Resumo de Fiasco - Thomas E. Ricks

Fiasco byThomas E. Ricks is a frank, revealing look at the U.S.. invasion and occupationof Iraq. Ricks, a Washington Post Pentagon correspondant, tells the story in a matter of fact style, relying on accounts by Bush Administration officials, generals, iraqi civilians, and of course, the soldiers on the ground. While Rick's could be criticized for havingan anti-war bias, his use of statements by manypeople whowereinvolved backs up his point of view effectively.His case is simple, the war was bungled at all levels through bad communication plus a mixture of arrogance and optimism, allwith tragic results the continue to this day.

Rick's starts with a quick backdrop to the war, including the 1991 Gulf War and the period of containment of iraq throughout the 90s. He also briefly mentions the 1998 document 'The project for a New American Century', which was co-written by Neocons like Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld and Jonh Bolton, calledfor the overthrow of Saddam Hussien.The authoralso points out that the Clinton Adminstration had considered removing Saddam from within.

When George W. Bush comes to power in 2000 Vice PresedentCheney, Defense SecretaryRumsfeld andNeocons like RichardPearl consider how to topple Saddam. When 9-11 occcrs they see their chance. According to the book rumsfeld was asking about military plans to invade right after the terrorists struck. Throughout 2002 the administration makes the case for war, telling the public and the world thatSaddam is developing weapons of mass destruction', and must be stopped. Their claim is givene more weight when Secretary of State Colin Powell goes before the UN to make the case for the war, although he secretly has reservations. The administration continuesto sell the war, while Rumsfeldconsiders various battle plans, including one that onlycalled for 10,000 troops! Rick's documents the apperent arrogance andignorance of Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld who only want to hear consenting views and the most rosy scenarios about the wars outcome, which they sell to the American public with statementssuch as the war will be a 'cakewalk'.

Saddam's goverment quickly falls to coalition forces, who have a brief and golden oppurtunity to win over Iraqi 'hearts and minds'. The many ways they squander this oppurtunity are tragic. For one, during the lootoing after Saddam's fallthe US forces are too small to provide security for Iraqi civilians. Two, they do almostnothing to restore infrastructure or provide humane aid the the 'liberated'Iraqi's. Three, the civilian leadership in the Pentogon unwisely disbands the Iraqi army. leaving almost over 200,000 men unemployed and armed. resentful and mistrusting to begin with the Iraqi's begin their insurgency.

One of the tradgedies of the war is the miscommunication bnetween the civilians and generals at the Pentogon.. For example, there are many cases where Rumsfeld and the isolatedcivilian leaders in the so-called 'Green Zone' in Bagdad dismiss the advice of generals in the field, instead sticking to their own notions of howm the war should be run from a distance.

The war is also confusing on the ground, as commaders from different divisions adopt often radically different methods for dealing with Iraqi's. For instance, a colonel in the 101st Airborne Divisionopenly communicateswith local Sunni leaders, whom he treatsrespectively. Consequently, histroops suffer few attacks.In contrast the soldiers in the 4th Infantry Divisiontreat most Iraqi's with trigger happy mistrust like that of Vietnam, with oneprivate calling all of them 'Damded Terrorists'. This paints of picture of an army undoing any progress it might have made.

The Iraqi's, both Shia and Sunni, soon make life hard for the Americans, blowing up convoys with improvisedexplosiv devices, sometriggered by cellphones, plus sniper attacks and ambushes. There are also nastybattles incities like Fallujah, which the U.S. takes, but losess leave.In frustration theU.S. retaliates agianst sometimes innocent civilians, further driving more them to become insurgents. Then there is the scandal at AbuGarab prison, where mostly inniocent civilians are tortured and humliated by U.S. military police. When the story breaks worldwide the war effort is severly hampered. One Marine is quoted on the incident "Some ass ^%$& just lost the war for us."

Rick's seems to agree with that statement, on many levels.

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