Customer Reviews

Red Zone Blues: a snapshot of Baghdad during the surge

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This was a really difficult book for me to finish, not because it was a hard book to read, but because the content infuriated me so. I have been against this crusade in Iraq since it began and to see once again that the American public is getting an extremely sanitized version of what exactly is happening is so frustrating.

Escobar has really done his work, and by putting himself in the midst of danger he writes a tight, gripping portrayal of just what is occurring in Baghdad right now, even at the "end" of the surge. The volume is quite slight, I would have loved to have read more of his experiences in Baghdad and other places in the Middle East, as he quite ably captures what the real people are going through - the middle class who've moved to lower class, the lower class barely surviving.

Everyone should take a look at this book and see another side to the one that is constantly being portrayed in the media. And I know that I, myself, as a member of the iPod generation, need to snap out of complacency and take action against what's going on.

Let me start off by saying that I loathe the media today. It will inevitably take a day or at most a month for whatever stories that were featured on said day to be either turned on their head or revealed to be utter lies. That being said the author of this book is not the media I oft think of when the Iraq war comes to mind or our country's immediate policies in Iraq today. I do not care if the author is for or against the left or right I care about what he reports and what he doesn't report.

The book is made up of essays, some longer some shorter, but the author conveys sarcasm in practically every one of them. Some of it is rightly deserved for the ignorant policies and steps being taken by this administration. At first I was annoyed to see that there is no real mention of any progress being made, the progress that we would regularly hear about in the media, from both sides at times. That is US soldiers saying they can see they are making a difference and Iraqis saying they are seeing a difference. At the same time it became clear to me that these differences might be so minuscule in the grand scheme of things that the minutia they represent might not matter to the majority which is suffering in spite of all the so called 'progress.' There comes a time when it is obvious that while some good things might have come out of this unneeded war when it first began, today the administration and army have screwed it up so badly that there is no hope in sight. Please understand that by 'the army' I more so mean the generals involved and the policies that are being implemented via the armed forces rather than the troops who have been given a job they were not, in effect, trained for.

I was surprised to learn, although perhaps I shouldn't have been, that some states take in all the refugees streaming from Iraq into their borders, Syria. While others make it unnecessarily difficult, Jordan. Not surprising on the other hand was seeing that various rich Arab elements in the Middle East haven't given a dollar to help those in need, their Arab or Muslim brothers. Comparable to the Palestinian 'refugee' situation, but only in so much as what that situation was half a century ago, not today.

Read this book for what it is and not for what it lacks. You have here a view of the results of the current Bush administration from one point of view. You can read about the benefits this war has given to Iraq in other studies and monographs and then juxtapose it with what you have seen here. Although perhaps this book will be seen by some as a dubious source, since it isn't written by standards which many might expect (compared to a history book that has footnotes/endnotes and a bibliography, this book has none), I wouldn't dismiss it out of hand. This is a reporter with a variety of stories to tell and for those interested in what Iraq is going through today, I'm sure they'll appreciate his candor and honesty.

The only time I found myself actively disagreeing with the author was when he generalized US and Israeli policies. It is obvious that he isn't taking an objective look at the situation throughout the book, which is why I continue to point out that it is his point of view which should be juxtaposed with others. That Cheney is behind all, I do not know for sure. That it is the 'ziocons' that is Zionist Neocons, I would highly disagree with. The term Zionist has been taken out of context since the creation of Israel and I am weary to see it used in such a context. In the end the author's honesty and candor offer some fresh perspectives on the crisis shaping up in the middle east but on their own they take too much out of context. This book can be a companion to others but cannot ever stand alone as a reasonable example of what the middle east looks like today.

What a very unsettling book to read. Even though I'm convinced that the US invasion of Iraq was unwarranted, this book left me feeling guilty and ashamed for what we've allowed our current administration to do there. On the other hand, Pepe Escobar's writing, though a bit unclear at times, also made me feel a bit defensive. I had to make an attempt not to confuse his obvious disgust with the Bush/ Cheney Crew with a hatred of all things Western. To his credit, he points fingers at many of the leaders of Islamic countries and various Middle Eastern factions, as well as at the West. He says "... the unabated political repression, tremendous social inequality and prevailing economic disaster all over the Middle East are direct consequences of decades of 'divide and rule' Western Imperialism plus some extra decades of non-stop meddling coupled with rapacious, arrogant and ignorant local elites."

