Review by Choice Review
Mockaitis (DePaul Univ.; Center for Civil-Military Relations at the Naval Post-Graduate School) has written several books on counterinsurgency, terrorism, and the Iraq War, including The "New" Terrorism (CH, May'07, 44-5293). In this volume, he assembles 97 primary source documents related to the Iraq War. The documents are arranged in five chapters that cover the case for war, the invasion of Iraq, postwar reconstruction, insurgency, and democratization. Each chapter includes an introduction, a conclusion, and excerpted primary source documents with source information and a brief analysis of each document. The volume includes sidebars with related information, and lists of resources and related documents. Many of the primary source excerpts are from public domain US government documents such as speeches, congressional testimony, reports, and statements. Media interviews and other documents are also featured. As the author notes, little documentary material from the insurgents' point of view is available. Only a few documents from Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi government are included here. This volume has a somewhat confusing page layout for each entry, but overall represents an easily accessible starting point for primary source documents useful for research into the origins and issues of the Iraq War. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-level undergraduates; general readers. L. Cooper University of Colorado Denver
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
Continuing Greenwood's series of primary source reference books, this volume offers a collection of documents regarding the Iraq War from 2003 to 2011. The work rises to the challenge of covering the events in a factual, unbiased manner, featuring 97 documents organized topically into five chapters ( The Case for War, Shock and Awe, Reconstruction, From Conventional to Unconventional War, and The Rough Road to Democracy ). Side boxes feature Did You Know? facts and definitions. Recommended for most libraries as a good, neutral source on a timely topic.--Vnuk, Rebecca Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Mockaitis (history, DePaul Univ., Chicago; Iraq and the Challenge of Counterinsurgency) provides context and analysis for documents that trace the history of the most recent Iraq War. The 97 documents are organized in chapters such as "The Case for War," "Shock and Awe," "Reconstruction," "From Conventional to Unconventional War," and "The Rough Road to Democracy." The material is largely from U.S. government sources, but media outlets and other nations' documents are also represented. Each chapter begins with a one- to three-paragraph introduction and includes scattered insets with background information on relevant people or organizations; each document is given an equally short introduction and is identified by number, title, date, location, and significance. Following every piece is a citation and a one- or two-paragraph analysis. The author presents critical readings of the documents, making connections and assertions that are sometimes controversial, giving readers a greater understanding of the relationship among the events and the records discussed. Along with the volume's opening discussion on the nature of historical inquiry, these analyses can introduce students to the processes used to understand historical events. A list of resources includes websites, blogs, official publications, books, and articles. VERDICT Mockaitis's excellent source of information on this long conflict is highly recommended for high school, public, and academic libraries supporting history or political science programs.-Rosanne M. Cordell, Northern Illinois Univ. DeKalb (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Choice Review
Review by Booklist Review
Review by Library Journal Review
