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Out of the Ashes: The Resurrection of Saddam Hussein (Paperback)

~ (Author), Patrick Cockburn (Author)

4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

When the United States and its allies launched Operation Desert Storm against Iraq in 1991 in retaliation for that nation's invasion of Kuwait, the plans to bomb "command and control" centers had a clear, albeit largely unspoken, objective: "We don't do assassinations," National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft has acknowledged, "but yes, we targeted all the places where Saddam might have been." The only problem: he wasn't there and, nearly a decade after the Gulf War, he continues to remain in power.

Patrick and Andrew Cockburn present a two-pronged story in Out of the Ashes. They fill readers in on the background of Saddam Hussein's rise to power; an instrumental figure in the Baath Party's 1968 seizure of power, he became president of Iraq in 1979, initiating his reign with a bloody purge of dissenters. The two journalists also chart the disastrous effects of the economic sanctions to which Iraq has been subject since 1991. The sanctions were intended to provoke Iraqi military leadership into overthrowing Saddam, but public remarks by then-president George Bush inadvertently inspired revolt among the general Iraqi population. The military was thus too busy putting down nationwide rebellion to organize a coup; a CIA-sponsored effort five years later was an abject failure. And the sanctions, the Cockburns note, appear to have succeeded only in creating holocaust conditions and anti-Western sentiment among the Iraqis.

Patrick Cockburn brings the experience of 20 years spent covering the Middle East, and his brother Andrew is well known for his reportage on the American government's policymaking. The result is a wealth of information about Iraqi politics--and the consistent miscomprehension of those politics by U.S. strategic planners--delivered in a tightly written narrative. --Ron Hogan --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Indispensable to anyone who wants to understand the Iraq crisis, the Cockburns' riveting report on Saddam Hussein's murderous regime and U.S.-backed attempts to overthrow it in the wake of the Gulf War is packed with revelations. The book is especially timely, given the recent U.S. announcement that it is going to step up covert operations aimed at ousting Saddam. Illuminating previous attempts to topple Saddam, the authors give readers thorough accounts of various failures, including the half-hearted American support of Kurdish and Shiite opposition groups immediately after the war and a botched 1996 CIA operation that the Cockburns liken to the Bay of Pigs fiasco. The Cockburns maintain that the U.S.-led sanctions policy is a big mistake, making the Iraqi people pay the priceAmalnutrition, soaring child mortality, deepening povertyAfor an evil dictator whom the masses despise. The U.S., they conclude, can do little to oust Saddam, while the best course is to wait for Iraqis to take matters into their own handsAas the authors believe they inevitably will. The Cockburns are seasoned reporters (Andrew, author of One Point Safe with Leslie Cockburn, coproduced a 1991 PBS documentary on Iraq; Patrick, author of Getting Russia Wrong, is Middle East correspondent for the London Independent). In the process of explaining how Saddam clings to power, the authors also shed light on the history of the tyrant and his ruling clique, internal Iraqi politics and the evolution and transformation of American policy.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Harper Perennial (February 16, 2000)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0060929839
ISBN-13: 978-0060929831
Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 1 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces

Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #640,153 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Look Inside This Book

Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover

Citations (learn more)

39 books cite this book:

The Reckoning: Iraq and the Legacy of Saddam Hussein by Sandra Mackey on 4 pages
Deterring America: Rogue States and the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction by Derek D. Smith on 4 pages
Neighbors, Not Friends: Iraq and Iran after the Gulf Wars by Dilip Hiro in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
The Future Security Environment in the Middle East: Conflict, Stability, and Political Change by Nora Bensahel on page 137, and Back Matter
The Persian Gulf in the Coming Decade: Trends, Threats, and Opportunities by Daniel L. Byman on page 14, and Back Matter

See all 39 books citing this book

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	82% buy the item featured on this page: Out of the Ashes: The Resurrection of Saddam Hussein 4.2 out of 5 stars (18)
	18% buy The Occupation: War and Resistance in Iraq 4.6 out of 5 stars (14) $11.43

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Customer Reviews

18 Reviews

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.2 out of 5 stars (18 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful and well-researched!, March 28, 2002

By	Critical Eyes "benjamintlh" (Singapore) - See all my reviews

This book presents valuable insights into post-gulf war Iraq and the political intricacies of Saddams regime. Given the recent major terrorist incidents, the study of Iraq and its dictator holds great relevance. Iraq had used chemical weapons against Iran and the Kurds, and was known to have ambitious programs to build a biological, chemical and nuclear arsenal. Thanks to the UN sanctions, its economic prowess has been significantly weakened. Otherwise, it could be both a formidable terror state as well as resource-rich sponsor of terrorism worldwide. But an Iraq under Saddam cannot be underestimated; it is and has always been a very real threat. What should be USs policies towards this rogue state? Well, read this book and maybe you would have formed some answers in your mind.

