Valentine's Day gifts for her from Shopbop
To share your reaction on this item, open the Amazon app from the App Store or Google Play on your phone.
Buy used:
$3.25
$3.98 delivery February 4 - 5. Details
Or fastest delivery January 30 - February 4. Details
Used: Very Good | Details
Sold by glenthebookseller
Condition: Used: Very Good
Comment: Item in very good condition! Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc...
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Added to

Sorry, there was a problem.

There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Please try again.

Sorry, there was a problem.

List unavailable.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Patrick Cockburn
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Occupation: War and Resistance in Iraq Hardcover – October 17, 2006

by Patrick Cockburn (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 23 ratings
See all formats and editions
National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist 2006.

In March 2003, Patrick Cockburn secretly crossed the Tigris river from Syria into Iraq just before the US/British invasion, and has covered the war ever since. In The Occupation, he provides a vivid and disturbing picture of a country in turmoil, and the dangers and privations endured by its people.

The Occupation explores the mosaic of communities in Iraq, The US and Britain’s failure to understand they country they were invading and how this led to fatal mistakes. Cockburn, who has been visiting Iraq since 1978, describes the disintegration of the country under the occupation. Travelling throughout Iraq, from the Kurdish north, to Baghdad, Falluja and Basra, he records the response of the country’s population – Shia and Sunni, Arab and Kurd – to the invasion, the growth of the resistance and its transformation into a full-scale uprising. He explains why deepening religious and ethnic divisions drove the country towards civil war.

Above all, Cockburn traces how the occupation’s failure led to the collapse of the country, and the high price paid by the Iraqis. He charts the impact of savage sectarian killings, rampant corruption and economic chaos on everyday life: from the near destruction of Baghdad’s al-Mutanabi book market to the failure to supply electricity, water and, ironically, fuel to Iraq’s population.

The Occupation is a compelling portrait of a ravaged country, and the appalling consequences of imperial arrogance.
Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    229 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Verso
  4. Publication date
    October 17, 2006
  5. Dimensions
    0.58 x 0.1 x 0.86 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1844671003
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1844671007
  8. See all details
Next slide of product details

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Previous set of slides
  1. The Age of Jihad: Islamic State and the Great War for the Middle East
    Patrick Cockburn
     
    Hardcover
    -49%$15.20
    List: $29.95
    Get it as soon as Tuesday, Feb 4
    FREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by Amazon
    Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
  2. The Rise of Islamic State: ISIS and the New Sunni Revolution
    Patrick Cockburn
     
    Paperback
    -43%$9.68
    List: $16.95
    Get it as soon as Thursday, Jan 30
    FREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by Amazon
    Only 2 left in stock - order soon.
  3. Behind Enemy Lies: War, News and Chaos in the Middle East
    Patrick Cockburn
     
    Paperback
    $19.95
    Get it as soon as Monday, Feb 3
    FREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by Amazon
    Only 1 left in stock (more on the way).
Next set of slides

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Cockburn’s eye for the telling detail lifts The Occupation above the usual journalist’s account of the Iraq war.”—New York Times

“Cockburn’s account of the evolving conflict ... is informed by his keen personal observations and understanding of the complexities and horrors of daily life in Iraq.”—Library Journal

“Of the raft of books about the calamitous mismanagement of the intervention in Iraq, The Occupation is probably the most readable and certainly the only one that—even if only in the driest possible way—manages to be amusing.”—Christopher Hitchens, Slate

“Required reading ... a masterpiece of journalism.”—A N Wilson, Evening Standard

“Cockburn will be read when the rest of us are long forgotten.”—The Times

About the Author

Patrick Cockburn, Middle East correspondent of Independent, has been visiting Iraq since 1978. He was awarded the 2005 Martha Gellhorn prize for war reporting. He is the author of The Broken Boy, a memoir, and, with Andrew Cockburn, Out of the Ashes: The Resurrection of Saddam Hussein.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Verso; 0 edition (October 17, 2006)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 229 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1844671003
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1844671007
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.7 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.58 x 0.1 x 0.86 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 23 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Patrick Cockburn

Patrick Cockburn

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
23 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find the book well-researched, with relevant facts and events that are not reported in mainstream sources. They appreciate the author's perspective and personal stories. The book is described as easy to read and well-written.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
DetailReadability
7 customers mention "Detail"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the book provides relevant and accurate details about events that were missed by mainstream sources. They say it's well-researched, with interesting personal stories. The book is described as informative and a valuable contribution to history. While dated, it's still considered essential reading for the US Department of Defense, state, and Congress.

