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Dexter Filkins started as the foreign correspondent at the Los Angeles Times before moving on to work for the New York Times. During this time, he covered the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan, the American invasion there after 9/11. The bulk of the time was spent covering the war in Iraq. This book is based on his eyewitness accounts of the wars in both countries.
That dry description does no justice to this stunning book. The author has an extraordinary ability to bring the brutal reality of the war right up in your face. He uses simple and direct language to describe what he sees and hears and keeps his personal observations to a minimum. The genius of the author lies in knowing how to distill his vast store of observations and conversations, which is where his remarkable insight comes to the fore. His empathy and affection for his subjects and the occasional flashes of humour give the book a warmth despite the brutal and uncompromising nature of his coverage.
The first four years of the war on Iraq occupies nearly 80% of the book. His coverage exposes the monumentally catastrophic lack of post war planning that took place before the American invasion. The troops did not understand the country or the people and were unprepared, even clueless. It is also clear that the troops themselves are not to blame - they went in to fight an army, not a terrorist insurgency and certainly not to rebuild a country torn apart by the rule of a brutal dictator and three wars in three decades. They went in and also continue to stay with the best of intentions, as much as possible. While the author does not explicitly point any fingers, he doesn't have to. It is painfully clear that the incompetence of the political appointees let down the troops and the Iraqi people very badly.
As the book progresses, the numbness that is felt by the author can be felt by the reader as well. It is difficult to read about the steady stream of brutalities that comprises war - not some glorified and sanitised version presented by Hollywood, but the real thing - without feeling a little numb. Whether you support this war or you don't, this book will give you plenty to move you and plenty to think about.
And finally, I am in awe of Dexter Filkins, his bravery, his intelligence, his empathy and his compassion. I am glad he went to these places and I am even gladder that he survived to tell his tale. He is a truly remarkable individual.
10/10