In many ways it called to mind Al Gore's recent The Assault on Reason, although that focuses as much on what crimes the Bush Bunch has committed against its own people as it does on its behavior in Iraq. Though his writing style makes it a bit hard to follow at times, I kept in mind it was a compilation of essays, not one uninterrupted narration. I'm glad that I read it, but I'm also glad that I'm finished with it.

Let's make it clear the author of Red Zone Blues, Pepe Escobar, is anti American. But when I say anti American what I really mean is anti corporate American imperialism and the death and suffering that usually results. I suppose that makes me anti Anerican as well. Mr Escobar returned to Iraq earlier this year, after the "surge" began to report on what he saw.

Escobar starts his trip in Damascus, Syria the home of thousands of Iraqi refugees. Many of the people who should be building Iraq are no longer there-driven out by ethnic cleansing and violence.

From Damascus it's off to Iraq. Judging from what Escobar reports it's no surprise that 70% of the Iraqis think it's OK to attack Americans. Baghdad is as much a dead zone as it is a "Red Zone".

The US media gives us hints of how bad things are in Iraq but Escobar did what US journalist can't or won't do-talk to the real Iraqis. He may have an agenda but it's a different agenda and one that is more accurate. The book is well worth a read for a more accurate view of what's going on.

I received a book from the publishing house Nimble Books called Red Zone Blues written by a journalist, Pepe Escobar, who has spent years in Iraq learning the nuances of the Iraqi Nation in covering the war for The Asia Times. This is a small book, and if you get it, which I highly recommend, you can finish it in a day, knowing more about Iraq than most people at the State Department.

The story that Escobar tells is one of pure angst. The situation of the Iraqi People is worse under the American occupation than it ever was under Saddam Hussein. The unemployment rate in Iraq is at a stunning 60%, with most people in Baghdad, once the crown jewel of Islam, begging in the streets trying to feed their families. Escobar writes about the different factions in Iraq and he puts down the US notion that it is "sectarian" violence, he says it is not. Escobar tells of Sunni's supporting Shia and vice versa. He talks about the Sadr Army and Sadr City, poor but stable. He explains why the Sadr Army is "laying low" not confronting the Americans, but waiting and calling on them to leave.

In one part of the book, Pepe Escobar takes issue with the right-wing neo-cons that have declared that Iran is giving weapons and advanced IED'S called explosive form penetrators (EFP'S). In his book Escobar states;

"Iran of course can be very persuasive, holding up some tasty cards up its sleeve- such as hard-earned intelligence directly implicating the Saudis in training the Sunni Arab muqawama (resistance) in Iraq on explosive form penetrators (EFP'S), which the Pentagon foolishly insists come from Iran. Everyone in Iraq knows it is operatives from "axis of fear" allies Saudi Arabia and Egypt-and also Pakistan-who have provided the Sunni Arab guerillas in Iraq with technology and training on improvised explosive devices and EFP's." pg. 79.

This is heady stuff. Forget what the American Government has told you. Read this book and form your own opinion on whether what you hear from the mainstream corporate- controlled media is the truth. This little book is worth its weight in gold as far as who is fighting, why they are fighting, and how this country is turning Iraq into yet another American killing field. If the truth is important to you, get this book.

Red Zone Blues: A Snapshot of Baghdad During the Surge is an insider's look at the past, present and future state of life, war and politics in Iraq. Parts of the book are highly critical of American foreign policy, yet Pepe Escobar focuses not on the US military, but on the Iraqi people. Stories are told of the leaders of the factions fighting for power as well as the heart-wrenching narratives from everyday people struggling to live within and around the war zone.

Each brief chapter of the book presents a different point about the conflict or current Middle Eastern politics. I found this format to be a bit distracting, as I had expected a more cohesive account. Although he warns readers that he is writing the "Blues" about the horrid state of Iraq (and constantly reiterates the popular idea that US occupation in Iraq must come to an end), Escobar could have provided his own suggestions or solutions to restoring Baghdad to stability. With the opportunity to present his own editorial, he instead chooses to remain amid the dismal facts and offers no hope for Iraq's future. Perhaps his stance is best summed up in a quote from one of his interviews stating, "[s]ome think it's better for the Americans to stay, otherwise there will be civil war. Others think they should leave. There is no united opinion."

Escobar's writing provided thought-provoking insights with every turn of the page. I most enjoyed the human perspectives and reading the interviews that Escobar, at times, risked his life to conduct. Whether or not readers agree with Escobar's views, I would recommend this book to anyone strictly for the factual information about US foreign policy and the current state of the Middle East. Red Zone Blues is an intense but satisfying book and the straightforward journalistic style will cause many Americans to evaluate, and possibly re-evaluate, their views on the war.

