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Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Baghdad's Green Zone
 
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Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Baghdad's Green Zone (Paperback)

by Rajiv Chandrasekaran (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
RRP: £8.99
Price: £5.49 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Baghdad's Green Zone + Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq + The End of Iraq: How American Incompetence Created a War without End
Price For All Three: £17.13

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Review

'Black comedy, set in the graveyard of the neo-conservative dream. Superb' John le Carre 'The best account I have read of why the American occupation of Iraq has gone so drastically wrong An exceptional piece of work, well researched, well written and well judged I cannot remember a book that does more to enhance our understanding of the country than this one' Said K. Aburish, Spectator 'It's an extraordinary work of journalism that provides one of the most powerful cases yet made against the disastrous adventure in Iraq. Like a documentary Catch-22, this gripping book shows how the Bush administration's abject failure to plan for the period after the invasion gave rise to a toxic mixture of tragedy and farce' Hari Kunzru, Guardian Books of the Year 2007 'Graham Greene would have loved Imperial Life in the Emerald City, a painfully funny account of the blundering American occupation of Iraq. It confirms everything he wrote in The Quiet American' Philip French, Guardian Books of the Year 2007


Simon Jenkins, Sunday Times

`Chandrasekaran...watched the policy bottom-up from within and
beyond the Green Zone. The result is jaw-dropping.' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Baghdad's Green Zone
92% buy the item featured on this page:
Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Baghdad's Green Zone 4.4 out of 5 stars (19)
£5.49
The End of Iraq: How American Incompetence Created a War without End
3% buy
The End of Iraq: How American Incompetence Created a War without End 5.0 out of 5 stars (2)
£5.66
Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq
2% buy
Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq 4.5 out of 5 stars (20)
£5.98
Occupational Hazards: My Time Governing in Iraq
1% buy
Occupational Hazards: My Time Governing in Iraq 4.3 out of 5 stars (9)
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Customer Reviews

19 Reviews
5 star:
 (9)
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 (9)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
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Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (19 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A superbly researched and lucid account, 15 Aug 2007
By Wynne Kelly "Kellydoll" (Coventry, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)      
This review is from: Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Baghdad's Green Zone (Hardcover)
Superbly researched and lucid account of the US attempts to impose a new order in post-invasion Iraq. Records the unreal life led by the Americans in the Green Zone compared to the unfolding chaos in the rest of the country. He also tells of how the main criterion when recruiting staff was allegiance to the Republican Party rather than any past relevant experience. Also very revealing on how differing US agencies were at odds with one another and were trying to impose differing agendas. Breathtaking amounts of dollars were paid to contractors who then failed to carry out their agreed work while other people with specific needs to aid the reconstruction were denied any real funding.

A hard hitting account of the blunders, venality and cynicism of the occupiers but at the same time Chandrasekaran acknowledges the undoubted good motives of many of those involved in this continuing tragedy of a broken country.

Deserves a very wide readership - unfortunately the people who should read this book probably won't bother....
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant account of the American occupation, 7 May 2007
By R. G. Flynn "RF" (London) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Baghdad's Green Zone (Hardcover)
Exceptionally clear account of the structure of the occupation explaining American aims and misunderstandings, interspersed with riveting descriptions of everyday events. This could have been dull but is on the contrary compulsively readable. The author, who spent over two years in Iraq and lived outside the Green Zone, is both knowledgeable and a highly gifted story teller. It is clear that his interviewees trusted him and spoke with unusual frankness. Everyone should read this.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars revelatory...., 5 May 2007
This review is from: Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Baghdad's Green Zone (Hardcover)
Well written, apparently very well informed account of life in Baghdad during the American occupation by an experienced and knowledgeable correspondent. If this had been predicted, you would not have believed it. A jaw-dropping account and highly recommended.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Reality Check
Unless one is exposed to truth( whether reading books such as this one, being there on the ground to expose first hand the realities of the tragedy, or is able to access untainted... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Kamil M. Salamah

4.0 out of 5 stars A clear, concise analysis of American failings in Iraq
This is an excellent account of the political naivety of American politicians in failing to put together a plan for post-hostilities Iraq. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Hombre M

5.0 out of 5 stars Of Arrogance and Insanity
I'd just taken the last sip from my bottle of Arrogant [...]Ale, as I put this book down (really). On the back of the bottle just before I tossed it in the trash I noticed there... Read more
Published 10 months ago by MopedLad

5.0 out of 5 stars An illuminating look at the US attempts to rebuild in Iraq
Ravi Chandrasekaran's superb book provides a behind-the-scenes look at the attempts to rebuild Iraq following the US invasion and the collapse of Saddam's regime. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Political Junkie

4.0 out of 5 stars Though provoking
Rajiv Chandrasekarans's fine book delves into the madness of the Green Zone, the American civilian reconstructions headquarters. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Paul Holland

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Incompetence
There are many impressive stories in this account of how the American invasion and occupation of Iraq went so disastrously wrong in such a short period of time. Read more
Published 19 months ago by L. Thompson

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing insight to Iraq but also working with Americans
This book is a fantastic read - hard to put down from an entertainment point of view. It's quite incredible to get the inside track on how the reconstruction of Iraq was... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Hugh

4.0 out of 5 stars A Devastating Exposition of the Stupid White Men

As someone who grew adoring Joseph Heller's great World War Two satire, Catch-22, I never thought the day would come when I read a real life account of how the misguided... Read more
Published 23 months ago by J A C Corbett

4.0 out of 5 stars A Devastating Exposition of the Stupid White Men

As someone who grew adoring Joseph Heller's great World War Two satire, Catch-22, I never thought the day would come when I read a real life account of how the misguided... Read more
Published 23 months ago by J A C Corbett

4.0 out of 5 stars Astonishing
Another reviewer used the phrase 'jaw-dropping', and I have to agree. A quite remarkable, eye-opening account of the US attempts to rebuild Baghdad after the invasion/liberation... Read more
Published on 14 Sep 2007 by JonW

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