The Iraq War ― European Perspectives On Politics, Strategy And Operations

The editors (of the Swedish National Defense College, along with most of their contributors) present a collection that was originally intended to draw out political and military lessons of the American/British invasion and occupation of Iraq for Swedish military officers, but now has been made available for the English-language market. Following an introductory essay discussing the primary puzzles of the war (when did it happen, why did it happen, and how was it fought?), five essays discuss the pre-war political and strategic goals and considerations of the governments of the US, Britain, Russia, and Ba'athist Iraq. The political discussion is concluded with an essay that sets the war in context of international law and discusses how the creation of Iraq in the crucible of World War I created the conditions for the current conflict. Discussion then turns to military matters in essays exploring the use of force and coercion against Iraq as elements of US strategy, combined arms theory and the conduct of US ground operations, air operations and their impact, and the role of information management. Annotation c2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Dr Jan Hallenberg is at the Department of Security and Strategic Studies, Swedish National Defence College. He is a specialist on US foreign and security policy. His publications include The Demise of the Soviet Union: Analysing the Collapse of a State (Ashgate, 2002).

Dr Hakan Karlsson is at the Department of Security and Strategic Studies, Swedish National Defence College=. He is a specialist on US strategy and nuclear weapons. His publications include Bureaucratic politics and weapons acquisition: the case of the MX ICBM program (two volumes, 2002).