War Without Consequences
Iraq’s Insurgency and the Spectre of Strategic Defeat

Published by RUSI Books

The book features new contributions from Sir Jeremy Greenstock, former UK Ambassador to the UN and Special Representative to Iraq and Air Chief Marshal Sir Brian Burridge, commander of the 43,000-strong UK Joint Force during deployment, the combat phase and the early weeks of the war’s aftermath.

The book also features new analyses by Professor Michael Clarke, Tom Donnelly and Stephen Fidler, plus a compendium of articles on the war that RUSI has published over the past half decade.

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Contents

The 2003 Iraq War – Commander’s Reflections
In this piece, Air Chief Marshal Sir Brian Burridge recalls the flawed intelligence that took the UK to war and the failure to learn lessons from history. Conversely, he highlights the success of the ‘British way of warfare’ in Iraq.

The British Intervention in Iraq: War, Peace and the Costs
Professor Michael Clarke argues that even now the invasion of Iraq remains a blunder, from which Iran has gained most.

The Bush Administration, the War in Iraq and its Consequences for US Policy
Stephen Fidler, the Defence and Security Editor of the Financial Times, assesses the damage done to the US global position by an invasion based on poorly justified evidence and unrealistic expectations.

Clarity Through a Dark Glass: Some American Lessons Learned in Iraq
Thomas Donnelly of the American Enterprise Institute argues that although victory in Iraq is yet to be achieved, the situation is not as gloomy as many have made out and that the position of the US is growing ever stronger.

Assessing the Surge: A RUSI Interview with Ambassador Ryan Crocker
On 18 September, US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker visited RUSI after presenting his assessment of the 'surge' policy, with General David Petraeus, before the United States Congress. (October 2007)

The US Military After Iraq: A Speculation
Eliot Cohen, of Johns Hopkins University, asks what the US military, particularly the Army and the Marine Corps, will be like after the insurgency in Iraq has run its course. (February 2006)

Reforming Iraq’s Security Sector
Andrew Rathmell, former Director of Policy Planning for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad, writes that the challenge for Iraq and its allies is to ensure that the security sector is fit to restore order without threatening democratic transition. (February 2005)

Security in Iraq
Jeremy Greenstock, former UK Ambassador to the UN and former Special Representative to Iraq, assesses the lessons that can be learned from the invasion of Iraq and the ensuing insurgency. (October 2004)

Military and the Media
Richard Sambrook, Director of News and Current Affairs at the BBC, argues that the speed with which the Iraq war was won gave us no time to reflect on the complexity of the new kind of relationship that was forged there between the military and the media. (August 2003)

Politics and Governance in the New Iraq: Reconstruction of the New Versus Resurrection of the Old
Gareth Stansfield, of the University of Exeter, observes the ease of regime change compared with the task of finding a suitable replacement government with the ability to build Iraq anew. (May 2003)

Europe and the United States: An End to Illusions
Jonathan Eyal, RUSI, observes that the invasion of Iraq has made clear the gulf between Europe and the US in foreign policy. (May 2003)

Between Peace and War: Iraq in Perspective
In a pre-invasion speech, former Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd looks at the possibilities and the risks of war in Iraq. (February 2003)

High Noon for British Grand Strategy
Michael Codner provides a compelling round-up of UK military options in Iraq, assessing potential problems and implications of a potential invasion. (October 2002).

End Note

Ghost Stories
The book ends with John Nagl’s searing reflection on Here, Bullet, Brian Turner’s Iraq war poems