I was expecting something like a dry political discussion and found instead the, often conflicting, heart of the people. This book reads to me like Escobar's notes as he traveled. It has a choppy unconnected feel to it. There are some sloppy grammatical errors. I could nitpick the writing, but find any flaws are minor and outweighed by the content.

Many might find the author to be anti-American, but, whether or not he is, he nonetheless provides an accurate picture of how America is seen by Iraqis. This is the value of the book. It should be required reading for all Americans. If Americans refuse to look at how others see us and/or demand they see us as we see ourselves, we are doomed. While we should not compromise on who and what we are, knowing how others see us should help us to make sure our actions are in line with who we really are (and hopefully not point out that we aren't who we think we are).

Red Zone Blues is two by four up the side of the head.

Those of us who live in the United States live in a media bubble. Too many of us accept the pap the nightly news feeds us. It takes effort to find out what is going on in the rest of the world.

Red Zone Blues is an opportunity to see another take on what has been happening in and to Iraq. Without a stake in American politics, Pepe Escobar takes a tour of Iraq during the recent surge. His "snapshots" give us another picture. Take advantage of it.

When the Iraq war is over in 30 years, and the minds and hearts of the Iraqi people finally won over, this book will remind us on how sensitive it was all done.

In hindsight, this is probably Pepe Escobar`s (who lives in Sao Paulo, Paris and Bangkok) most feeling bizarre book so far; the reader will join the narrator grounded on Iraqi soil during "the surge", in the capital sprinkled with city busters, a land torn apart by cruise missiles, and its senses bombarded with weapons of mass distraction. It is no less than seeing that very tragedy of post-9/11 US foreign policy through the eyes of a non-US journalist, among the ordinary Iraqi civilians. After the invasion, life must go on. But how so?

Escobar certainly went on, he went on to becoming a well-established columnist and author of now three books, all - somewhat related - about US foreign policy, US adversaries, and "war". Escobar, who evidently published his article "Now get Osama, or else..." two weeks before 9/11, starts this one's "Preface Play the blues" with a quote full of horror and blood by Edgar Allen Poe, from his, how delightful, 'The Masque of the Red Death'. The chapter titles are no less dramatic: "Red Zone down South", "Night bus from Baghdad", "The Baghdad gulag", "We build walls, not nations", "An inflation of dead al-Qaedas", "The degree zero of culture" etc. are all drawing the reader deep into the politics of war, military, and culturally...

I read this book like I would read a good novel; it takes the reader on a speedy journey of witty observations and incredible love for detail from a disco in Copacabana with its caipirinhas and "hordes of spectacularly curvaceous Brazilian babes and uber-transvestites" in Rio to the horrors and hells of Baghdad. So, this is all very gripping and I have no doubts to believe that Escobar is genuinely interested in revealing the truth, telling us what all the people genuinely think, thereby not pleasing his superiors, politicians, or anyone with great power really, yet he sometimes borders on risky subjectivity, every now and then. Nothing wrong with that, as I said, I understand this work as a good novel, not a history book or work of scholarship. He uses a lot of clichés, too, as in "banner of the morning: "F*** Bush, let's samba."" or "One black brother can't help it: "Make my day, Muqtada al-Sadr!", but so do al-Qaeda, the US government, and the media too.

I've said it before, this is a colorful, exciting journalist work, with plenty of technocratic vocabulary from your International Relations course-books and, for the visionists among us, CNN broadcast, mingled with terms from philosophy (yep, Nietzsche is in it) and web 2.0 (youtube & co.). And, of course, there are a lot of place names and persons that I fear I will never remember, ever, like Aziz Abu Ammar Al Yarubiye, Muqtada al-Sadr, Ayatollah Mohammad Saidiq al-Sadr...

During this (too short, I feel) book I kept imagine the seeker driving through Rio, Bangkok, or war-torn Baghdad, always young, always alerted; he also reminds me a bit of that back-packing character Richard in Alex Garland's 'The Beach', or even, Marlow on his assignment to return Kurtz to civilization in Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness', and there are indeed similarities like the frame narrative of the story (Baghdad) within a story (Rio). But, of course, the former stories are fiction, so how authentic is this Escobar's turbulent, personal Iraqi account of 'Red Zone'? I take it as it is: Sometimes, writing a book and writing a book that sells can be two different pairs of shoes: "IT DON'T MEAN A THING IF IT AIN'T GOT THAT EURASIAN SWING!"