Customer Reviews

The Terrorists of Iraq: Inside the Strategy and Tactics of the Iraq Insurgency

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There's been quite a bit written about the enemy we currently face in Iraq and in many cases I think the material seems to be embellished with hyperbole or just a rough overview lacking any detail you couldn't gleen from the internet or the media. Nance's book is a dramatic departure from what's come before it. I was given this book on return from a recent deployment to Iraq and find that it jibes well with the model we faced downrange. Nance is a skilled arabist with an intelligence background that makes him an excellent scribe to collect the vast pool of information on the threat, filter it and format it into a useful product. But what makes this information so unique is that Nance didn't just call upon his background and assessment from afar, he's been on the ground for years in theater actively working the threat. His assessment of how the threat evolved, its adaptive techniques, motivations and goals is refreshingly honest and sans political slant.

Who is this book for? It's a fantastic read for troops heading to Iraq as well as intelligence analysts as it covers in depth the genesis and evolution of the threat as well as its amorphous form. Military historians and enthusiasts will get much from this book as it appears to be the most complete and accurate record of the Iraq insurgency currently published (2007). I give it my highest reccomendation.

The author does an excellent job of bringing grounded research to look at some questions of national security. Some of these questions are "simple", like "Why are the Iraqi's using IED's?" and other more difficult questions such as "What should be done to improve the situation for Iraq?". In particular I really enjoyed the author's analysis on Saddam's preparations for insurgency before the US occupation of Iraq. I recommend that the decision makers read this book to see some common sense patterns clearly laid out.

This is by far the most accurate, contemporary, and complete single source of information available to the consumer on the topic of terrorist threats in Iraq. It is a "must read" for anyone wishing to develop an understanding of Iraqi political and war dynamics.

The author provides an overview of the various terrorists groups operating in Iraq, along with their tactics and potential size. Although the research and discussion of tactics is infomative - I did not really find much value that could be derived for either Soldiers operating in Iraq, or military or civilian leaders attempting to use this book to assist with planning a future strategy due to its lack of specificity.

I especially had issues with the size of each terrorist group depicted by the author - I did not see any true evidence to support his claims

Finally, the numerous editing / mispellings throughout the book gives an extremely poor impression - the most poorly edited book that I have ever read.