Tell Me How This Ends: General David Petraeus and the Search for a Way Out of Iraq [Hardcover]

Linda Robinson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2, 2008

After a series of disastrous missteps in its conduct of the war, the White House in 2006 appointed General David Petraeus as the Commanding General of the coalition forces. Tell Me How This Ends is an inside account of his attempt to turn around a failing war.

Linda Robinson conducted extensive interviews with Petraeus and his subordinate commanders and spent weeks with key U.S. and Iraqi divisions. The result is the only book that ties together military operations in Iraq and the internecine political drama that is at the heart of the civil war.

Replete with dramatic battles, behind-doors confrontations, and astute analysis, the book tells the full story of the Iraq War’s endgame, and lays out the options that will be facing the next president when he or she takes office in January 2009.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Robinson (author in residence, Johns Hopkins Univ.; Masters of Chaos) tackles a subject that has been the focus of the nation's attention since 2003. Although it can be easy to overlook yet another book on Iraq, she brings an insider's perspective to the subject. Based on her reporting, interviews, travels to Iraq, and unpublished sources, her book focuses on both military and political issues, lessons learned in the early years of the war, General Petraeus's approach to the latter phase of the war, the results of his approach, and suggestions for the next administration. Robinson does a great job of refreshing the reader's memories about events in Iraq before and after Petraeus; however, her own right-leaning political beliefs occasionally come through, and some readers may find her tone one-sided. For those less well versed in the Iraq War, a map and a list with the "Principal Cast of Characters" come in handy. Recommended for larger public and academic libraries.—Jenny Seftas, Southwest Florida Coll. Lib., Fort Myers
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

“New York Times Notable Book of the Year”

James Traub, New York Times Book Review, October 5, 2008
“…the first book about this new Iraq. It’s a first-rate piece of work, probing and conscientious.”
 

David Kirkpatrick, The New York Times, October 26, 2008
“an admiring account of the troop “surge” in Iraq that Mr. McCain was among the first to embrace.”
 

Colonel Gregory Fontenot, Military Review, November/December issue
“As a rule, hyperbole is permissible for the ‘blurbs’ on the jacket of books and not in reviews, but in the case of Linda Robinson’s Tell Me How This Ends, it’s a hard one to follow. Robinson’s book is among the best written about the war in Iraq….”
 

Military Times, November 17, 2008
“The author who persuaded press-shy Special Forces soldiers to open up in the fascinating “Masters of Chaos: The Secret History of the Special Forces” (PublicAffairs, 2004) has done it again. This time, she persuaded Petraeus — now head of U.S. Central Command — and others in Iraq to talk, and she listened. And evidently, she took good notes. The result is not as dramatic as “Chaos,” but given the themes — politics and management — the insights in “Tell Me How This Ends” make the book worthwhile contemporary history and, foremost, military biography.”

John Nagl, Army Magazine, December issue
“Likely to remain the best analysis of General Petraeus’ role in the decisive years of the war in Iraq short of the general’s own memoirs.”

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: PublicAffairs; 1 edition (September 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1586485288
• ISBN-13: 978-1586485283
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 1.4 x 9.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #912,651 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

76 of 79 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Tell Me How This Ends: A First Draft of History August 25, 2008

By Joseph J. Collins

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Linda Robinson's "Tell Me How This Ends: General Petraeus and the Search for a Way Out of Iraq" is a superb addition to the next wave of Iraq War literature: the Surge Assessments. Hitting the ground before new books by Gordon, Ricks, Woodward, et al., Robinson of the "US News and World Report" tells more than the tale of how a General and his wizards turned around a failed military effort. "Tell Me How This Ends" is a holistic picture of the Surge. It takes the reader from fractious discussions in the White House --- where a beleaguered President pushed aside all of his senior military advisors to go the extra mile for success --- down to the burning fighting vehicles of the troops who bought battlefield progress with their blood. Robinson's battle stories of the 5th Cavalry, 26th Infantry, 23d Infantry, 10th Mountain Division, and the Marines in Anbar will quiet those who think we can't take a punch or fight this kind of war.

