Ministry of Defeat: The British in Iraq 2003-2009 [Hardcover]

Richard North (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1441169970 | ISBN-13: 978-1441169976 | Publication Date: May 21, 2009

Ministry of Defeat is a devastating account of military and strategic incompetence. When Tony Blair insisted that British Armed Forces form part of the invasion of Iraq, little attention was paid as to how this might work out in practice or what the consequences might be. Here we have for the first time a detailed account of just what an abject failure Britain's military intervention in Iraq has been. The British Army is scheduled to leave Iraq in July 2009, ahead of schedule, and the full story of the campaign needs to be told. Richard North presents in considerable detail one of the most painful and lasting legacies of the Blair era.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[Ministry of Defeat] is not a descriptive, eyewitness chronicle of events, but an analysis of policy, military tactics and strategy, and their effect on combat troops ... The publication of this book anticipates the withdrawal being presented by politicians and the MoD as the natural consequence of a job well done." - Telegraph & Argus (Bradford). 30 May 2009.

"a devastating account of our occupation of southern Iraq. North shows that the MoD's one real triumph was the extent to which it managed to conceal how our six-year occupation, thanks largely to Tony Blair, became one of the most humiliating chapters in the history of the British Army." - Sunday Telegraph

(Christopher Booker )

Mention, telegragph.co.uk. 30 May 2009.

'Devastating' - Simon Jenkins, The Guardian

Author presentation of the book in Yorkshire Post (North/York), (East/Hull), (West/Leeds), (South/Sheffield)3 July 2009

'This forceful and searching analysis of the British military's failings in Iraq provides greater plausibility than anything else put forward to date ... If the important inquest into Britain's questionable performance in Iraq is going to have any impact then those in positions of power should take heed of North's urging that to recognise failure "is not to apportion blame, but to prevent it from being repeated".' - Thomas Harding, Daily Telegraph

'Timely and thought-provoking' - Philip Jacobson, Daily Mail

Mention on Russia Today, July 2009 http://www.russiatoday.com/Top_News/2009-07-31/british-soldiers-iraq.html

Title mention in Tribune, August 2009

'Book of the year ... An admirable investigation of Britain's most rotten ministry, it helps explain the questionable performance of British troops and especially their equipment in Iraq, with tales of incompetence worthy of the trenches.' - Simon Jenkins, Times Literary Supplement

"a devastating account of our occupation of southern Iraq. North shows that the MoD's one real triumph was the extent to which it managed to conceal how our six-year occupation, thanks largely to Tony Blair, became one of the most humiliating chapters in the history of the British Army." - Sunday Telegraph

(, )

'This forceful and searching analysis of the British military’s failings in Iraq provides greater plausibility than anything else put forward to date ... If the important inquest into Britain’s questionable performance in Iraq is going to have any impact then those in positions of power should take heed of North’s urging that to recognise failure “is not to apportion blame, but to prevent it from being repeated”.' - Thomas Harding, Daily Telegraph

Mention on Russia Today, July 2009 http://www.russiatoday.com/Top_News/2009-07-31/british-soldiers-iraq.html 

About the Author

Richard North is a political analyst who has been a research director in the European Parliament and was formerly a nationally-known consultant on public health and food safety. He has co-authored several books with Christopher Booker.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 280 pages
• Publisher: Continuum (May 21, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1441169970
• ISBN-13: 978-1441169976
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,977,567 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.