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The Strongest Tribe: War, Politics, and the Endgame in Iraq

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Author: Bing West
Publisher: Random House
Category: EBooks

List Price: ~~$18.00~~
Buy New: $9.99
You Save: $8.01 (44%)

Rating:

45 reviews
Sales Rank: 1231

Format: Kindle Book
Media: Kindle Edition
Pages: 448
Number Of Items: 1

Dewey Decimal Number: 956.70443
ASIN: B001DQYOUM

Publication Date: August 12, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
From a universally respected combat journalist, a gripping history based on five years of front-line reporting about how the war was turned around-and the choice now facing America During the fierce battle for Fallujah, Bing West asked an Iraqi colonel why the archterrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi had fled in women-s clothes. The colonel pointed to a Marine patrol walking by and said, -Americans are the strongest tribe.- In Iraq, America made mistake after mistake. Many gave up on the war. Then the war took a sharp U-turn. Two generals-David Petraeus and Raymond Odierno-displayed the leadership America expected. Bringing the reader from the White House to the fighting in the streets, this remarkable narrative explains the turnaround by U.S. forces. In the course of fourteen extended trips over five years, West embedded with more than sixty front-line units, discussing strategy with generals and tactics with corporals. He provides an expert-s account of counterinsurgency, disposing of myths. By describing the characters and combat in city after city, West gives the reader an in-depth understanding that will inform the debate about the war. This is the definitive study of how American soldiers actually fought -a gripping and visceral book that changes the way we think about the war, and essential reading for understanding the next critical steps to be taken.

Customer Reviews: Read 40 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Who is the strongest tribe? August 13, 2008
Matthew C. Burden (Chicago)
74 out of 79 found this review helpful

Bing West is one of the foremost military authors about the War in Iraq.

His new book, The Strongest Tribe, is about the history of the Iraq war. It begins and ends, very appropriately with Major Doug Zembiec, whom, if you don't know, you should.

The path of The Strongest Tribe takes us through the invasion to the point in 2006 where we essentially were losing the war, then figured out how to win and implemented the Surge strategy. Bing West was there dozens of times and he chronicles the good, the bad, and the ugly - straight up, neat, no ice.

The best part about this book is that it is the book that Cobra II wanted to be (and many others). Bing West is not afraid of offending and his sources speak for themselves (and he is highly critical of LTG Sanchez and L. Paul Bremmer). The only part that I disagreed with was West's assertion that we could have somehow kept the Iraqi Army together after the invasion. Certainly, some units would have remained but, for the most part, I didn't see many Shia conscripts returning to serve Sunni Officers in most situations. I had spoken with a lot of soldiers about this - COL (ret) Greg Gardner, in particular, who was the Army's representative at the CPA's Ministry of National Security.

From a tactician's point of view (and an expert in COIN), Bing West gives you the perspective to see what went wrong and what went right. [Edit Note: This is the first book that I've read that also correctly describes John McCain's fight against Secretary Rumsfeld, Congress and the administration to see a Surge strategy put into place.]

There is much talk of tribes in the book. You can't discuss Iraq and not talk about the tribal system. In the end, the strongest tribe wins. The strongest tribe is the one that is the most flexible and willing to do whatever it takes to win and gather the other tribes to it's fold.

It turns out that the American military is the strongest tribe.

Interspersed amongst the stories of the CPA, the State Department, the CIA and the Bush Administration, Bing West shows that our military men and women were making amazing sacrifices and valiant efforts that made success possible. That's the first half of the book.

And, the second half, from our lessons learned, our generals AND our corporals and sergeants developed an effective strategy and are winning the day - despite a uninformed and uninvolved public. West ends the book where we are now - on the edge of victory, and he includes a series of myths or OIF urban legends that are a must read.

If you read one book about the good and the bad of our five years in Iraq, you should pick up The Strongest Tribe - it has my highest recommendation.

5 out of 5 stars

Deeply insightful overview of the war in Iraq August 19, 2008
maskirovka (Alexandria, Virginia)
25 out of 25 found this review helpful

I purchased this book with some apprehension, because I was somewhat disappointed with the author's earlier book, "No True Glory." It rather annoyed me to read a whole slew of gunfights between the Marines and insurgents in Anbar Province but have no maps to give me some sense of how the engagements were unfolding.

Fortunately, Bing West's account of the war up to the present time in Iraq doesn't get down into the weeds like "No True Glory" so the handful of maps he provides are basically adequate for the narrative.

Reading "the Strongest Tribe," I find myself thinking two different things. One is "Finally! we're getting it right in Iraq!" The other is "Why did it take this long to get it right?"