At the same time, Robinson knows her counterinsurgency theory. She portrays the struggle for Iraq as essentially a political contest and spends many pages discussing how Ambassador Ryan Crocker and his team prodded the Maliki government to act in the whole nation's interest. Among the more interesting pages are those on the Awakening, the process whereby Sunni tribesmen were turned against the vicious, foreign influences of Al Qaeda. Equally interesting were the chapters on how the central (Shiite-dominated) Iraqi government is dealing with those armed Sunnis, who are, at least for now, nominally on their side. Another highlight --- at least for this old soldier-bureaucrat --- was the inner workings of Team Petraeus and how this remarkable General adapted a standard military bureaucracy to the task of politico-military innovation.... The cooperation documented here between the Embassy and the Command was also exemplary.

All of these issues are covered with great insight, fueled by experienced, on-the-ground reporting. There is a minimum of anonymous, third-hand sources in this book. Most of the participants speak clearly here in their own words, or through first hand observations, or by their subsequent actions. If good journalism is the first draft of history, we can be well satisfied with Robinson's contribution. The title passage --- tell me how this ends --- was actually a rhetorical question from then-Major General Petraeus at the start of the Iraq war. In a twist of historical irony, the questioner became responsible for crafting the political-military answer to his own question. Much progress has been made, but as Petraeus himself has recently noted, we are not yet ready for dancing in the end zone. This is the critical set of issues covered holistically by Linda Robinson in this well-reported and highly readable book. She has set the bar high for those who come after her.

This review represents my personal views and does not represent the policy or opinion of any U.S. government entity.

Joseph J. Collins, National War College, August 25, 2008. Read more ›

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Plan and a Man October 2, 2008

By John T. Fishel

Format:Hardcover

In his acclaimed study of counterinsurgency, LEARNING TO EAT SOUP WITH A KNIFE, John Nagl includes this note from Vicount Montgomery of El Alamein, to the Colonial Secretary,
" Dear Lyttelton, Malaya
We must have a plan.
Secondly we must have a man.
When we have a plan and a man, we shall succeed: not otherwise.
Yours Sincerely,
Montgomery (F.M.)"

Linda Robinson, in her brilliantly conceived and executed, TELL ME HOW THIS ENDS: GENERAL DAVID PETRAEUS AND THE SEARCH FOR A WAY OUT OF IRAQ. addresses the Iraq war in terms of both the plan - how it was developed, adapted, and executed - and the man: Petraeus. In so doing, she has written a classic analysis that ranges from U.S. national policy through the levels of strategy and operations down to the tactical and back again. In telling the story of General Petraeus and his plan she also tells the tales of the other actors, American and Iraqi, Ambassadors and Generals, Lt. Colonels, Captains, Sergeants, soldiers and Marines. And she shows how the smoke and sounds of battle (and the silences) flow from policies, plans, and military doctrine.

Robinson's story focuses on David Petraeus and takes the reader through a series of key mentorships and experiences. The most important mentor was General John R. Galvin who encouraged Petraeus to seek his doctorate and brought him into contact with counteinsurgency in 1986 when Galvin was the commander of the U.S. Southern Command in Panama. Robinson notes, in this context, that Petraeus co-authored Galvin's important article, "Uncomfortable Wars" dealing with counterinsurgency in Latin America published in the Army War College journal, PARAMETERS, and later in Max Manwaring's edited volume by the same title.... From this background and later experiences in Iraq, Petraeus led the effort to redefine Army and Marine Corps counteinsurgency doctrine while commanding the Army's Combined Arms Center.

For this, Petraeus assembled a team under the leadership of his West Point classmate, Con Crane, and including LTC John Nagl. Robinson points out the debt the authors acknowledge to Manwaring's work on small wars issues. From the doctrine that his efforts produced, the newly promoted four star General Petraeus developed the strategy that came to be known as "the surge" (of which the troop surge was only a small, if important, part).

Robinson uses this story to show how an effective military commander works to achieve unity of effort up to the political level, laterally with the American ambassador in Iraq, and down to the troops under his command. In the process, she demosntrates the difficulties inherent in coalition counterinsurgent warfare.

The weakest section of the book is her last chapter (which is not very weak at all) where she suggests approaches for the future in Iraq. The only problem is that much of the future is now and some of her suggestions have been overtaken by events.

