Daveportivo's Cultural Evaluation Facility

When it comes to democratization and post conflict nation building no name looms larger in the academic world than that of Larry Diamond. Squandered Victory focuses on the story of the post war national building effort in Iraq. However rather than being a straight academic work, Diamond presents a mix, his conclusion and what went wrong captures read like a cutting analysis but the bulk of the book is the story of his time in Iraq, the sights and the sounds.

While I occasionally (very occasionally) disagree with Diamond, I too specialize in Iraq and am undertaking a disertation on the role of strategy in nation building, I find his conclusion sharp and to the point. He also shows a remarkable turn of phrase the idea that "one damn thing followed another" is a perfect way of explaining the casual snow ball of errors that was the Iraq War. However I wish to stay away from academic analysis as that is not what this is book is about and it's probably not what Diamond intended. If you want a critque read his superb article Lessons From Iraq in The Journal Of Democracy.

That being said what makes this book so engaging is that it roots itself around personality, landmarks and emotion. Diamond tells us how he felt to be in Iraqi, he exposes us to the inner nuerosis of his comrades as well as their sense of comoradary. It's the annecdotal nature of the work that makes it so endearing, the highlights are hearing Diamond tell of his trip to and Iraqi university and his exchange of ideas with Iraq students reminds us the student mind is the same in Baghdad as it is at Cambridge, it's a charming story. Elsewhere you see Diamond lost in the beaucracy, without a role, without direction and leadership, watching mistakes made in front of his eyes but having no real input. Diamond counter balences the hopelessness with the human, while we hear of Bremer and the CPA's blunders, Diamond also brings home the human character of Bremer, he doesn't feel likeable, but it gives a personality to an important leader who is often percieved as a name in a report rather than a human being.

All in all Squandered Victory is insightful, intriguing and engaging, it toes the line between a memior and an academic work and pulls it off successfully making it Diamond's most approachable work to the non-academic. That said if your looking for a detialed cutting analysis you may be dissapointed and equally it is clear that while Diamond is a friendly affable writer he's no novelist and he can't measure up to the wit and insight of Rajiv Chandrasekaran. So if your looking for thorough analysis hit the journals, if your looking for a superb peice of annecdotal storytelling check out Imperial Life In The Emerald City (I'll have a review up soon), but if you want a bit of both and a good starter with some geniune insight then Squandered Victory is the book for you.

I've decided to stick to the politicsy history books rather than reviewing Sci Fi as aside from telling you if the stories any good and being able to assess the writing quality I really don't have a broad enough grasp of the genre to make any credible conclusions, so no Asimov reviews, yet.

Anyway on with the show for my first book I've chosen (drumroll followed by dun, dun, daaaah):

This work by Christopher Hitchens (renouned American Journalist and Liberal) is the mock trial of Henry Kissenger, before you get to worried it's not a goofy fictionalized trial it'd be more accurately stated as the "case against" Henry Kissenger but that doesn't sound half as exciting now does it.

The book has it's ups and downs but is continually intriguing as Hitchens flies through a number of topics with great vigour; The 1968 Election, Vietnam, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Chile, East Timor, Cyprus and Greece as well as Kissinger's business interests and the one particular case of a Greek Journalist.

The book is very powerful and is correct in it's accusations however the Hitchens doesn't always write in a particularly readable style and too often comes accross as if he's on a vendetta with little more than inferances for evidence. However these are minor quibbles in an otherwise well argued peice. The real high points in the work come not when Hitchens is drawing together a wider conspiracy theory but when he allows the documents to speak for themselves, Kissinger's conversations with Pinochet and the account of when he was questioned by citizens of East Timor speak more strongly and powerfully than two hundred words of second hand prose ever could. This book is at its best when it is Kissinger himself not Htichins, who is digging his own grave.

The undoubted strenght of this book is the fact that it clocks in at just 147 pages, a light afternoons reading and Hitchens for the most part manages to clearly explain the main scandals succinctly, only on rare occasion delving into pointless historical narrative or going of on tagents.

On the wider political issue I'm inclined to almost totally agree with Hitchens, I view Kissinger as one of the principal war criminals and a consistant committer of crimes against humanity. Kissinger is possibly the ultimate example of a politician who chose expidency and business interests over human life, international law and morality. Unfortunately as Hitchens made clear the Library of Congress will keep Henry Kissenger safe from a real trial, as Kissinger simply marked all his most devious of files "personal" and they are forever locked away in the library of congress.

I don't think Henry Kissinger needs to be strung up, although I'm sure Hitchens and many Chileans, East Timorians and Cambodians would disagree, but instead he simply deserves to have his legacy discredited in a similar way to his partner in crime Tricky Dick. The Cold War marked a very dark time in the history of US foriegn policy, Kissinger was not the first nor the last to carry out some truly odious and disgusting acts in mostly but not exculsively the third world all in the name of the Cold War (or US business interest), but he is the symbolic figurehead associated with these deeds. Were he every to be tried or even the remainder of the secret documentation where to be released it would go a long way to closing a brutal and bloody chapter in US history.

On a final note what that I find most disgusting and distateful about the whole affair is the seceracy and the contempt for the American polity. To draw a notable comparision Goerge W. Bush has carried out some terrible deeds in the name of the war against Terror but at least he does it for the whole world to see, Gauntanimo couldn't be more visable, he even said on American TV that'd he'd go beyond the rule of law. George Bush at least looks you in the eyes as he stabs you through the heart. Henry Kissinger doesn't even stap you in the back, he's hiding in the bushes accross the road firing a poison dart into your neck.

Overall Thoughts: As you have no doubt gathered this book was very much a case of preaching to the converted and yet at times I found Hitchens overbearing and thin on evidence in places (not suprising when Kissinger refuses to release the evedence in the first place). He is also let down in places by less than stellar prose, however these are minor quibbles in what amounts to suscinct sysnopsis of Kissinger's role in some of humanities most brutal deeds. The use of primary documents is superb, and if you have even a passing interest in this period, this book is the perfect starting point to wet your beak. (8.5/10)