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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a good read, February 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Out of the Ashes: The Resurrection of Saddam Hussein (Hardcover)

Out of the Ashes was good book and a timely one. Its greatest strengths are the authors' description of Hussein's family and its murderous pattern of doing "business."

But it's not a perfect book. I got the impression that some events were glossed over by the Cockburns. There is also a very faint aroma of anti-American sentiment. The authors find much to criticize --particularly Scott Ritter-- but only spend a paragraph or so at the very end of the book suggesting how we can deal with Saddam.

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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Do we even have a policy?, March 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Out of the Ashes: The Resurrection of Saddam Hussein (Hardcover)

It is hard to imagine how a better book on the subject of Iraq since the Gulf War could be written. Andrew Cockburn - based in Washington, DC and Patrick - based in Jerusalem - are able to make use of an incredible assortment of inside sources to take us step-by-step through the US's (in most cases the CIA's) disastrous non-strategy of the past decade. Illogical and inconsistent policies, the betrayal of allies, lost opportunities, a continued failure to support viable oppostion movements - it's all here, crisply narrated.

What really sets this book apart is the authors' astounding ability to elicit surreal humor from the most evil of situations - for example a first-hand account of Saddam's murdurous son Uday (who is also Chair of the Iraqi Olympic Committee, which has its own prison) discussing with his very fat and very drunk Armenian tailor (known as 'the philosopher') the relative merits of Liberace and Engelbert Humperdinck.

I read this book this weekend at a single sitting, and I am proud to add it to my extensive library of Middle East policy studies. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Pre 9/11 view of Saddam Hussein
This is an interesting book regarding Iraq during the time period between the First Gulf War and the election of George W. Bush in 2000. Read more

Published on June 3, 2006 by D. E. W. Turner

5.0 out of 5 stars well written and informative
The 90's were a very rough decade for Iraq and a very complicated period to study. U.S. policy at the time was all over the place (Clinton should be faulted for doing a horrible... Read more

Published on October 25, 2005 by Lee L.

4.0 out of 5 stars A Hidden Gem
In the lead up to the latest Iraq war, there was no end to books and press on the weapons of mass destruction, terrorist links, and just how nasty Saddam was. Read more

Published on January 11, 2004 by John G. Hilliard

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Reporting
If you are looking for one book to give you a thorough background on Iraq and its relations with the US, this is it. Read more

Published on May 3, 2003 by chloe

5.0 out of 5 stars In the end, there is only Hope
To paraphrase the philosopher Walter Benjamin, hope was given to us precisely for the sake of the hopeless. Read more

Published on March 14, 2003 by Stephen Zielinski

5.0 out of 5 stars a marvelous look at the nation we are about to invade
Saddam Hussein and his sons and thier quest for nuclear supremacy is the subject of this well researched good read. Read more

Published on February 20, 2003 by Seth J. Frantzman

2.0 out of 5 stars Great Facts but Poor Presentation
This book was so full of facts, including detailed names of an entire chain of people involved in Iraq that the meaning and overall picture got lost in all the detail. Read more

Published on August 2, 2002 by M. Signoretto

3.0 out of 5 stars Life inside the regime of Saddam Hussein
This book will fascinate anyone with a deep interest in the Gulf War. The Cockburns show us what was happening on the other side, within Iraq. Read more

Published on August 21, 2000 by saskatoonguy

4.0 out of 5 stars A compelling case for finishing the job
The strongpoint of "Out of the Ashes" is the compelling argument it makes for the US/U.N. to have "finished the job" in 1991 and driven Saddam Hussein out of... Read more

Published on May 14, 2000 by Brian D. Rubendall

4.0 out of 5 stars Missed opportunities to overthrow Saddam Hussein
This is a very readable book. It established the missed opportunities the United States had in getting rid of Saddam Hussein. Read more

Published on March 31, 2000 by Kevin M Quigg

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