"...Still, this is a valuable account of daily events in the lives of Iraqis, which have largely escaped our news services...." Read more

"...At this point this book is a bit dated, but it is still valuable." Read more

"...There are some interesting personal stories. But really I have probably had my fill of tragic human interest stories in Iraq...." Read more

"...It is filled with relevant, and verifiable facts, and if you believe, as I do (and have from the very beginning) that the U.S. invasion of Iraq was..." Read more

3 customers mention "Readability"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and well-written. They recommend it for anyone.

"...It is certainly an easy read and it's hard to put down... you'll be done with it in no time...." Read more

"...Readability: The book was fairly easy to read, and I read the whole thing, so there must have been some parts of interest...." Read more

"Very well written, detailed and inciteful, highly recommended for anyone who wants more than the "embedded" corporate media perspective." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • MS
    5.0 out of 5 stars Required reading for US Department of Defense, State and Congress
    Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2008
    Verified Purchase
    Along with "The Ugly American," this should be required reading for anyone in DoD, State and Congress. It's dense, hard-hitting and powerful. If you want to understand why the Iraqi insurgency exploded in the summer of 2003 and then continued to grow, read this book. Some vignettes in this book are also in Mr. Cockburn's other book about Muqtada al Sadr, but it doesn't detract from it's quality. You read it and just shake your head in disbelief and the lost opportunities.

    But like his other book about Muqtada, it's clear Mr. Cockburn is no fan of the Bush Administration. Although this book is more measured, particularly through the first 3/4's of the book, by the end he's practically histrionic in his anti-Bush/Neo-con rants - which detract from the book. I get he has seen up close the impacts of American and British policies, and has lost friends because of them, but if he wants to truly do great work that will be accepted by a more general centrist audience, he's got to tone down the biases.

    Still, the book is full of great and insightful information about Iraq. Worth the read.
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Nerdus Maximus
    4.0 out of 5 stars My first exposure to any book by Patrick Cockburn
    Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2007
    Verified Purchase
    I won't give it 5 stars because the writing style is too informal and he doesn't follow a chronological line; he jumps back and forth in time between chapters. Still, this is a valuable account of daily events in the lives of Iraqis, which have largely escaped our news services. It's tragedy piled upon tragedy, and if it weren't a situation full of death, destruction, desperation, and horror, it'd almost be comical.

    It is certainly an easy read and it's hard to put down... you'll be done with it in no time.

    Definitely a valuable contribution to anyone with an interest in the history of the second war against Iraq.
    7 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Constitutional Lawyer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very detailed, adds a perspective not often seen
    Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    The author writes a very (did I just say "very" ?) detailed description of the occupation of Iraq and the various mistakes (did I just say "mistakes" ?) made by the US in its invasion and occupation of Iraq. He is unrelenting in his criticism of the actions of the US, just as the facts dictate.

    Apparently no one "up top" knew what they were doing, and neither did most of the "leadership personnel" on the ground, is the conclusion the book compels. Golly.

    At this point this book is a bit dated, but it is still valuable.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Kiran Hill
    2.0 out of 5 stars Anti American point of view of our effort.
    Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2007
    Verified Purchase
    From the spelling and from the total contempt of American and Americans I gather that the Author is British. And that is mainly what this book is about, contempt for American actions, and to a certain extent contempt for British actions where the Brits are allied and trying to help our noble cause.

    What the book is about:
    `The Occupation', is mainly a list of things that we have done wrong, and how terribly bad Iraq is after American liberation. And the truth is things are bad here, and there have been mistakes and misdeeds, and there is plenty of sad events and misery, enough to write this short book.
    If the book had been written by an educated insurgent, I don't imagine it would be much different. The author writes of no American successes, as though for the entire war that has gone on for four years, that nothing has ever been done right. I expected at least a notional objectivism so the author could claim journalistic integrity or something, but he makes no such attempt. He does write plenty about the successes of the insurgents and how they are undefeatable.

    The author writes that the only reason for American success in Fallujah was our superior and overused firepower, but that it was really a success of the insurgency because they learned not to fight us that way. He seems to think that the only reason we ever win anything is because of our superior firepower.

    The author concedes nothing to us in terms of good will, stoic effort, any talent or ability. He offers not one example of anything that we have done right. He offers no useful suggestions of what we could do to improve the situation. No useful or non-useful suggestions really. Just that we are bad greedy, incompetent, amoral and corrupt. And the Brits in that they are on our side, are only slightly better, but are also bad on average in all those categories, because they are on our side.

