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The Achilles Trap: Saddam Hussein, the C.I.A., and the Origins of America’s Invasion of Iraq
Top of the pile
81
/100
I Index Overall Rating
Readers
95/100Critics
67/100Scholars
Author:
Steve Coll
Publisher:
Penguin Press
Date:
February 27, 2024
The story of the decades-long relationship between the United States and Saddam Hussein, and a deeply researched investigation into how human error, cultural miscommunication, and hubris led to one of the costliest geopolitical conflicts of our time.
What The Reviewers Say
A useful reminder that America’s omniscience is just as likely to be overestimated as are the capabilities and intentions of most world actors.
[The book] succeeds because of Coll’s willingness to reexamine the mutually reinforcing delusions of Hussein and four U.S. administrations.
Absorbing and panoramic.
Chastening.
