Ignorant Armies

Baffled by how Bush’s war on al-Qaeda segued into war on Iraq? Canada’s leading expert on war unravels the tangled chain of events.

The terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, have unleashed an avalanche of events that is sliding inexorably towards war between the U.S.A. (and possibly its allies) and Iraq. These events are clearly connected yet so hugely different in character and motive that even those who follow the news closely are bewildered by how the war on al-Qaeda in Afghanistan segued into war in the Middle East. In Ignorant Armies, Gwynne Dyer, a peerless commentator on the causes and consequences of war, explains the strategies of the major players: American, Iraqi, Israeli, and Islamist. Alarmingly, he demonstrates that despite the growing bellicosity from the White House, neither the U.S.A. nor the other protagonists in this drama have a strategy that serves their own long-term interests. Worse, they are unlikely to achieve even their short-term goals. But, Dyer argues convincingly, they are likely to smash a good deal of crockery on their way to finding that out.“To understand what’s really happening in Iraq, most of us could switch off the news and read Ignorant Armies instead.” —Vancouver Sun
 
“Dyer succeeds brilliantly in his objectives, and this book should be required reading for anyone seeking to clarify their perspective on the conflict in Iraq.” —Marina Glogovac, Toronto LifeGWYNNE DYER has served in the Canadian, British, and American navies. He holds a Ph.D. in Middle Eastern history from the University of London, has taught at Sandhurst, and served on the Board of Governors of Canada's Royal Military College. Dyer writes a syndicated column that appears in more than 175 newspapers around the world. In 2010, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. He lives in England with his wife and children.