Review by Choice Review
Editor Steed (US Army Command and General Staff College) offers a valuable reference overview of the US conflict in Iraq, 2003--2011. Users of this publisher's many other titles will be familiar with its arrangement: a detailed summary of causes, consequences, and events followed by more than 100 A--Z entries authored by numerous scholars. Each in-depth article offers not only detail (of events, people, or organizations) but also consequence analysis for actions or decisions, and each concludes with source references. Examples of topics covered are Saddam Hussein, the first battle of Fallujah, al Qaeda in Iraq, the Arab Spring, and WikiLeaks. The work concludes with more than a dozen curated and contextualized primary source documents, a comprehensive chronology, a four-page bibliography that includes films and documentaries, and a list of contributors. Well indexed, this helpful contribution includes numerous black-and-white photographs but, surprisingly, not a single map. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty. --Myron J. Smith, emeritus, Tusculum University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel Steed (military history, U.S. Army Command and General Staff Coll., Fort Leavenworth, KS) has edited a concise volume for those seeking background information on the Iraq War (2003--11). An overview of the war is followed by essays on the causes and consequences. Entries cover an array of subjects such as religion, political leaders, key battles, military atrocities, and military operations. Topics explored include the battles of Fallujah, the Halliburton company, and Sunni and Shia Islam. Each entry offers cross-references and a list of references. Readers will also appreciate primary source documents, a chronology of the Iraq War, and an extensive bibliography. VERDICT This well-researched guide lives up to its title as an "essential reference," providing readers with key facts. Anyone with an interest in military history, operations, the Iraq War, or modern warfare will find this title a valuable resource.--Diane Fulkerson, Univ. of South Florida, Lakeland
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Review by Choice Review
Review by Library Journal Review
