The advice in Instructions for American Servicemen in Iraq during World War II, presented here in a new facsimile edition, retains a surprising, even haunting, relevance in light of today's muddled efforts to win Iraqi hearts and minds. Designed to help American soldiers understand and cope with what was at the time an utterly unfamiliar culture-the manual explains how to pronounce the word Iraq, for instance-this brief, accessible handbook mixes do-and-don't-style tips ("Always respect the Moslem women." "Talk Arabic if you can to the people. No matter how badly you do it, they will like it.") with general observations on Iraqi history and society. The book's overall message still rings true-dramatically so-more than sixty years later: treat an Iraqi and his family with honor and respect, and you will have a strong ally; treat him with disrespect and you will create an unyielding enemy.
| |||||||||||||||
Book Description
Special Offers and Product Promotions
- This item is eligible for our 4-for-3 promotion. Eligible products include select Books and Home & Garden items. Buy any 4 eligible items and get the lowest-priced item free. Here's how (restrictions apply)
Editorial Reviews
Review
"The University of Chicago Press has a hot book on its hands, with some solid advice for U.S. military in Iraq: .. . ''American success or failure in Iraq may well depend on whether the Iraqis . . . like American soldiers or not,'' the book admonishes. The advice, which sounds like it could be lifted from a lesson book from the war on terror, was actually written 65 years ago during World War II."—Jodi S. Cohen, Chicago Tribune
(Greg Jaffe Wall Street Journal -- Washington Wire blog 20070722)
(Jodi S. Cohen Chicago Tribune )
(David L. Ulin Los Angeles Times )
“In 1943, the Army published this junior Baedeker to help U.S. grunts who were utterly unfamiliar with the land in which they were serving. In prose notable for its E.B. White economy (and Saturday Evening Post-style ingenuousness), the guidebook urges soldiers to respect the traditions and mores of their hosts. After all, says the anonymous author, ‘American success or failure in Iraq may well depend on whether the Iraqis (as the people are called) like American soldiers or not. It may not be quite that simple. But then again it could.’”—Christopher Shea, Boston Globe
(Christopher Shea Boston Globe )
“The essential message is to show respect. . . . Why wasn’t this the ‘commander’s intent’ when Americans returned to Iraq sixty years later?”—George Packer, New Yorker online (George Packer New Yorker online )
(Greg Jaffe Wall Street Journal -- Washington Wire blog 20070722)
"The University of Chicago Press has a hot book on its hands, with some solid advice for U.S. military in Iraq: .. . ''American success or failure in Iraq may well depend on whether the Iraqis . . . like American soldiers or not,'' the book admonishes. The advice, which sounds like it could be lifted from a lesson book from the war on terror, was actually written 65 years ago during World War II."—Jodi S. Cohen, Chicago Tribune
“A historical oddity that sheds a certain unintended light upon our current woes.”—David L. Ulin, Los Angeles Times
“In 1943, the Army published this junior Baedeker to help U.S. grunts who were utterly unfamiliar with the land in which they were serving. In prose notable for its E.B. White economy (and Saturday Evening Post-style ingenuousness), the guidebook urges soldiers to respect the traditions and mores of their hosts. After all, says the anonymous author, ‘American success or failure in Iraq may well depend on whether the Iraqis (as the people are called) like American soldiers or not. It may not be quite that simple. But then again it could.’”—Christopher Shea, Boston Globe
(Christopher Shea Boston Globe )
“The essential message is to show respect. . . . Why wasn’t this the ‘commander’s intent’ when Americans returned to Iraq sixty years later?”—George Packer, New Yorker online
“The surprise hit book of the summer.”—Al Kamen, Washington Post
(Al Kamen Washington Post )"Those despairing of American policymakers'' mistakes in Iraq . . . may find some solace in this amazing little booklet. . . . It''s a treasure chest of information. And the bottom line for the piece couldn''t be clearer: we didn''t used to be so stupid."—Harper''s
(Scott Horton Harper's )"Leaders, soldiers, and historians alike will (LTC Steve Leonard Military Review )
"If only U.S. military personnel from 2003 on had something similar. . . . The 44-page booklet is the most succinct summation of Iraqi culture for Americans anywhere anytime."
(World )
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
About the Author
Lieutenant Colonel John A. Nagl commands the 1st Battalion, 34th Armor at Fort Riley, Kansas. He is the author of Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife: Counterinsurgency Lessons from Malaya and Vietnam, also published by the University of Chicago Press.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Lieutenant Colonel John Nagl commands the 1st Battalion, 34th Armor at Fort Riley, Kansas. He led a tank platoon in Operation Desert Storm and served as the operations officer of a tank battalion task force in Operation Iraqi Freedom. A West Point graduate and Rhodes Scholar, Nagl earned his doctorate from Oxford University, taught national security studies at West Point, and served as Military Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense. He is the author of Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife: Counterinsurgency Lessons from Malaya and Vietnam and was on the writing team that produced the Army's new Counterinsurgency Field Manual.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Rhymes of History,
By
This review is from: Instructions for American Servicemen in Iraq during World War II (Hardcover)
John Nagl's foreword strikes a familiar chord, opening with a metaphorical twist on an ages old debate: "History doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes." As a fellow veteran of Iraq, I too saw the stark differences in those who possessed an inherent cultural understand and those who didn't. A basic understanding of a very complex culture can often earn significant dividends; this little book offers barely more than a broad brushstroke across the "birthplace of mankind," but that alone would have been sufficient enough to possibly alter the course of events.
The true value of this tome isn't just the simplistic discussions of culture, religion, or society. It isn't the well-written and conceived forward by a recognized expert on counterinsurgency. The greatest utility of this book comes with the quiet reminder that opens the book -- while history may not repeat itself, circumstances, situations, and even human nature tend to recur or remain fairly consistent. It rhymes. This book is a reminder that while we may not have fielded a large force in Iraq in World War II, we still recognized the unique challenges presented by a culture so foreign from our own. Sixty years later, as we stood on the verge of war, we were looking beyond those simple lessons of the past to a future many believed was predetermined by our advanced weaponry and technological advantages. If those people had only listened closely for the echoes of our greatest generation, they might have avoided some of the mistakes that marked the first years of the war in Iraq. "Instruction" is a quick, easy read and well worth the minimal expense. Readers will enjoy it as much for its "fireside chat" value as for its common sense approach to cultural understanding.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Required Reading,
By
This review is from: Instructions for American Servicemen in Iraq during World War II (Hardcover)
This little book is both a historical curiosity and of current relevance. I really wish I had seen it -- or something like it! -- before I went over to Iraq. It is exactly what the description says it is (thus the 5 stars). It's simply a reprint of an old Army pamphlet, though, so of course you can't expect too much.
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Minding your Ps & Qs in Iraq,
This review is from: Instructions for American Servicemen in Iraq during World War II (Hardcover)
A great reminder about cultural differences in Iraq. If you're stationed in Iraq this could really help you understand local population better. Great phrase section in the back.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Inside This Book
(learn more)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs):
(learn more)
Persian Gulf, The Moslem Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Persian Gulf, The Moslem Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192250339_.gif){kind=small}