I think West's book is invaluable for anyone who wants (as I so badly did) a good idea of the ebb and flow of the conflict and the various strategies that we employed before finally hitting (or should I say rediscovering) the methods that appear to be working so well over there now: using American soldiers to provide security for the Iraqi population and winning their trust and using that trust to get intelligence on the insurgents and terrorists.

I don't really have any major criticisms of the book. West might give the Marines more attention in his account than their actual share of the fight would justify. But if that is a bias, it's understandable since the Marines were at the forefront of the bloody fights in Fallujah and played the lead role in pacifying Anbar. Moreover, West is a former Marine himself and it is logical he would gravitate toward them and have his best contacts with there as well. In any case, if there's a bit of bias, it's only very slight.

Another thing I really wish would have been a more in-depth discussion of the so-called "Haditha Massacre." West spends about a chapter on the episode, but it's just a quick tour of that event. Those seeking to have better insight into it would do well to watch the Frontline documentary that was on PBS about incident. I do think that West is exactly on point in excoriating the press and politicians like Jack Murtha for rushing to judgment against the accused Marines. I look forward to the first serious book about what happened in that small Iraqi town, because something as complex as what took place there deserves a book.

A final nitpick is an error at the beginning of the book where West lauds General Eisenhower for making the hard call of resisting a British demand for a cross-channel invasion of Europe in 1943. West gets it totally wrong there. It was the United States that wanted this attack, not the British. But that's just a minor failing.

So I would strongly recommend "the Strongest Tribe" both to people in the military and the national security community as well as to Americans who want to have a good solid grasp of what's been going on in Iraq, the mistakes we've made, and the fact that we've turned the corner there.

One thing I can absolutely assure you of is that you won't get that sort of honest perspective reading "reviews" like the one star review someone gave to this book. That "review" has political agenda and close-mindedness written all over it.

5 out of 5 stars

Educational Masterpiece on the Iraq War August 13, 2008
Rudolf A. Enders (Merritt Island, Florida)
14 out of 16 found this review helpful

Bing West's latest literary work, The Strongest Tide, follows in the footsteps of his other excellent books on the Iraq War, The March Up, and No True Glory. Besides allowing the reader to sense combat through the eyes of our brave warriors, the author's observations and comments unravel this complicated conflict from top to bottom across the entire military, political, and economic spectrum. The Strongest Tide serves as a educational masterpiece on America's involvement in Iraq. The author has impeccable military/political credentials. He writes from the front lines instead of the comfort and safety of the green zone. This book should be required reading at this nation's war colleges and every governmental component involved in the Iraq war I highly recommend it to anyone else interested in the truth of what's going on there.

5 out of 5 stars

A new classic August 20, 2008
Joseph A. L'Etoile (Bend Oregon)
13 out of 13 found this review helpful

Books worth reading once are worth reading twice - John Morley.

My own 800 days of service in Al Anbar Iraq as the Commanding Officer of the 2nd Bn, 7th Marines and as the G-3 of the 1st Marine Division have undoubtedly shaped my perspective of The Strongest Tribe, but until now I have felt ill-equipped when asked by intelligent and well meaning friends to explain the broader war in Iraq. Mr. West latest book is a tour de force that provides a vibrant, honest and hard hitting look into the realities of close brutal combat as well as a sophisticated and nuanced expos� of the complex strategic, political and social narratives that must be understood if one is to fully understand the war in Iraq. The author's deep understanding of war born of his considerable personal combat experiences and service in the Defense Department's highest offices, uniquely position him to give a thorough yet accessible treatment to this most complex and misunderstood conflict. Mr. West's love and genuine respect for the young men and women who so selflessly serve our nation in harms way is felt in the stories of their courage and sacrifice as well as in his often biting criticisms of leaders and policy makers who he feels could and should have served them better. My own understanding of the war has been stretched beyond the boundaries of Al Anbar to places like Mosul, Basra, Sadr City and the Green Zone. I highly recommend this book to Marines like me who desire a fuller, broader understanding of their war. More importantly, this will be the book I will give friends to read because it treats our young warriors with the reverence and respect they deserve and delivers the scholarship and insights the War in Iraq requires. I will certainly read it more than once.

Joseph A. L'Etoile
LtCol, USMC (Ret.)

5 out of 5 stars

Bing West -- the strongest writer August 13, 2008
Vytas Kisielius (Wilton, CT)
8 out of 10 found this review helpful

With this third installment on the war in Iraq, Bing West does his best job yet of articulating the complex relationships between the local Iraqi tribes, the fledgling national government, the American political melee -- and how incredibly our fighting men and women have performed amid the chaos. He weaves together the many tales cogently and brings to life the situation on the ground in Iraq as well as in Washington -- pulling no punches and telling it as he sees it. A refreshingly honest and insightful read.

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