Andrewj.comObserver
Architect
Developer
Photographer
Traveller
Writer
Reviewer
Thoughts on the World
    • Welcome PageArchitectDeveloperPhotographerTravellerWriterObserverReviewerLinks

Occupational Hazards

My Time Governing in Iraq, By Rory Stewart

Posted on 27 April 2013 by Andrew - Please share: All Addthis servicesTweet thisFacebook thisLink thisYam thisShare on Google

Summary


How do the rankings work?
Content 8/10
Readability 8/10
Presentation 9/10
Ideas 9/10
Value for money 8/10
Did it do what it said on the box? 9/10

The Review

An intriguing and insightful account of important recent history

Rory Stewart is almost unique as a commentator on the post-war development of Iraq and Afghanistan in the last decade. Following an early military career and extensive travel in the Muslim world, he then spent over a year trying to run the civilian administration in two Iraqi provinces as the coalition tried to prepare the country for post-Saddam self government. This book is a memoir of that period, plus what followed.

Following in the best tradition of Winston Churchill and T E Lawrence, Stewart is evidently not just a administrator, but also both a leader and do-er, an entertaining writer, and an insightful analyst. His memoir is, by turns:

  • Inspiring, describing those who strove to improve and reform Iraq, in many cases risking and even losing their lives in the process,
  • Shocking, describing acts of repression and violence, and also when describing the atrocious incompetence and cowardice of the Italian military,
  • Intriguing, as Stewart describes scheming Iraqi politicians who could have given lessons to Nicolo Machiavelli,
  • Thought-provoking, particularly in the final reflections about which interventions succeeded, and how many failed,
  • Exciting, for example when describing the protracted siege of their office in Nasiriyah,
  • Highly amusing. My favourite was the Islamist militant who publicly compared Stewart to Hitler, and then immediately asked him for help with an injury to the militant’s penis. Stewart’s descriptions of his interactions with the Bhagdad bureaucracy, with their management consultancy and PowerPoint “solutions”, also made me laugh out loud.

This is a strong analysis of an important piece of the world’s recent history, the latter acts of which are still playing out. It’s also an insightful study into the reality of politics in an environment as complex as post-invasion Iraq, which may genuinely have no peers. The book is eminently readable, and I strongly recommend it.

Buy It From Amazon

Categories: Reviews. Content Types: Biography & Endeavour, Book, and History.

This entry was posted in Reviews. Bookmark the permalink.
Previous Post: How to Teach Relativity to Your Dog
---- Next Post: El Dorado Blues

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Thoughts on the World Proudly powered by WordPress.

Main Pages

Welcome Page

Architect (Consultancy services)

Developer (Services and Products)

Photographer

Traveller

Writer (Publications and Papers)

Observer (My blog)

Reviewer

Links

Blog Contents

Post Category:

Review Type:

  • Recent Posts

    • When You Wish … A Different Approach To Sourcing
    • The World’s Worst Panorama 2023
    • Rainbows Rising
    • Have I Offended El Gauchito Gil?
    • We’re Going on a Guanaco Hunt!
  • Recent Comments

    • Divitel on It’s Screen Time!
    • Mike Parnell on Camera History
    • ValueBlue on What Do I Mean by "Agile Architecture"?
    • Robert on Combining Risk Factors
    • Paul M Turner on Typically Tropical!
  • Blog Indexes

    Favourite/Major Articles

    All Articles by Category

    All Articles by Title

    Review Index

    Search

    References to www.andrewj.com

    References to www.agilearchitect.org

    Contact Me

    Email me

    @TweetAndrewJ

    Others

    Share

    Facebook

    Google

    Twitter

    Linked In

    Yammer

    Share

    Feeds

    @TweetAndrewJ

    Thoughts on the World (Main Feed)

    Main feed (direct XML)

    Professional Blog

    Photo Blog

    Photo Album

    Review pages

    About my feeds

    © Questa Computing Ltd. 1994 - 2023:
    Questa Computing Ltd. is registered in England and Wales number:2889117.
    Registered office: Coppertrees, Forest Road, Effingham, Leatherhead, KT24 5HE
    Credits, copyright details and cookie policy