Cordesman provides the first in-depth examination of the key issues swirling around the most significant U.S. war since Vietnam. Finding answers is essential if we are to understand the United States' awesome power and its place in a new age of international terror and regional conflict. Finding answers is also essential if we are to draw the proper lessons and understand the new challenges of conflict termination, peacemaking, and nation building.

Anthony H. Cordesman holds the Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy at CSIS and is a national security analyst for ABC News.