    Readability:
    The book was fairly easy to read, and I read the whole thing, so there must have been some parts of interest. There are some interesting personal stories. But really I have probably had my fill of tragic human interest stories in Iraq. When reading the book, I was hoping for something useful, some suggestion or idea about how we could be doing things better over here. But I came up empty in that regard.
    17 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Pedro Villarias
    5.0 out of 5 stars The story of Iraq after the American invasion of 2003 ...
    Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    The story of Iraq after the American invasion of 2003 with a lot of first hands accounts.A must for any politician involved in foreign affairs. It shows the dangers of external involvement in a country with little concern of its historical, religious and ethnic peculiarities. Along with the other work of the author “Out of the ashes”, about the period between the two Gulf wars, you can obtain a very clear vision of the tragedy of modern Iraq.
    Helpful
     Report
  • J. McCarthy
    5.0 out of 5 stars Resist War
    Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2008
    Verified Purchase
    The Occupation: War and Resistance in Iraq

    I thought this book lived up to all the reviews I had read about it in various magazines.

    For anyone who is interested in facts, not fiction, about the U.S. occupation of Iraq, this book will more than suffice. It is filled with relevant, and verifiable facts, and if you believe, as I do (and have from the very beginning) that the U.S. invasion of Iraq was a mistake, this will just add fuel to your fire.
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • Wayne Brown
    4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on March 15, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Good.
    Report
  • Philip
    5.0 out of 5 stars This is as close as you'll get to the reality out there...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 17, 2009
    Verified Purchase
    without getting shot at...or blown up...

    The author has lived in Iraq on and off since the 1970s, and he knows the streets and the personalities. They probably (non pc thought coming up here...) trust him more because he's Irish, not American or English. His brother writes the CounterPunch articles.

    Reading this book, you can smell the anarchy and the fear out there... No I'm not being melodramatic. He has a unique ability to convey that very fully in an understated manner. He has access to more personnalities in Iraq from government level to street level than you could imagine would talk to one man. But, and this is the crunch, it all fits togetherlike a glove. This man knows Iraq like few other Westerners. He can get under the skin of the place and has done so succesfully. Again he is Irish so he has none of the overbeaeing arrogance, and/or self-righteousness, false pity of many American and English authors. He has no imperial/do gooder baggage to drag around. He tells it exactly as he sees it - no, he tells it exactly as THEY see it, the PBI (Poor bloody Iraqis). He pulls no punches,but weaves their narratives together with compassion and intelligence. He lets THEM do the talking...

    But don't take my word for it; just go read it for yourselves and understand...
    Report
  • 松下重悳
    4.0 out of 5 stars 現場からイラク問題の本質を描く
    Reviewed in Japan on September 18, 2007
    Verified Purchase
    　イラクでは篭城して町に出られない一般のジャーナリストとは異なり、長年の実績で注意すればイラクを歩き回れる米在住Ireland人の筆者が、イラクの現場の最新情報をレポートした本だ。米国内向けを意識したマスコミ報道では語られない内情を本書は赤裸々に描いている。
    　米軍を引き出したい一心のイラク人亡命者の楽観論に乗って、戦後処理の戦略を持たなかった米軍が、社会のリーダクラスだったBaath党員を全員追放して警察や学校や病院が機能しなくなり、イラクに無政府状態を作り出してしまった。そもそも米軍と戦って負けた意識が無い国民は、Saddam Hussein時代よりも生活が悪くなったのは米軍の責任だと反発し、米軍はそれを武力で鎮圧するから、米軍はHusseinよりも悪い圧政者だと益々反撃が激しくなるという占領軍vs被占領民の戦争だと筆者はいう。米軍を増派すればするほど被占領民の被害が増え、憎しみが増して、反撃は激化するという。
    　加えて、Sunni派、Shia派、Kurd人の3勢力相互間の不信・憎悪からくる殺戮が止まる所を知らない。無政府状態だから強盗・誘拐・汚職・横領が蔓延し、復興予算も私的ポケットに消えてしまう情況だという。愛想を尽かして才覚のある人は皆国外に逃げてしまった。
    　筆者も解決案を持たないから、読んでいてやるせなくなる。しかし筆者は米国の傲慢がこの事態を招いたと指摘している。マスコミからは読取れないイラク問題の本質を理解するには必読の書である。
    Report
  • Dr Talal Farah
    4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 26, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    quite informative
    Report
  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 2, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Well written by an author who is experienced with the troubles of the Middle East.
    Report