Out of the Ashes - by Andrew Cockburn & Patrick Cockburn (Paperback)

About the Book

Two investigative journalist brothers team up to present this explosive, documented account of Saddam Hussein's tenacious grip on power. The authors shed new light on his weapons of mass destruction, and lift the veil on the Iraqi royal family and the volatile relationships that may prove to be Hussein's undoing. 1 map.

From the Back Cover

At the end of the Gulf War, the White House was confident that Saddam Hussein's days as Iraq's dictator were numbered. His army had been routed, his country had been bombed back into a pre-industrial age, his subjects were in bloody revolt, and his borders were sealed. World leaders waited confidently for the downfall of the pariah of Baghdad. Almost a decade later, they are still waiting.

This is the first in-depth account of what went wrong. Drawing on the authors' firsthand experiences on the ground inside Iraq (often under fire) and their interviews with key players--ranging from members of Saddam's own family to senior officials of the CIA--Out of the Ashes tells what happened when the smoke cleared from the battlefields of the Gulf War. This tale of high drama, labyrinthine intrigue, and fatal blunders has been played out amid one of the greatest man-made tragedies of our times-one where, so long as Saddam Hussein remains in power, the Iraqi people will pay the price. Out of the Ashes makes chillingly clear just how terrible that price has been.

Review Quotes

"The picture of the last eight years that emerges is among the most coherent and accessible of any book on Iraq to date."-- "New York Times Book Review""The most detailed look available at what has happened in post-Gulf War Iraq.... Because of Patrick Cockburn's contacts in Baghdad, "Out of the Ashes" brings light to a political system that most American writing leaves shrouded in darkness." -- "Washington Post Book World"A clear, lively, well-researched narrative, which moves along at a brisk pace.... Rich in information and atmospehre."-- "The Nation""A fascinating history of the global and regional intrigues and miscues that have allowed Saddam Hussein to defiantly survive.... Among the best books yet written on the malignant enigma that is Saddam Hussein." -- "Kirkus Review"