The Strongest Tribe: War, Politics, and the Endgame in Iraq
This is West’s third book about the war in Iraq; his previous one (No True Glory, 2005) is an account of the ferocious battle of Fallujah in 2004. This one pivots on the war’s major strategic development since then, President George Bush’s December 2006 decision to reinforce American troops; describing the so-called surge—its political origin, strategic concept, and tactical implementation—is West’s purpose here. Subscribing to the general opinion that the initial occupation of Iraq was bungled, West briskly dispenses his critique of the years 2003–5 to intently examine the situation as of 2006. His inspection assumes the narrative form of accompanying American units on patrol, conveying a gritty sense of counterinsurgency war and the frustrations American officers have experienced conducting this one. West seems relieved to introduce the commanders of the surge in Iraq, Generals David Petraeus and Ray Odierno, and he unreservedly extols the courage of soldiers and marines who have carried it out. Arguing they have retrieved the situation, West encourages optimism about the outcome of America’s war in Iraq. --Gilbert Taylor