That said, the only appropriate words for the book are superlatives! Read more ›

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A well-written informative history October 11, 2008

By Fierce & Fond Reader

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

An overview of American and Iraqi political, military, social and religious histories plus a bio of General Petraeus told in episodic
pivotal moments of choices, impacts and combat. Like the situation, a complicated read. I learnt a ton more than anything aired on tv channel news.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Character Analysis November 24, 2008

By Neil Bacon

Format:Hardcover

Great analysis of a great commander. Shows the human side of what it took behind the scenes to accomplish what GEN Petraeus and his people achieved. A book for anyone seriously interested in how to lead people as well as anyone interested in how Iraq has been transformed.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Finding a Way out of Iraq July 17, 2009

By Alan L. Chase VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

A few months ago I received a wonderful gift. In anticipation of the likelihood that I would soon have an opportunity to meet General Petraeus, my friend, retired Major General David Harris, sent me a copy of Linda Robinson's carefully researched book, "Tell Me How This Ends."

Ms. Robinson has done a masterful job of presenting both the disastrous first few years of U.S. involvement in Iraq, beginning with the invasion in 2003, and the far more successful time following "the surge" under the leadership of Petraeus. The picture that Robinson paints in this book is consistent with the themes that I heard Petraeus speak about when he was at Harvard's Kennedy School a few months ago.

Of the many worthwhile passages I could have selected as excerpts to share, I have chosen one that highlights the stress of extended deployments, and one that talks about the more recent successes experienced by our troops and their Iraqi counterparts.

"The end of their fifteen-month tour was finally in sight for the Blue Spaders. They were the first active-duty unit to serve the extended tour, and the extra three months in Baghdad's most violent neighborhood had taken its toll. Nearly every day of their 443-day tour was a combat patrol. Of the battalion's 800 soldiers, 35 had been killed in action and 122 wounded, three times the casualty rate of 1-26's previous deployment to Iraq in 2004-2005. It was the highest casualty rate any battalion had suffered since the Vietnam War. Six soldiers had lost one or both legs, and many more suffered lifelong injuries. Thanks to Doc Welchel and the medics, many wounded men had survived, but there were grievous injuries, including ones that would not surface for months.... Many traumatic brain injuries caused by bomb blasts were not diagnosed until later.

Chaplain Choi believed the extra three months had caused an exponential increase in stress and fatigue. `I've only got twelve months of Iraqi patience,' Padgett joked. The battalion had lived in dangerous Spartan outposts with none of the amenities most. U.S. soldiers in Iraq took for granted. To help the men cope with their grief and prepare for the transition from war to home, Choi and the new battalion commander launched Operation Healing Heart, a program to treat the whole person with physical, spiritual and mental activities. He organized weight-lifting and other contests and card- and-video-game tournaments. In between patrols the soldiers played soccer and basketball in the walled city streets outside their ministry buildings-cum-barracks. Choi conducted Protestant services and found a Catholic priest to celebrate mass." (Pages 210-211)

It is clear throughout the book - and Robinson's conclusions are echoed in other accounts I have been reading - that part of the reason for the turn-around in Iraq was the broader, more holistic view of counter-insurgency that Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker together brought to the table.

"No single silver bullet accounted for the marked decline in violence in the last half of 2007, which reversed the upward trend for the first time since the war began. It was the result of many important innovations in both strategy and tactics that would likely be incorporated into future doctrine - if the army continued to embrace counterinsurgency and stability operations. The measures included the increase in troops, their dispersion, various population control measures, more precise counterterrorism measured enabled by better intelligence, and, most of all, the outreach to the armed antagonists and their constituents. . . . Most important, each battalion and company made it a priority to develop relationships and reach out to the `reconcilable' antagonists, their supporters, and the fence-sitters. These were inherently political activities that produced political effects that Petraeus massed rapidly to pressure the Iraqi government to in turn take political action that would affect the war's strategic level. . . .Petraeus waded into politics as no general before him had done and directed his troops to do the same." (Page 324)

The work that Robinson has done in collecting data, stories and insights makes a very positive and valuable contribution to our appreciation of what has been happening in Iraq. Her writing makes clear the arc that our involvement in Iraqi has followed from 2003 until the present time. The book has broadened my understanding. I recommend it strongly.

Al Read more ›