{"product_id":"the-occupation-isbn-9781844671649","title":"The Occupation","description":"In February 2003, Patrick Cockburn secretly crossed the Tigris river from Syria into Iraq just before the US\/British invasion, and has covered the war ever since. In \u003ci\u003eThe Occupation\u003c\/i\u003e, he provides a vivid and disturbing picture of a country in turmoil, and the dangers and privations endured by its people.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Occupation\u003c\/i\u003e explores the mosaic of communities in Iraq, the US and Britain’s failure to understand the country they were invading and how this led to fatal mistakes. Cockburn, who has been visiting Iraq since 1978, describes the disintegration of the country under the occupation. Travelling throughout Iraq, from the Kurdish north, to Baghdad, Falluja and Basra, he records the response of the country’s population – Shia and Sunni, Arab and Kurd – to the invasion, the growth of the resistance and its transformation into a full-scale uprising. He explains why deepening religious and ethnic divisions drove the country towards civil war.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAbove all, Cockburn traces how the occupation’s failure led to the collapse of the country, and the high price paid by Iraqis. He charts the impact of savage sectarian killings, rampant corruption and economic chaos on everyday life: from the near destruction of Baghdad’s al-Mutanabi book market to the failure to supply electricity, water and, ironically, fuel to Iraq’s population.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Occupation\u003c\/i\u003e is a compelling portrait of a ravaged country, and the appalling consequences of imperial arrogance.“A wealth of telling detail.”—\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Cockburn’s account of the evolving conflict ... is informed by his keen personal observations and understanding of the complexities and horrors of daily life in Iraq.”—\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Of the raft of books about the calamitous mismanagement of the intervention in Iraq, \u003ci\u003eThe Occupation\u003c\/i\u003e is probably the most readable and certainly the only one that—even if only in the driest possible way—manages to be amusing.”—Christopher Hitchens\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A masterpiece of journalism.”—A. N. Wilson, \u003ci\u003eEvening Standard\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“From the front line itself, the brilliant and brave Patrick Cockburn has produced one of the best books of the year.”—James Naughtie, \u003ci\u003eThe Herald\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Brilliantly told ... No Western reporter knows the country better.”—John Freeman, \u003ci\u003eThe Plain Dealer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A necessary book.”—\u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“One of the most accurate and intrepid journalists in Iraq.”—Sidney Blumenthal, \u003ci\u003eSalon\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003ePatrick Cockburn\u003c\/b\u003e, Middle East correspondent of \u003ci\u003eIndependent\u003c\/i\u003e, has been visiting Iraq since 1978. He was awarded the 2005 Martha Gellhorn prize for war reporting. He is the author of \u003ci\u003eThe Broken Boy\u003c\/i\u003e, a memoir, and, with Andrew Cockburn, \u003ci\u003eOut of the Ashes: The Resurrection of Saddam Hussein\u003c\/i\u003e.","brand":"Verso","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46303674925285,"sku":"NP9781844671649","price":29.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781844671649.jpg?v=1767740763","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-occupation-isbn-9781844671649","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}