Inside the Resistance: The Iraqi Insurgency and the Future of the Middle East (Nation Books) [Hardcover]

Zaki Chehab (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 6, 2005 | Series: Nation Books

Since the fall of Baghdad in April 2003, Zaki Chebah has had unique access to numerous groups within the resistance as well as to leading figures in the tribal groups who define much of Iraqi society. Inside the Resistance describes the methods of the Iraqi resistance movements (there are many), and the extent of the involvement of Al-Qaeda and other foreign fighters. This book also examines how the events of Iraq have affected Syria, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Turkey and Iran. No journalist is better placed to explain the intricacies of the battle over Iraq and to write vividly from personal experience about life on the front lines of Tikirt, Mosul and Fallujah.

Using first-hand reportage, interviews with leading figures on all sides of the conflict, and his insight in Arab sensibilities, Zaki Chebah provides an authoritative and gripping insight into life in Iraq and his analysis for its future.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Zaki Chehab is political editor of the Arab broadsheet, Al Hayat. His writing has appeared in the Washington Post, The Guardian, the New Statesman; and he has made guest appearances on NPR, CNN, and Democracy Now! Chehab lives in London.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Nation Books; First Edition edition (October 6, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560257466
• ISBN-13: 978-1560257462
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,950,564 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars flawed work with some interesting insights, August 17, 2006

By 

Barry A. Klinger - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Inside the Resistance: The Iraqi Insurgency and the Future of the Middle East (Nation Books) (Hardcover)

The book will disappoint anyone looking for a detailed examination of the Iraqi insurgents. The author is a reporter who has bravely gone to dangerous places in Iraq and has returned with some fascinating stories. Unfortunately, these are snapshots and don't give a very coherent picture. The book as a whole is poorly organized, perhaps a rush job to stitch some short pieces of reportage into a larger whole. As an Arab, the author appears to have greater rapport with Iraqis than a typical Western journalist might have, but the book doesn't really get inside the heads of the Iraqis enough to make me feel like I understand what they are thinking.

Some big questions the book could have grappled with but did not:

What really happened in cases in Fallujah and elsewhere in which American forces apparently gunned down civilians in angry mobs, inflaming the population? Would a larger US force to prevent looting, as some in the book advocate, have led to more violence against civilians, further increasing resistance? Was the insurgency really fed by the indignities recounted in the book, or did some elements just seize on these events because they wanted to fight for other reasons? What role did religious and ethnic tensions play in creating the insurgency? Was there anything the US could have done to dampen the insurgency, such as handing Iraq over to the UN right after the invasion? Was and is there anyone to negotiate with in order to allow the US to exit an Iraq not mired in civil war?

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Interesting Perspective, January 10, 2006

By 

Michelle7 "Editor of Michelle7(dot)com" - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Inside the Resistance: The Iraqi Insurgency and the Future of the Middle East (Nation Books) (Hardcover)

Overall, I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Zaki Chehab is one of those ultra-daring reporters that has penetrated the lion's den to bring us the story of what it's like inside the Iraq insurgency.

Chehab is absolutely mesmerizing when discussing his personal experiences and connections in Iraq. For example, he meets with a pen pal from his childhood who corresponded with him for many years while Chehab himself was growing up in a refugee camp in Lebanon. Chehab looked his old friend up when he was sent to Iraq as a reporter and actually got to meet him. He discovered that his friend was very sympathetic to the insurgency, and Chehab is brilliant in sharing what eventually happened to his friend and his family. It is through this prism that some amazing insights and a very unique perspective are revealed to western readers, who generally get just one side of the story.

The only failing is when Chehab rehashes the well-known storyline of the invasion and then the occupation and then the voting and all the politics involved. This information, while helpful to the uninformed, will most likely be a tedious bit for readers that are even moderately educated about the Iraq war. But don't let that dissuade you - Chehab's personal encounters with insurgents and the Iraqi people makes for a great read and more than makes up for the slow parts. This book will definitely widen one's knowledge and perspective of what's going on in the Land of the Two Rivers.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book explains the turmoil of the past Years in Iraq, April 22, 2006

By 

Ryan Bates (London,UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Inside the Resistance: The Iraqi Insurgency and the Future of the Middle East (Nation Books) (Hardcover)

Few journalists have had such open access to the secretive world of the insurgents. Chehab's book will not only serve to explain the turmoil of the past year ,but alsowhere Iraq is now headed and the impact that the country will have on the fate of th eentire Middle East.